Chapter 7 - The Final Gambit
Reagan and Carter were not planning to go down without a fight. Realizing that a criminal trial would mean life in prison without parole, they orchestrated a desperate escape plan. Carter used a hidden cash reserve to purchase two forged passports and charter a private flight out of a small regional airfield on Sunday night.
However, Carter’s greed proved to be his undoing. Before leaving the country, he wanted to secure the original physical ledgers and corporate bonds hidden inside the plastic crates in Unit 108—bonds worth over two million dollars that couldn't be frozen electronically.
At midnight, under a moonless sky, Carter and Reagan arrived at Silver Lake Self-Storage in a rented sedan. Carter carried a heavy pair of bolt cutters, while Reagan kept watch at the entrance of the corridor.
"Hurry up, Carter!" Reagan hissed, her eyes darting nervously around the dark facility. "The flight leaves in two hours."
Carter snipped the lock off Unit 108 and threw the door open. He lunged toward the plastic crates, tearing the lids off. But instead of paper bonds, the crates were completely empty except for a single, small digital recording device.
The overhead lights of the entire storage row suddenly flashed on, blinding them.
Finnley stepped out from the adjacent unit, flanked by Marcus Vance and four state troopers with their weapons drawn.
"Looking for these?" Finnley asked, holding up a thick stack of corporate bonds from his pocket.
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Carter dropped the bolt cutters, his face turning an ash-gray color. Reagan attempted to spin around and run toward the exit, but two state troopers blocked her path, handcuffs already clicking open.
"Reagan Dennis and Carter Dennis," the lead trooper announced, his voice echoing off the steel units. "You are under arrest for first-degree murder, financial fraud, grand theft, and conspiracy."
