CHAPTER 5 — THE CONFESSION THAT SHOCKED THE NATION
Daniel's hands shook as the camera's red recording light blinked in front of him.
Across the laptop screen, Emily and Lily unknowingly walked through a shopping mall.
Neither of them realized two men were following only a few steps behind.
Adrian smiled.
"Your wife has exactly ninety seconds."
Daniel's voice cracked.
"You don't have to hurt them."
"I don't," Adrian replied calmly. "You do."
He slid a prepared confession across the table.
Every word had already been written.
"I, Daniel Carter, confess that I robbed First National Bank and murdered Officer Benjamin Ross..."
Daniel stared at the paper in horror.
"I'll never sign this."
Adrian nodded.
"As expected."
He snapped his fingers.
One of his men pressed a button.
The laptop feed changed.
Emily suddenly stopped walking.
A black van screeched to a halt beside her.
Masked men jumped out.
Lily screamed.
Daniel lunged forward, nearly breaking the chair.
"NO!"
Adrian calmly paused the video.
"The next part depends entirely on you."
Tears streamed down Daniel's face.
He looked straight into the camera.
"My name is Daniel Carter..."
The confession had begun.
...
Meanwhile...
Detective Marcus Hale refused to believe Daniel had escaped.
He secretly reviewed the station's backup security system.
Someone had erased every hallway camera.
Every camera...
Except one.
A forgotten maintenance camera hidden inside an old electrical room.
Marcus enlarged the grainy footage.
His heart nearly stopped.
The video showed two officers escorting Daniel.
Seconds later...
A third officer approached.
The escorting officers immediately saluted him.
Then they handed Daniel over without asking a single question.
Marcus froze the frame.
He recognized the man instantly.
Captain Richard Lawson.
His own commanding officer.
Marcus whispered,
"It can't be..."
Just then, someone knocked on his office door.
He quickly minimized the footage.
Captain Lawson walked inside with a smile.
"Working late, Detective?"
Marcus forced himself to smile back.
"Just finishing paperwork."
Lawson's eyes slowly drifted toward Marcus's computer monitor.
For a split second...
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Marcus realized...
Lawson already knew what he had discovered.
