Chen swallowed audibly. "I have information you need."
Lena paused. "If you want to talk, meet me at the Elmwood rest area. 2 hours."
Chen hesitated. "I will be there." She hung up without another word.
Mark leaned forward. "You trust him?"
Lena stared ahead. "No, but I think he is afraid."
They arrived at the rest area while the sky still held a faint trace of daylight. Lena parked carefully, placing the files in the footwell where she could reach them. Mark kept the drone high, capturing every angle. Rachel waited in the back seat, ready to move if needed.
10 minutes later, Chen arrived in a patrol car, stepping out with anxious movements. He approached slowly. "I did not know Hayes was going this far," he said.
Lena studied him. "Then why did you try to steal the drive last week?"
His face tightened. "Because Hayes told me you were framing him."
Lena's voice sharpened. "And you believed him."
Chen shook his head. "I did not want to. I am not proud of it."
Lena watched his hands carefully. "Why are you here?" she asked.
Chen stepped closer. "Hayes is planning something tonight. He is meeting with someone at the warehouse." Lena stayed silent. Chen continued. "And he wants you followed."
Before he could say more, tires screeched behind them. Chen turned. Panic crossed his face. "He sent someone," he whispered.
Mark's drone feed revealed a second patrol vehicle speeding toward them. "Get in the car," Lena commanded. They dove inside. She accelerated with calm precision. The second vehicle closed in fast. Mark activated the drone and kept it above the chase. Lena kept her eyes steady on the road.
"They are trying to trap us," she said.
Mark watched the screen. "Exit ahead," he said. "Take it."
Lena turned sharply, the car fishtailing for a moment before regaining traction. The pursuing car followed, trying to cut them off. Lena held the wheel with controlled force. "He will not stop us," she said through clenched breath.
Mark watched the drone feed. "You have distance," he said. "Take the ramp."
Lena followed his direction. The second car overshot the turn and skidded into the median, losing its path. Lena accelerated forward, heart pounding but voice steady. "We keep moving," she said. "We have work to finish."
When they reached the edge of the city again, Lena slowed the car and breathed deeply. "Oliver trusted us," she said. "Now we must trust ourselves." She placed her hand on the case in the footwell. "Everything we need to expose Hayes begins here."
Mark nodded. Rachel met Lena's eyes in the rear view mirror. "Tonight," she said, "we take the next step."
Lena stared ahead with calm determination. "Yes," she said, "because the truth is already moving, and Hayes will not outrun it."
Oliver Thompson lay on the thin jail mattress with pain moving slowly across his ribs, when a guard arrived with an unexpected message from his assigned public defender, a man who had once admired Oliver's courtroom skill, and now whispered urgently through the narrow slot in the steel door. "Your sister reached the cabin. She found the watch."