Chapter 18 - The Breaking Storm
Within twelve hours, the scandal engulfed the regional sports community. Local news channels broadcasted Brenda’s mugshot alongside Gary Strickland's, leading with headlines about high-stakes youth sports corruption and attempted sabotage. The Apex board immediately revoked Chloe’s ranking and awarded the sole European Invitational slot to Mia.
Yet, despite the public vindication, a profound unease gnawed at my gut.
Gary had confessed to sabotaging Mia's chair for Brenda's money. But under intense police interrogation, both he and Brenda adamantly denied knowing anything about the typed letter, the mysterious photograph, or the crash on County Road 9. The police forensics team confirmed that the typewriter used for the note didn't match anything in Brenda’s home or office.
Someone else was pulling the strings. Someone who had remained hidden in the background for three long years.
On Tuesday evening, the storm finally hit. Not metaphorically, but literally. A torrential summer gale battered our small home, rattling the windowpanes with furious gusts of wind and driving rain.
Mia was in the living room, analyzing race footage on her tablet, when our home phone began to ring. The landline had been disconnected for over two months due to a billing error.
We stared at the glowing base station on the kitchen counter. It chimed with a piercing, mechanical ring that made my skin crawl.
*Ring. Ring. Ring.*
Mia looked up, fear flickering in her dark eyes. "Mom... how is that ringing?"
I stepped into the kitchen, my throat bone-dry. I lifted the receiver to my ear.
"Hello?"
At first, there was only static—the distant, hollow hum of an open line. Then, a low, distorted voice spoke through a digital scrambler:
*"You think catching Brenda settles the debt, Victoria? Brenda was an amateur. She only wanted a trophy. What I want is justice for what you took from me on that road."*
"Who are you?!" I cried out, gripping the counter until my knuckles turned white. "What do you want from us?"
*"Go to the barn,"* the voice whispered. *"Look behind the old hayloft wall. Look at the maintenance log your late husband hid before the crash. Then tell me you're still innocent."*
May you like
The line went dead.
***
