Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
"The Mexican federal police are holding three local suspects connected to a private security firm in Playa del Carmen," Detective Raymond said, sliding a photograph across the table. "All three men were contracted by a wire transfer originating from a corporate account linked to Sterling Logistics. They didn't rob a vacationing couple. They executed a targeted hit."
I stared at the photograph of a hardened, scarred local operative. A cold chill ran down my spine. If I hadn't changed the locks at 2:00 a.m., if I hadn't frozen the credit cards and severed all financial ties with David the exact moment I received that text message, those same professional hitmen might have caught me alone in my house before dawn. David's cruel text message wasn't just a breakup note; it was a beacon drawing the killers straight to whatever address they thought he was occupying.
"Marcus Vance thinks he's untouchable," I said quietly, looking up at the detective. "He thinks David and Sarah took the fall to the grave, and the embezzlement trail ends with two dead bodies in Mexico."
"It does end there," Raymond sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Legally, dead men don't talk. Without David's live testimony or a direct paper trail connecting Marcus Vance to the Cancun wire transfers, we can't touch him. The corporate firewalls protecting Sterling Logistics are airtight."
I smiled—a cold, calculated expression that made the veteran detective blink.
"Detective, for eight years, I managed the internal risk compliance audits for David's firm before he forced me to stay home," I said, my voice steady and resolute. "David was sloppy. He saved encrypted backup mirrors of every corporate server on an encrypted cloud drive linked to our home router. He thought he was being smart by keeping a leverage file against his boss."
Raymond straightened up instantly, his eyes locking onto mine. "Where is that cloud drive?"
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"It's partitioned inside our home media server," I said. "And thanks to the new commercial deadbolts I installed last night, Marcus Vance's corporate goons couldn't break in to wipe it even if they tried."
"Let's go pay Mr. Vance a visit," Raymond said, standing up and buttoning his jacket.
