Chapter 6 - The Dead Woman's Warning
Arthur stared at the ringing phone like it was a venomous snake.
He let it ring until it went to voicemail.
"We have to leave," Arthur said, his voice completely hollow.
"Now."
He threw the documents and photos back into the lockbox and shoved it into a leather duffel bag.
"Where are we going?" Clara asked, her voice trembling.
"To find Maria," Arthur replied, looking at Leo.
"If they took your mother, I know where they’re keeping her."
They slipped out through the underground garage, taking an old, unmarked sedan instead of the luxury SUVs.
Arthur drove fast, the rain pounding against the windshield.
They left the wealthy suburbs behind, driving deep into the rundown industrial district of the city.
Arthur pulled up to a crumbling, abandoned motel with a flickering neon sign.
"Wait in the car," Arthur ordered.
"No," Leo argued. "That's my mom."
Leo opened his door and bolted into the rain.
Clara struggled out of the car, ignoring her father’s protests, and followed the boy.
They ran toward room number 114.
The door was already broken off its hinges.
Inside, the room smelled of cheap cigarettes and damp mold.
A woman was sitting in a plastic chair in the corner, her hands tied with thick zip-ties.
Her face was bruised, but she looked up fiercely when they entered.
"Leo!" she cried out.
Leo ran and hugged her tightly.
Arthur rushed in and used a pocketknife to cut her bindings.
"Maria, I'm so sorry," Arthur said, his voice breaking.
Maria stood up, rubbing her raw wrists.
She looked at Arthur with absolute hatred.
"You shouldn't have brought the girl here, Arthur," Maria said coldly.
Clara shrank back against the wall, confused by the woman's anger.
"I had to," Arthur pleaded. "I found your lockbox. I saw the autopsy."
Maria shook her head, tears mixing with the blood on her cheek.
"You don't understand, you fool," Maria hissed.
"Evelyn didn't orchestrate the car crash to kill your wife."
Maria pointed a shaking finger at Clara.
"The brakes were cut to kill the child."
"Your wife died throwing her body over Clara to save her."
May you like
Arthur stumbled backward, bumping into the filthy motel wall.
Suddenly, police sirens wailed in the distance, growing louder by the second.
