Chapter 4 - THE BURNER PHONE
The implications slammed into Mark like a freight train. The accident that took Rachel’s life and left infant Leo without a mother hadn’t been an accident at all. The locket. The pills. The timeline. Lorena hadn’t just stumbled into Mark’s life to steal his wealth—she had actively paved the way.
He felt physically sick. He looked at Leo, who was sitting on the hotel bed, watching him with innocent, worried eyes.
“Is everything okay, Dad?”
“Everything is fine, Leo,” Mark lied smoothly, forcing a reassuring smile. He stuffed the pill bottle back into his pocket. “Just some old junk. Why don’t you turn on the TV? Watch whatever you want.”
As the cartoon theme song filled the room, Mark stepped out onto the balcony, the cold city wind biting at his face. He pulled out his phone and dialed the one person he still trusted—his younger sister, Sarah. She had always hated Lorena. She had warned him. He had never listened.
“Mark? It’s past ten. What’s wrong?” Sarah answered, her voice groggy.
“You were right,” Mark said, his voice trembling. “About all of it. The kids aren't mine. And Sarah... I think Lorena had something to do with Rachel’s crash.”
Silence hung on the line. Then, the sound of rustling sheets. “Where are you? Do you have Leo?”
“We’re at the Marriott downtown. I’m going to the police tomorrow, but I need to know exactly what I’m handing them. I need proof she planted these pills.”
“Mark, listen to me very carefully,” Sarah said, her tone suddenly sharp and entirely awake. “Do not go to the police yet. If Lorena has been planning this for ten years, she covers her tracks. If you spook her, she’ll disappear and take half your company with her. You need leverage.”
“I don’t care about the company,” Mark hissed. “I care about justice for Rachel.”
“You will care when you realize she’s been siphoning your accounts!” Sarah snapped. “Last month, I saw her at a coffee shop on the south side. She was sitting with a man. They were arguing. She handed him a thick manila envelope, Mark. I took a picture of his license plate.”
“Who was it?”
“I ran the plate through a friend at the DMV. The car is registered to a shell corporation in Nevada. But Mark... the corporation is managed by Thomas.”
Mark felt the air leave his lungs. Thomas. His best friend. His college roommate. His business partner.
“I’ll send you the photo,” Sarah said softly. “Lock the door, Mark. Don't trust anyone.”
A second later, Mark’s phone pinged. He opened the image. It was grainy, taken through a cafe window, but unmistakable. Lorena, looking frantic, sliding an envelope across the table to Thomas. But it wasn't the envelope that caught Mark's attention.
It was what sat on the table between them. A cheap, disposable burner phone.
Mark ended the call and walked back inside. He looked at Leo’s duffel bag. If Lorena had packed the coat... what else had she hidden in there to dispose of?
Mark tore through the remaining clothes, feeling along the seams of the bag. At the very bottom, hidden beneath a torn lining, his fingers brushed against a small rectangular shape.
He pulled it out. A cheap, black burner phone.
May you like
With trembling hands, Mark pressed the power button. The screen glowed to life. No password. He opened the messages. There was only one contact, labeled simply as "T."
The last message, sent three hours ago, read: He knows about the DNA. We need to move the timeline up. Take care of the boy tonight.
