Chapter 18 - Evidence in the Garage|
The recovered camera unit had been installed inside the North Star Security vehicle.
Its recording was incomplete, but investigators were able to recover several minutes of footage from the night Daniel died.
The video showed Daniel's car traveling along a wet road.
A dark sedan followed.
At one point, the sedan moved closer.
Then the image shook violently.
The recording ended.
There was no clear view of what happened next.
But the vehicle's location data and the recovered maintenance records gave investigators enough information to reopen the accident investigation as a suspected criminal incident.
Natalie watched the footage with Detective Hayes present.
She did not cry.
She felt as if all the tears had already been used.
"Can you identify the driver?" she asked.
"Not from this footage," the detective replied. "We're comparing it with other records."
Alessandro stood behind her.
He looked furious, but he remained silent.
The investigators also discovered that the vehicle had been moved to the garage two days after the accident. Its ownership had been transferred through a company connected to Frank.
Richard Bell was still missing.
Anthony Russo had retained legal representation and continued denying any involvement in Daniel's death.
But his position weakened when the investigators recovered the restaurant's private office records.
The locked cabinet contained copies of Daniel's decoy folder, payment schedules, and several handwritten notes.
One note read:
The Parker woman must not find the ledger.
Another contained the name Olivia Grant.
A third referred to a planned payment to Richard Bell.
The evidence supported the financial conspiracy, but the question of Daniel's death remained.
Then the forensic team discovered a second camera in the garage.
It had recorded a conversation between Frank and Richard several days after the accident.
The audio was clear.
Frank's voice came first.
"You said the problem was handled."
Richard replied, "It is."
"Then why is Olivia still missing?"
"She has the ledger. I couldn't find her."
Frank swore.
"And Parker?"
"He's gone."
Frank paused.
"Good. Then we can finish the paperwork."
The recording ended.
Detective Hayes listened again.
It was not a direct admission of causing Daniel's death, but it placed both men in a conversation about Daniel shortly after the accident and connected them to the missing evidence.
Investigators obtained warrants for additional records and began coordinating with authorities in other states.
That night, Natalie went into labor.
It began with a sharp pain that woke her from sleep.
She sat up, breathing carefully.
Another contraction followed.
Alessandro was asleep in the chair beside her after insisting that he would stay until she felt safe.
"Alessandro."
He woke immediately.
"What is it?"
"I think the baby is coming."
He stood so quickly that the chair fell backward.
Dominic called emergency services while Alessandro helped Natalie prepare to leave.
At the hospital, doctors examined her and confirmed that labor had started earlier than expected.
The baby was not yet at full term.
Natalie gripped the bed rail.
"I'm scared."
Alessandro stood beside her.
"I know."
"Don't tell me everything will be fine."
He looked at her.
"Then I'll tell you the truth. The doctors are here, and we're going to take this one step at a time."
Natalie squeezed his hand.
For the first time in six years, she did not pull away.
Hours later, a doctor emerged from the delivery room.
He was smiling.
"Congratulations. You have a healthy baby girl."
Alessandro closed his eyes.
Natalie began to cry.
But the doctor had one more thing to tell them.
May you like
A visitor had arrived claiming to be Daniel Parker's brother.
And Natalie had never known Daniel had a brother.
