CHAPTER 4 — THE WOMAN FROM THE FIRE
CHAPTER 4 — THE WOMAN FROM THE FIRE
Nobody moved.
William slowly turned toward his son.
"What did you say?"
Toby stared at the broken pieces of the plate.
"I know her."
William knelt.
"No, Toby."
"You don't."
"I do."
"When?"
The boy looked frightened.
"Before."
"Before what?"
"Before Mommy..."
He couldn't finish.
Emma gently held his hand.
"It's okay."
"When did you see her?"
Toby whispered—
"At the airport."
William's heartbeat stopped.
Elizabeth had died five years earlier.
The official investigation had concluded mechanical failure.
The case had been closed.
Insurance paid.
Evidence archived.
No criminal charges.
Nothing suspicious.
At least...
That was what everyone believed.
William ordered security to bring the woman inside.
She was soaked from head to toe.
Late fifties.
Gray hair.
Thin.
Her clothes were old but clean.
One side of her face carried deep burn scars.
Emma noticed them immediately.
So did Toby.
He gasped.
"The fire lady."
The woman burst into tears.
"You remember me."
William stepped between them.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Sarah Donovan."
"I worked for Northwest Air Rescue."
William frowned.
"I've never heard of you."
"No."
"They made sure you never would."
Sarah reached into her coat.
Every guard drew a weapon.
"Easy!"
She slowly pulled out a waterproof envelope.
"I came because they're watching."
William didn't take it.
"Who's watching?"
"The people who buried your wife's case."
Emma exchanged a glance with him.
This was beginning to sound impossible.
William opened the envelope.
Inside were photographs.
Crash-site photographs.
Not the public ones.
These were close.
Detailed.
Graphic.
One picture made William's blood run cold.
The aircraft wing.
Someone had circled four tiny holes with red ink.
"What is this?"
Sarah answered immediately.
"Bullet holes."
William looked up sharply.
"Impossible."
"The report said engine failure."
Sarah nodded.
"The report lied."
Emma stared.
"You mean..."
"The plane was shot?"
Sarah looked directly at William.
"I was one of the first rescue workers there."
"I photographed everything."
"My supervisor ordered every picture destroyed."
"But I kept copies."
William's hands began shaking.
"Why?"
"Because your wife wasn't the intended target."
Silence.
The words echoed through the enormous kitchen.
William whispered—
"What?"
Sarah's voice cracked.
"Someone wanted you."
"The meeting was changed at the last minute."
"Elizabeth flew instead."
Emma felt cold.
Very cold.
William stared at the photographs for a long time.
Then something caught his eye.
One image showed a silver bracelet lying in the wreckage.
Elizabeth's bracelet.
But someone had written a number beside it.
Evidence 47B — Removed
William frowned.
"I never got this back."
"You weren't supposed to."
Sarah nodded.
"Because what was inside it disappeared."
"What was inside?"
Sarah looked toward Toby.
Then back at William.
"A memory card."
William blinked.
"Elizabeth always carried one."
"It contained everything."
"What everything?"
Sarah whispered—
"The proof."
"The reason someone wanted that plane to disappear."
Before anyone could ask another question—
A deafening explosion rocked the mansion.
Every window shattered.
Security alarms screamed.
The lights went out.
Outside, flames erupted from the front gate.
One guard shouted into his radio.
"We're under attack!"
Gunfire echoed across the estate.
Emma instinctively pulled Toby behind the kitchen island.
William grabbed Sarah.
"Who found you?"
Sarah's terrified eyes filled with tears.
"I told you..."
"They've been watching."
May you like
Then a single red laser dot appeared...
...directly on William Hayes's chest.
