Phone numbers.
Marcus looked at the notebook.
“This isn't random.”
The officer nodded.
“No.”
“This is organized.”
“Yes.”
They continued searching.
Behind one of the wooden walls, they found a hidden compartment.
Inside were documents.
Contracts.
Property maps.
Photographs.
The officer looked at Marcus.
“These aren't related to Claire.”
Marcus studied the documents.
“They're property records.”
The officer picked up a map.
Several pieces of land had been marked.
The gas station.
The warehouse.
Several nearby businesses.
And a large stretch of land along the highway.
Marcus's eyes narrowed.
“Why would someone be tracking these properties?”
The officer didn't answer.
Then he found a photograph.
It showed the gas station.
Taken from across the road.
Another photograph showed Ethan's old truck stop.
Another showed a small restaurant.
Another showed a motorcycle repair shop.
All of them had something in common.
They were located along the same highway.
Marcus looked at the photographs.
“This isn't about Claire.”
The officer nodded.
“It looks bigger.”
Marcus suddenly remembered something.
Claire had said the men were waiting for someone.
Maybe she had discovered something she wasn't supposed to know.
Maybe she hadn't been targeted because of who she was.
Maybe she had been targeted because of what she had seen.
The officer asked,
“Do you know anyone connected to these businesses?”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
Then he stopped.
He looked again at one photograph.
The motorcycle repair shop.
He recognized the owner.
“Wait.”
“What?”
Marcus pointed.
“I know that man.”
“Who?”
“His name is Ray Collins.”
“Is he involved in anything illegal?”
“Not that I know.”
Marcus looked worried.
“He helped me repair my motorcycle last year.”
The officer wrote down the name.
“We'll check him.”
Marcus nodded.
They continued searching.
Then one of the officers shouted from the back room.
“Over here!”
Everyone turned.
The officer had found a small metal box.
Inside were several USB drives.
The police immediately secured them.
Marcus stared at the box.
“What do you think is on those?”
The officer shook his head.
“We'll find out.”
Suddenly, Claire screamed from outside.
Everyone ran toward the entrance.
Marcus reached the police vehicle first.
Claire was pointing toward the road.
A motorcycle was speeding away.
Not Marcus's motorcycle.
Another one.
A black motorcycle.
Marcus immediately recognized something.
The rider was wearing a dark helmet.
But the motorcycle had a distinctive silver stripe along the side.
Marcus had seen it earlier.
At the gas station.
The same motorcycle had been parked across the street.
Marcus looked at the officers.
“They were watching us.”
The officers immediately got into their vehicles.
But Marcus stopped himself from following.
He remembered his own words.
Information, not confrontation.
He wasn't going to chase anyone.
Instead, he looked at Claire.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Marcus looked toward the road.
“Then we're going to figure this out.”
Later that night, Claire was taken to a safe location.
The police arranged temporary protection while they investigated.
Marcus finally returned to the gas station.
The place was almost empty.
The employee behind the counter recognized him.
“You're the biker from earlier.”
Marcus smiled.
“That's me.”
The employee looked relieved.
“I thought you were going to get into a fight.”
Marcus laughed.
“Everyone thinks that.”
“You didn't.”
“No.”
The employee nodded.
“You just stood there.”
Marcus looked at the empty parking lot.
“Sometimes standing there is enough.”
The employee thought about that.
“You saved her.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
“What?”
“She saved herself.”
“How?”
“She asked for help.”
Marcus put on his helmet.
“I just listened.”
He started his motorcycle.
Before leaving, he looked toward the highway.
The road stretched endlessly into the darkness.
Somewhere out there, people were already realizing that their plan had failed.
Claire was alive.
The police had evidence.
And Marcus Cole had become a witness.
But Marcus still didn't know the most important part.
Why had Claire been targeted?
What had she seen?
And why were so many businesses along the highway being watched?
The answers were hidden inside the USB drives.
And when the police finally opened them, they would discover something that connected every piece of the puzzle.
Something that would make the entire case far more dangerous than anyone had expected.
Because Claire hadn't accidentally discovered the people following her.
She had discovered what they were planning.
And the plan was already underway.