Chapter 5 - THE BOAT AT SLIP 42
"You staged your own funeral," Velez said in the car.
"You really don't know when to stop, do you?"
"Not when somebody tried to kill me while I was carrying my child."
Evelyn sat beside her.
"Then let the police lead."
Emily squeezed her mother's hand.
"I will."
She meant it until they reached the marina.
Slip 42 was empty.
"Boat left at 8:17 this morning."
"This man?"
"No."
The manager pointed at Sloane's picture.
"Her."
Emily stared.
"Sloane was at the church by ten."
"She left the boat here and drove back," Daniel said.
The manager shook his head.
"She didn't drive."
"How did she leave?"
"Guy picked her up."
"What guy?"
"Thin. Glasses. Nervous."
Emily knew before he finished.
"Evan Price."
Together they carried three banker boxes from the boat into her SUV.
One box had HART DESIGN GROUP printed on the side.
Then Sloane opened the boat's storage compartment and removed a small black case.
She handed it to Evan.
"Pause."
Emily recognized the police inventory number.
It came from her wrecked SUV.
"That case was in my car."
Daniel looked at her.
"What was inside?"
Emily's mouth went dry.
"The external drive with every forged signature I found."
"How did Sloane get police evidence?"
She listened without speaking.
Her face changed.
"Say that again."
She ended the call and looked at Emily.
"The officer who signed the evidence-release form for your vehicle says he never released that case."
Daniel went still.
"Forged signature?"
"Maybe."
"But there's a bigger problem."
"What?"
"The evidence room clerk who handled your SUV died last night."
May you like
"How?"
"Hit-and-run."
