Chapter 8: Storage Unit 317
Sarah Miller agreed to meet us the following morning at a small coffee shop near downtown Atlanta.
Daniel insisted on accompanying me.
I barely slept that night.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Emily's handwriting.
Do not trust James.
At nine the next morning, Sarah was already waiting.
She was in her early thirties, with tired eyes and a leather folder resting on the table.
When she saw me, she stood.
"Mr. Carter?""
"Please, call me Michael.""
She shook my hand.
"I'm sorry about your wife.""
"Thank you. Tell me about your father.""
Sarah opened the folder.
"My father worked as a mechanic for twenty-two years. He serviced your company's vehicles, including your wife's SUV.""
I leaned forward.
"Did he inspect Emily's car before the accident?""
"Yes. Two days before she died, he called me and told me something was wrong.""
"What?""
"He said someone had tampered with the brake lines.""
My hands tightened around my coffee cup.
"Did he know who?""
Sarah nodded.
"He told me he had received money to keep quiet. He said he regretted accepting it.""
"From James?""
"He didn't tell me the name. But he said the person who paid him had access to your company.""
Daniel opened his notebook.
"Did your father report the tampering?""
"He tried. But before he could make a formal statement, he disappeared.""
"How?""
Sarah swallowed.
"He called me the night Emily died. He said he'd made a terrible mistake and needed to leave town.""
I felt sick.
"Did you hear from him again?""
"Once.""
She reached into her folder and removed an old photograph.
It showed Thomas Miller standing beside a red pickup truck.
On the back, he'd written:
If anything happens to me, look at the security footage from the old garage.
I examined the photograph.
"Which garage?""
"The repair shop he worked at. It was demolished last year, but I managed to recover some old files.""
She placed a small USB drive on the table.
"These were copied from the shop's security system.""
Daniel looked at it.
"What's on it?""
"Footage from the day your wife's car was brought in.""
I stared at her.
"Can we watch it?""
She nodded.
We went to Daniel's office, where he connected the drive to a secure computer.
The first video showed Thomas working beneath a vehicle.
The second showed a man entering the garage.
He wore a baseball cap and a dark jacket.
But when he turned toward the camera, I recognized him immediately.
James.
I felt my stomach drop.
The footage continued.
James handed Thomas an envelope.
Thomas shook his head.
James pointed toward the vehicle.
Then Thomas reluctantly accepted the envelope.
The timestamp showed the footage had been recorded two days before Emily's death.
I stood up.
"That's him.""
Daniel paused the video.
"Michael, don't touch anything. We'll make a forensic copy.""
I stared at the frozen image.
My brother had been at the garage.
He'd handed the mechanic money.
And Emily's car had been there.
"Can you zoom in on the license plate?"" I asked.
Daniel enlarged the footage.
The vehicle parked outside belonged to Carter Construction.
It was James's company SUV.
Sarah covered her mouth.
"My father told me he was afraid of that man.""
I turned toward her.
"Did he say anything else?""
She nodded.
"He said the brakes weren't the only thing someone wanted changed.""
"What do you mean?""
Sarah reached into her folder again.
This time, she produced a handwritten invoice.
The description read:
Inspection and replacement of hydraulic brake components.
But beneath it, someone had written a second instruction.
Remove tracking module. Do not reconnect.
I looked at Daniel.
"Why would someone remove the tracking module?""
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
Then he said, "To prevent the vehicle from transmitting its location.""
I felt cold.
Emily's SUV had been equipped with a company tracking device.
If someone wanted to know where she was going, removing it could hide the vehicle's movements.
Or conceal who had been following her.
Sarah leaned forward.
"There's one more thing.""
She removed a folded piece of paper.
"My father wrote this before he disappeared.""
I unfolded it.
The handwriting was shaky.
James didn't want the woman dead. He wanted the documents. But after she discovered the second account, everything changed.
I read the sentence again.
"Second account?""
Sarah nodded.
"He mentioned it several times. He said your wife had discovered a bank account that wasn't connected to the company records.""
Daniel immediately began searching the documents from Emily's folder.
Then he stopped.
"Michael, look at this.""
He showed me a photocopy of an account statement.
The account belonged to Northbridge Consulting.
But the beneficiary wasn't James.
It was Vanessa Reed.
I stared at the name.
"Vanessa?""
Daniel nodded.
"According to this statement, she received three payments before you met her.""
Sarah looked confused.
"Before?""
I checked the dates.
The first payment had been made six months before Vanessa and I started dating.
The second came three months later.
The third arrived just weeks before our first dinner together.
I felt a terrible realization forming.
Vanessa hadn't simply been recruited after James met her.
She had been receiving money long before she entered my life.
Daniel opened another file.
A photograph of a bank transfer appeared.
Beside the transaction was a reference note.
*PROJECT FAMILY.*
I laughed bitterly.
"That's what they called it?""
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel noticed a small handwritten number at the bottom of the statement.
317.
I pulled Emily's silver key from my pocket.
Storage Unit 317.
We exchanged a look.
"Let's go," I said.
An hour later, we arrived at the storage facility.
The manager checked the key and led us to the unit.
The door rolled upward with a metallic groan.
Inside were several cardboard boxes, an old laptop, and a black suitcase.
I recognized Emily's handwriting on the boxes.
My hands shook as I opened the suitcase.
Inside were photographs, bank records, and a small digital recorder.
There was also a sealed envelope.
My name was written across it.
I opened it.
The first sentence made my knees weak.
Michael, if you've found this, then James has probably convinced you that Vanessa was his idea.
I looked at Daniel.
Then I read the next line.
May you like
But there is something you need to know.
Vanessa was already watching our family before James ever introduced you.
