CHAPTER 7 — THE FOUNDATION OF LIES
CHAPTER 7 — THE FOUNDATION OF LIES
Rain soaked the abandoned construction site on the outskirts of the city.
Years earlier, Apex Development had announced plans to build a luxury residential community there.
The project had been abruptly canceled.
The official reason had been "environmental concerns."
Now, yellow FBI tents covered the muddy ground.
Forensic anthropologists slowly swept the area identified by ground-penetrating radar.
Every movement was deliberate.
Every inch of soil mattered.
Detective Sarah Brooks stood beside Special Agent Rachel Monroe as the first shovel struck something solid.
It wasn't concrete.
It was fabric.
Minutes later...
A weathered handbag emerged from the earth.
Inside was a faded driver's license.
The name was barely legible.
Olivia Grant.
The entire site fell silent.
Brooks closed her eyes for a moment.
"We just turned a financial investigation into a homicide investigation."
Across town...
The news reached the federal detention center before Ethan's attorney did.
Richard Holloway entered the interview room carrying no briefcase.
No legal pads.
Only a single evidence photograph.
He placed it on the table.
Ethan looked down.
His face turned white.
"You found her..."
Richard answered quietly.
"They found enough."
"I didn't kill her."
Richard didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he asked,
"Did you tell anyone she was buried there?"
Ethan's breathing became uneven.
"I want another lawyer."
"You already have one."
"I said I want another one!"
Richard stood.
"I'm withdrawing from your case."
Ethan stared in disbelief.
"You can't."
"I can."
"And after today..."
"I don't think anyone else will want it."
He walked out without looking back.
For the first time since his arrest...
Ethan sat completely alone.
Meanwhile...
At Riverside Hospital, I watched the press conference from my room.
The medical bruises were beginning to fade.
The emotional scars were not.
Liam sat beside me.
"You don't have to watch."
"Yes."
"I do."
Agent Monroe stepped to the podium.
"Today, human remains believed to belong to missing Apex employee Olivia Grant were recovered from a former company construction site."
Reporters erupted with questions.
"Is Ethan Carter a suspect?"
"We are pursuing every available lead."
"Will additional charges be filed?"
"Our investigation remains ongoing."
One reporter asked the question everyone wanted answered.
"How was this discovered?"
Rachel paused.
"Because one survivor refused to stay silent."
She never mentioned my name.
She didn't have to.
That evening...
Natalie Ross visited my hospital room.
She looked exhausted.
"I've blamed myself for years."
"You couldn't have known," I said gently.
"I knew enough."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I watched him destroy people."
"I convinced myself it wasn't my place."
She reached into her purse.
"There's one last thing."
She handed me a sealed envelope.
Inside was Olivia's resignation letter.
It had never been submitted.
At the bottom, Olivia had written one sentence in blue ink.
"If someone finds this... don't let him do it again."
May you like
I held the note against my heart.
"I promise."
