Chapter 3 - The Call
---
The next morning, I called the only person I could trust.
Detective Sarah Chen. Homicide. Twenty years on the force. The only cop in this city who wasn't dirty.
She was also Harold Chen's daughter.
"Sarah, it's Maya."
"Maya?" A pause. "It's been years. What's going on?"
"I need to see you. It's about your father."
Silence. Long. Heavy.
"Where?"
"Your office. An hour."
"I'll be there."
I hung up. Looked at Leo. Still asleep on the couch. Still clutching his blanket.
I couldn't leave him alone. Not after last night.
I called my neighbor. Mrs. Patterson. Seventy-three years old. Watched Leo since he was a baby.
"Of course, dear. I'll be right over."
She arrived in ten minutes. Took one look at Leo. At me.
"What happened?"
"Long story. I'll explain later."
She nodded. Didn't ask again.
I kissed Leo's forehead. Grabbed the ledger. Walked out the door.
---
Sarah's office was on the fourth floor. Small. Cluttered. Files everywhere.
She stood when I walked in. Hugged me. Held on longer than usual.
"You look terrible."
"Feel worse."
We sat down. She poured coffee. Waited.
I opened the ledger. Found the page. Handed it to her.
She read. Her face didn't change. But her hands... her hands started shaking.
"My father."
"I'm sorry."
"He was murdered."
"Yes."
"Your father... your father paid for it."
"Yes."
She looked at me. Eyes wet. But not crying. Not yet.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because Victor came after my son last night. He wants the ledger. And I think... I think he's going to kill me to get it."
"Victor?"
"My brother."
"He's in here too?"
"Yeah."
She read the pages again. Found Victor's name. His payments.
"Three contracts."
"Three murders."
"Maybe more. The ledger only goes up to 1996."
I hadn't thought of that. What if there were more? What if Victor had been killing for years?
"What do I do?"
Sarah sat back. Rubbed her face.
"You have two choices. Give him the ledger, or go to war."
"I can't give him the ledger. It's evidence. It proves Dad was a criminal. It proves Victor is a murderer."
"Then you go to war."
"I have an eight-year-old son."
"I know." She leaned forward. "But if you give him that ledger, he'll kill you anyway. You know too much."
"So what? I just... fight?"
"You don't fight alone." She stood up. Walked to the window. "I've been investigating your family for years. Since my father died. I couldn't prove anything. But now..."
"Now you have proof."
"Now I have proof." She turned. "But we need to be smart. Victor has money. Power. Connections. If we go after him, he'll come after us. Hard."
"What do we do?"
"We set a trap. We make him think he's winning. And then we take him down."
"How?"
She smiled. Grim. Determined.
"Leave that to me."
---
May you like
If you enjoyed the story, bookmark my site: https://vibe.treeiq.biz New stories are posted daily, so check back for updates.
---
