The Secret Behind the Crash
Chapter 09 - The Secret Behind the Crash
Detectives moved the music box to a secure room and opened it with the silver star key while Emma, Mason, Julia, and the county attorney watched through glass.
Inside were no jewels and no money. There was a flash drive, bank statements, copies of repair invoices, and a handwritten journal in Grace's careful script.
For six years, she had investigated alone.
Luke had discovered that Cal Briggs was stealing from a charity created to help children of injured riders. Cal transferred the money through shell companies, including Vivian's struggling real estate firm. Vivian told herself it was only accounting. By the time she understood how much Cal had taken, she was trapped.
Grace's journal described threats, broken windows, and anonymous calls. She had begged Mason to stay away because Cal promised that Emma would be harmed if the club became involved. Grace had not hated the Steel Saints. She had been protecting them—and her daughter.
The final entry was dated the night before her death:
I am done being afraid. Tomorrow I take everything to Julia Hayes at the county office. If I fail, Mason has the key. He was never the enemy. Fear was.
Mason read the line until the words blurred.
The flash drive contained a video of Cal arguing with Grace outside her apartment. Vivian stood between them, crying. Cal warned Grace that accidents happened on dangerous roads.
It was enough for search warrants, but not yet enough to prove murder.
Police searched Cal's towing company and found financial records, stolen charity funds, and parts matching Luke's motorcycle brake assembly. Cal disappeared before they arrived.
Vivian was taken in for questioning. After twelve hours, she admitted helping Cal hide money, but denied knowing he planned the deaths.
"I wanted the box because it would destroy me," she told detectives. "I thought if I controlled Emma, I could control the evidence."
"Did you follow Emma to the service station?" Julia asked.
Vivian looked down. "Cal made me tell him where she might go. I followed because I was afraid he would reach her first."
"Why didn't you warn anyone?"
Vivian's voice cracked. "Because every bad choice I made required another one to hide it."
While she spoke, Cal drove a stolen truck toward the Steel Saints' garage. He believed Grace had made copies and hidden them there.
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Inside the farmhouse, Emma was packing a small bag. Mason's placement had been approved for a seventy-two-hour trial visit.
Neither of them knew Cal was already watching the road.
