Chapter 6 - The Shadow Over Blackwood
The mountain air outside the detention center was bitter and crisp, but Rebecca barely felt the cold. Her entire body burned with an icy, calculating fury. Darren hadn't just thrown her clothes into the rain two days after burying their son. He had actively, maliciously watched the clock tick down while Toby fought for air, banking on a tragedy to clear his path to four million dollars.
"We need the dispatch logs," Rebecca told Arthur the moment they reached his sedan. Her voice was steady, terrifyingly calm. "The Placer County Road Department logs for the night of January fourteenth. When the blizzard hit."
Arthur nodded grimly, already dialing a contact on his Bluetooth headset. "If Darren lied about the county plows closing Highway 49, that elevates this from reckless endangerment to involuntary manslaughter, possibly second-degree murder. But we have to be meticulous, Rebecca. Blackwood Crest has deep pockets and vicious lawyers."
"Let them bring every lawyer in Texas," Rebecca said, staring out at the towering pines of the Sierra foothills. "They aren't cutting down a single cedar on Lawson land."
Two hours later, Arthur’s office smelled of old parchment and freshly printed municipal records. His junior associate, Marcus, rushed in with a certified box of documents from the Department of Transportation and the regional 911 dispatch center.
Marcus spread the printouts across the conference table. "Here it is. January fourteenth, eleven-fifteen at night. That was two hours before Darren finally drove Toby to the Auburn Regional Emergency Room."
Rebecca leaned over the papers, her finger tracing the highlighted lines.
*11:22 PM — Caltrans Plow Unit 4 reports Highway 49 fully clear of debris and plowed between Colfax and Auburn. Road open with chain control.*
"He told me the canyon road was impassable due to a fallen Douglas fir," Rebecca whispered, her voice cracking before hardening like tempered steel. "He sat by the fireplace, drinking bourbon, telling me to just give Toby more Tylenol and wait until dawn because emergency services couldn't reach us. He watched our four-year-old boy struggle for breath while the road was open the entire time."
Arthur took off his glasses, his face lined with grief and outrage. "I’ve known Darren since he married you, Rebecca. I knew he was ambitious, shallow, and arrogant. But this is the work of a monster. We’re handing this directly to Detective Alvarez at Placer County Homicide."
Before Arthur could pick up the receiver, the chime above his front reception door rang. A sharp knock sounded on the conference room door, and his secretary poked her head inside, her face pale.
"Mr. Ward... there’s a gentleman here. He says he represents Blackwood Crest Capital."
Rebecca stood straight, smoothing her wool coat. "Send him in."
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A man in a custom charcoal suit stepped into the room, carrying an immaculate leather briefcase. He had silver-threaded hair, cold blue eyes, and the smooth, predatory posture of a corporate shark.
"Mrs. Lawson. Mr. Ward," the man said, extending a hand that neither Rebecca nor Arthur touched. "My name is Richard Sterling. I'm senior managing partner for Blackwood Crest. It seems we have a rather complicated situation regarding the Lawson parcel, and I'm here to offer you an amicable exit before things become... unpleasant."
