Part 17
I stared at the glowing screen, my jaw tightening. "He was planning to run."
"Not just run," Sheriff Miller said, his voice grim. "Look at the wording. 'The passports.' plural. He wasn't planning on leaving alone. He was going to take the kids and flee the jurisdiction before you could stop him."
Maya let out a sharp gasp, her face turning completely white. "The kids... Tanner and Lily. Dad, he has a private pilot's license. He keeps a small charter plane at the county airfield. If he had gotten to them before you did..."
She couldn't even finish the sentence. The realization of how close they had come to losing everything hung heavily in the room.
"Who sent the text?" I asked the deputy.
"We traced the burner number," the deputy replied. "It belongs to his younger brother, Marcus. He works as a security consultant for Evan's firm. It looks like Marcus went to the house right after the first police response to destroy evidence and grab Evan's emergency getaway kit."
Tom stood up, strapping his heavy duty belt back on. "Marcus is currently committing a felony by aiding and abetting a fugitive and tampering with evidence. Arthur, I need you and Maya to stay here where it's safe. I'm taking a couple of cars down to that airfield right now."
"No," I said, standing up with him.
May you like
Tom frowned. "Arthur, this is police business."
"He was trying to steal my grandchildren, Tom," I said, my voice leaving absolutely no room for debate. "Marcus is at that house right now, or he's heading to the airfield. I know every backroad to that hangar. You take the main road. I'll take the ridge. If Marcus tries to slip out the back, I'll be waiting."
