Chapter 4 - The Wrong Turn
Claire slipped the USB drive into her shoe and walked back to Detective Owens.
She begged him to take her directly to the downtown courthouse instead of the local precinct.
She explained that she needed to file an immediate appeal to block David from leaving the state with Ava.
Owens nodded sympathetically, opened the passenger door of his unmarked sedan, and told her to get inside.
The heater in the car blasted warm air, finally stopping the violent shivering in Claire’s hands.
As they drove away from the house, Claire felt a sudden rush of gratitude for the detective’s help.
She looked at him and mentioned that she had just found a piece of digital evidence that might expose David’s financial crimes.
Owens did not look away from the road, but his knuckles turned completely white on the steering wheel.
He reached over and pressed a button on the dashboard, engaging the child locks on all the doors.
Claire’s heart dropped as the sedan bypassed the highway exit leading to the downtown courthouse.
Owens turned down a desolate, muddy logging road surrounded by thick pine trees.
Claire demanded to know where they were going, but Owens remained terrifyingly silent.
He stopped the car deep in the woods, far away from any passing traffic or cell phone towers.
He slowly unbuckled his seatbelt and turned to face her with completely dead eyes.
Owens pulled his heavy service weapon from his shoulder holster and pointed it directly at Claire’s chest.
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He calmly stated that David paid him a lot of money to ensure loose ends were permanently tied up.
He ordered Claire to hand over the USB drive immediately if she wanted her death to be quick and painless.
