Chapter 4 - Echoes of Sisterhood
Clara stared at the torn scrap of paper, the rain-scented wind chilling the blood dried against her lip. Elena’s address. She hadn't seen her younger sister in three years—not since Julian had systematically engineered a bitter feud between them over their late father’s estate, isolating Clara completely.
Julian had always insisted Elena was an unstable opportunist. But staring at the handwriting, Clara recognized the precise, upright penmanship. It wasn't the burglar’s handwriting. It was Julian’s.
""Clara,"" Julian’s voice drifted up the staircase, no longer polite or composed, but stripped raw with malice. ""You think those badges will save you? When they find out what's in that ledger, you're the one holding the pen! You signed every transfer!""
Torres led Julian out of the house in handcuffs, the flashing blue and red emergency lights painting the foyer walls in rhythmic waves of scarlet and sapphire.
Miller approached Clara, gently pointing his flashlight down at the paper in her hands. ""Is that related to the intruder?""
""It's my sister's address,"" Clara said, her voice shaking as clarity pierced her shock. ""He sent someone to her apartment. The ledger wasn't stolen to destroy it. It was stolen to plant it on her.""
Miller’s brow furrowed. He picked up his radio shoulder mic. ""Dispatch, patch me to Sector 3. I need a welfare check at 442 Elmira Court, Apartment 4B.""
Static sputtered across the radio, followed by the dispatcher's clipped response: ""Unit 4-Adam, Sector 3 units already responding to a structural fire at 442 Elmira Court. Fire department on scene.""
Clara felt the floor tilt beneath her feet. Julian hadn't just arranged an alibi; he had set a countdown clock.
""I have to go there,"" she said, running toward the stairs.
May you like
Miller grabbed her elbow, his grip firm but sympathetic. ""You can't. We have to take you to the station, document your injuries, and take your formal statement.""
Clara pulled her arm free, looking the veteran officer dead in the eye. ""If you take me to the station, my sister dies.""
