Chapter 5 - The Break-In
Denise immediately ushered Wren into the back bedroom, locking the door behind them. Julian grabbed a heavy wooden baseball bat from the hall closet, standing beside Tessa near the entryway.
The handle of the apartment door turned slowly, followed by the sharp clack of a crowbar jamming into the frame.
"Call the police, Julian!" Tessa yelled, pulling out her phone.
The wooden door splintered open with a violent crash. Two men dressed in dark clothing forced their way into the living room. Behind them stood Marjorie’s brother, Arthur—a tall, stern man in an expensive suit.
"Hand over the flash drive, Tessa," Arthur said calmly, stepping over the broken door frame. "Marjorie tried to get it quietly, but you're being stubborn."
"Get out of my house!" Julian shouted, swinging the bat. One of the men lunged forward, grabbing the bat and shoving Julian violently against the wall.
Tessa shielded the laptop with her body. "The files have already been uploaded to a secure cloud server, Arthur! The police are on their way right now!"
Arthur’s eyes narrowed with cold hatred. "You think you're clever, girl? You ruined my nephew, and now you think you can ruin this family?"
Suddenly, the blare of police sirens cut through the night outside. Red and blue lights flashed across the living room windows as three squad cars screeched to a halt in front of the building.
The two men panicked. "Arthur, we have to go! The cops are downstairs!"
Arthur grabbed the manila envelope off the coffee table, pointing a shaking finger at Tessa. "This isn't over. You'll never see a dime from Owen's estate!"
The men bolted down the emergency fire exit just as heavy footsteps thundered up the main stairs.
Detective Robert Miller—the man named in Owen's note—burst through the shattered front door with three armed officers, guns drawn.
May you like
"Tessa Vance?" Detective Miller called out, securing the room.
Tessa stood tall, holding the black flash drive firmly in her palm. "Detective Miller... my husband left these for you."
