Chapter 7 - The Trap is Sprung

As Ethan descended the attic stairs with the journals and the letter clutched in his hand, the front door of his house was suddenly kicked open.

"Freeze! Police!"

Ethan ducked back into the shadow of the hallway as two flashlight beams swept across the living room.

"Cole! We know you're here!" a voice shouted. It wasn't Vance. It was a younger, harsher voice.

Ethan slipped into the kitchen, his mind racing. He knew the layout of his house better than anyone. He reached into the utility drawer, pulling out a small emergency flare he kept for roadside emergencies.

He struck the flare, the brilliant red light illuminating the kitchen, and tossed it onto the living room rug. The synthetic fibers caught instantly, thick smoke billowing into the air.

"Fire!" one of the officers yelled, retreating toward the front door.

In the confusion, Ethan kicked open the basement window and scrambled out into the snowy side yard. He ran down the alleyway, throwing himself into the back of Tommy’s delivery van just as the blue lights of police cruisers began to appear at the end of the street.

"Go, Tommy! Go!" Ethan gasped.

Tommy slammed on the gas, the van fishtailing before gripping the wet asphalt and speeding away into the night.

Grace grabbed Ethan’s arm. "Did you get them?"

Ethan handed her the journals and Sarah's letter. "She knew, Grace. Sarah knew about Lily. She wrote it all down."

Grace read the letter, her eyes filling with tears as she hugged Lily tightly. "She loved you both so much."

"We have enough to destroy them," Ethan said, his voice cold. "But we need a way to broadcast this. If we just go to the police, Vanguard’s lawyers will bury it. We need to go public. We need a stage."

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"There is an annual biotechnology gala tomorrow night in downtown Chicago," Grace said, looking up from the journal. "Vanguard Biologics is the main sponsor. The CEO, Dr. Arthur Vance—no relation to the detective, but he’s the head of the whole board—will be presenting their new 'gene-therapy' breakthroughs. The media will be there. National press."

Ethan smiled, a hard, dangerous expression. "Then we're going to Chicago."