Chapter 4 - The Shadows in the Rearview
"Michael told Valerie that you were the daughter of Julian Vance’s former business partner," Carol explained as we tore down the highway away from the house, the USB drives and the ledger safely stowed in my purse. "Julian’s partner, Arthur Pendelton, ruined Valerie’s family twenty years ago through a fraudulent hostile takeover. Valerie’s father committed suicide because of it."
"But my maiden name is Henderson!" I protested, my mind reeling. "My father was a high school history teacher from Ohio! I have nothing to do with any corporate takeovers!"
"Michael fabricated your entire background to Valerie," Carol said, her knuckles white on the steering wheel. "He wanted Valerie’s help to liquidate the trust fund. Valerie is a brilliant financial analyst, but she was obsessed with revenge against the Pendelton family. Michael found out about her vendetta, met her again, and convinced her that you were Arthur Pendelton's secret heiress, living under an assumed name, and that the money in our family trust was actually stolen from her father's estate."
"He used her thirst for revenge to make her his accomplice," I realized, the sheer, terrifying brilliance of Michael's deception laying itself bare. "He manipulated her into doing the illegal heavy lifting for the transfers, promising her they would flee together and take back what was 'hers.' And all the while, he was planning to set me up as an unstable mother to cover his tracks here."
Suddenly, a pair of bright headlights flashed in Carol’s rearview mirror. A dark SUV had pulled up dangerously close to our bumper, tailing us closely through the winding suburban roads.
"Carol, that car has been behind us since we left the neighborhood," I said, a cold dread prickling down my spine.
Carol glanced at the mirror and accelerated. The SUV matched her speed, its high beams blinding us. The road was dark, surrounded by dense woods, with no other traffic in sight.
"Is it Michael?" Carol muttered, her voice tight with panic. "Did he come back?"
"No," I said, watching the silhouette of the driver through the tinted windshield as the SUV tried to pull up alongside us. "The driver is too small. It’s a woman."
The SUV surged forward, deliberately striking the rear side of our sedan. The impact sent a violent jolt through the car, making the tires screech against the asphalt. Carol fought the wheel, screaming as the car fishtailed before she managed to regain control.
"She’s trying to run us off the road!" I cried.
The SUV pulled up parallel to us. The tinted window rolled down, revealing a pale, beautiful face framed by sharp dark hair. Her eyes were wide, manic, and filled with a burning, desperate rage.
It was Valerie.
She hadn't flown to Europe with Michael. She was still here.
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Valerie turned her steering wheel sharply to the right, slamming her heavy vehicle directly into our passenger door. The glass shattered inward, showering me in tiny, stinging shards. Our car spun out of control, sliding off the road and plunging down a steep embankment into the dark tree line below.
The world turned upside down in a deafening crunch of metal and breaking branches. Then, everything went black.
