Chapter 2: The Man in the Photo
**— PART 2 —**
The calm voice on the other end said only four words.
"Is this still active?"
"Yes," I said.
"All of it."
I heard keys clicking.
A pause.
Then: "Give us two hours."
I didn't need two hours.
I needed Lily safe first.
She sat in the passenger seat with my old jacket around her shoulders.
She hadn't spoken since I carried her out.
She just stared at her hands like she was trying to remember who she was before Richard.
"How long?" I asked quietly.
She didn't answer right away.
"Dad." Her voice cracked.
"He has a video.
He said if I ever left…
he'd send it to everyone.
My job.
My friends.
Everyone."
I kept my eyes on the road.
"Where is it?"
"His laptop.
Locked in his office."
I nodded once.
She grabbed my arm.
"Dad, you don't understand.
His uncle is a judge.
His cousin runs the police department.
Last time I called for help, they sent me back to him."
Last time.
That word hit me like a wall.
"How many times, Lily?"
She turned toward the window.
That was my answer.
My phone buzzed.
A message.
No name.
Just coordinates and one sentence:
*"We already found three accounts.
You're going to want to see what he's been hiding."*
Then another buzz.
A photo.
Richard.
Smiling.
Standing next to a man I recognized immediately.
A man who had been reported m*ssing for eleven months.
---
What Arthur saw in that photo changes everything.
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The truth about Richard is darker than anyone at that party could have imagined.
Click the link below to read the full story — and find out what happens when a father with nothing left to lose decides to burn it all down.
