“You might have saved her life.” James said. “But I destroyed her dress and got myself arrested.”
Marcus said. “Some hero.” “Sometimes heroes don’t get happy endings.” Rachel said. “Not right away at least.
But we’re going to do everything we can to prove what really happened.” Over the next 3 days, Rachel and James worked almost nonstop to build their case.
They tracked down a hotel employee who remembered seeing the two men asking detailed questions about Abigail Carter’s schedule earlier that week.
They found security footage from a parking garage showing Vincent Torres watching the hotel entrance for hours the day before the gala.
They discovered that Marcus Delano had purchased two tickets to the event using a fake name and a stolen credit card.
But the two men themselves had disappeared. They had vanished like smoke. Their apartments were empty.
Their phones were disconnected. They were gone. “They knew we were looking for them.” James said frustrated.
“Someone tipped them off.” “It doesn’t matter.” Rachel said. “We have enough evidence to prove they were there with bad intentions.
And that means Marcus Reed might have been telling the truth.” She picked up her phone and made a call she’d been thinking about for days.
“Miss Carter’s office, how may I help you?” “This is Detective Rachel Monroe with Chicago PD.
I need to speak with Abigail Carter about the incident at the gala. It’s urgent.”
There was a pause. “One moment, please.” Rachel waited her heart pounding. Everything depended on whether Abigail would listen.
Finally a voice came on the line. “This is Abigail Carter.” “Miss Carter, I’m Detective Rachel Monroe.
I’m investigating what happened at the charity gala and I believe there’s more to the story than what the videos show.
Would you be willing to meet with me?” There was a long silence. Then Abigail said something Rachel didn’t expect.
“I’ve been waiting for someone to call. When can we meet?” They met at a quiet coffee shop far from the media and cameras.
Abigail wore sunglasses and a simple jacket trying not to be recognized. Rachel wore her detective badge on her belt.
They sat across from each other in a corner booth. “Thank you for meeting me,” Rachel said.
Abigail took off her sunglasses. She looked tired. “I haven’t been able to stop thinking about that night.
Something felt wrong about the whole thing, but I couldn’t figure out what.” Rachel pulled out her folder and showed Abigail the photos of Vincent Torres and Marcus Delano.
“Do you recognize these men?” Abigail studied the photos carefully. Her eyes widened. “Yes,” she said slowly.
“I saw them at the party. They were in the crowd near the entrance. Right before Right before Marcus attacked me, I remember these two men moving toward me.
Then everything went crazy, and when I looked for them again, they were gone.” “They didn’t just leave,” Rachel said.
“They ran, and we know why.” Rachel explained everything. The criminal backgrounds, the connection to DataCorp Industries, the evidence that they had planned something.
“Marcus Reed wasn’t attacking you,” Rachel concluded. “He was trying to stop them from attacking you.
