Carter handed the phone to the investigator. The trooper held the phone up, angling the camera toward Carter’s face. The screen unlocked instantly with Face ID.
Miller took the phone, tapping the screen a few times to pull up the messaging app. The room was so quiet I could hear the faint buzz of the overhead lights.
Miller’s eyes scrolled down the screen. Slowly, a dark, victorious smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.
He held up the phone so Richard Vance could see the screen.
“‘That transfer student might be the one we’re looking for,’” Miller read aloud, his voice dropping into a lethal, terrifying baritone. “‘Get what she’s wearing, and see if her real name is inside it.’”
Chapter 3: The Shield Breaks
The echoing silence following Agent Miller’s words was absolute, crushing everything in the room beneath its weight.
The text message wasn't just a threat. It was a signed confession to witness hunting, delivered digitally from a father to a son on a device that was now officially state evidence.
Principal Haddock took a large, desperate step backward, hitting the prep-room counter, actively attempting to physically distance himself from the Vance family. His face was slick with sweat, the reality of the situation permanently overriding his loyalty to his wealthiest donor.
“I had absolutely no idea, Agent Miller,” Haddock blurted, raising both hands as if surrendering. “I run a prestigious academy. If I had known Carter’s bullying was directed by… by corporate intimidation, I would have suspended him immediately.”
“Save it, Arthur,” Miller snapped without looking away from Vance. “You had three incident reports on your desk detailing Carter harassing this student over a medical disability. You chose to protect the endowment over the child. The State Board of Education will receive my recommendation for your immediate removal before breakfast.”
Haddock wilted against the counter, utterly ruined.
But the truest devastation was blooming on Carter’s face.
The tall, athletic quarterback stared at his father. For all his arrogance, cruelty, and unearned entitlement, Carter was just a teenager who believed his father was a god. Now, the realization of what had actually been asked of him crashed through his skull.
“You… you told me it was corporate espionage,” Carter stammered, his voice cracking into a high, frightened pitch. He looked from his father to Agent Miller, then at me. “Dad, you said some competitor sent her here to spy on our school bids. You said we just needed to see if there was a microchip or a tracker inside that ugly bracelet to prove she wasn't sick. You never said it was… a witness thing. A federal thing!”
Richard Vance’s jaw clenched so tight the muscle jumped in his cheek. He smoothed the lapel of his tuxedo, a desperate, automatic gesture to regain control. His eyes darted to the heavy double doors, calculating distance, time, and legal defense costs.
“My son’s phone was hacked,” Vance stated flatly, deploying a practiced, soulless lie. “I sent no such message. This entire charade is an entrapment operation designed to defame a philanthropic community leader on his highest-profile night. I want my attorney. Now.”