Chapter 10 - Rocky Makes His Move
By Saturday afternoon, Rocky knew they had discovered the transfer.
Someone inside Carter Holdings warned him.
Daniel received a text.
STOP DIGGING.
Thirty seconds later, another arrived.
THINK ABOUT YOUR DAUGHTER.
Maya read it.
Her skin went cold.
Daniel immediately called the police.
This time, detectives took the threat seriously.
But Rocky wasn’t done.
At 6:14 p.m., every camera in the Carter house went offline.
Daniel checked the system.
“Someone changed the administrator password.”
“Can Rocky still access it?”
“He installed the system.”
Maya looked toward the stairs.
Emma was coloring in the den with Claire, who had flown in that morning.
Daniel started toward the security panel.
Then the garage door opened.
Maya froze.
Rocky walked inside.
He wasn’t supposed to be there.
Daniel stepped between him and the hallway.
“Get out.”
Rocky held up both hands.
“I came for my medication.”
“Police told you not to return without an escort.”
Rocky smiled.
“Then call them.”
His calmness terrified Maya.
He wasn’t there for pills.
She saw his eyes shift toward the office.
“Daniel.”
Her husband followed her gaze.
Rocky moved.
Fast.
He ran for the office.
Daniel caught him at the doorway.
Rocky slammed his shoulder into Daniel.
The two men crashed against the wall.
Maya shouted for Claire to take Emma upstairs.
Rocky reached the desk.
He yanked open a drawer.
Empty.
His face changed.
“What did you do with it?”
Daniel stared.
“With what?”
“The drive.”
Maya and Daniel exchanged a look.
They hadn’t found any drive.
Rocky realized his mistake.
Too late.
“What drive?” Maya asked.
He backed away.
“Nothing.”
Daniel shut the office door behind him.
“You came into a house you were ordered to stay away from, disabled the cameras, and attacked me because you were looking for something.”
Rocky’s breathing became uneven.
“Where is it?”
Maya searched the desk.
Then remembered Emma.
Yesterday, Emma had said Rocky took papers from Daniel’s office.
Children notice hiding places adults ignore.
Maya looked beneath the desk.
Nothing.
Behind the bookshelf.
Nothing.
Then she saw a tiny glitter sticker stuck to the bottom of a drawer.
Emma loved star stickers.
Maya pulled the drawer out completely.
Taped underneath it was a black flash drive.
Rocky lunged.
Daniel blocked him.
“No!”
That scream erased every remaining doubt.
Maya held up the drive.
“What’s on this?”
Rocky stopped fighting.
His face turned almost gray.
Then Claire’s voice came from the doorway.
“I think Mom put it there.”
Everyone turned.
Claire pointed at the tiny silver star.
“Those were the stickers she used when Emma was born. Mom used to put them on anything she wanted Emma to have someday.”
Maya looked down at the drive.
Evelyn hadn’t only hidden legal documents.
May you like
She had hidden evidence.
And Rocky had spent five years searching for it.
