Chapter 2 - THE MAN WHO DESTROYED MY NAME
The words on Marissa's phone made my hands go numb.
A witness.
After eight years.
After the hearings, the newspaper stories, the sponsorship cancellations, and the death threats.
Someone was finally telling the truth.
“Claire?”
Ryan touched my shoulder.
I looked at him.
He knew my past.
He knew why I had changed my name after retiring from professional MMA.
But even he didn't know everything that had happened in that training camp.
“I'm okay,” I whispered.
I wasn't.
Derek approached again.
“So you killed somebody?”
Ryan turned sharply.
“Watch your mouth.”
I raised a hand.
“Don't.”
Derek smirked.
“What? The famous fighter can't handle a question?”
I looked directly at him.
“A woman died during a training session. I was blamed for something I didn't do.”
His smile faltered.
I continued.
“And I spent eight years living with the knowledge that someone knew the truth and refused to speak.”
For the first time, Derek seemed uncertain.
Diane folded her arms.
“Then perhaps you should have told us about your past before marrying into this family.”
I stared at her.
“Would it have made you treat me with more respect?”
She didn't answer.
“Or would it have given you another reason to humiliate me?”
Silence.
Ryan took my hand.
“We're leaving.”
Before we reached the patio gate, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
“Hello?”
A man's voice spoke.
“Evelyn Carter?”
Nobody had called me that in years.
“Yes.”
“My name is Detective Aaron Mitchell. I'm with the Chicago Police Department.”
My heart began racing.
“Why are you calling?”
“We're reopening the investigation into the death of Samantha Reed.”
I stopped walking.
Samantha.
Twenty-eight years old.
An undefeated prospect.
My closest friend in the training camp.
The woman who had collapsed after a sparring session and never regained consciousness.
“What changed?” I whispered.
Detective Mitchell hesitated.
“We received evidence suggesting her medical records were altered.”
My knees weakened.
Ryan tightened his grip on my hand.
“Who sent it?”
“An anonymous source.”
I closed my eyes.
Then the detective continued.
“Ms. Carter, there's something else.”
“What?”
“The evidence includes security footage from the night Samantha died.”
I could barely breathe.
“Does it show what happened?”
“Yes.”
A long silence followed.
May you like
Then Detective Mitchell said something that made me stare across the backyard at my brother-in-law.
“The man who delivered the footage was Derek's former business partner.”
