Chapter 7 - A Broken Safe in the Wine Cellar and the Confession on a Burner Phone
At 2:00 AM, Detective Vance received a secure encrypted ping on his radio.
"Vance, it’s Antoine," Chef Vance's frantic voice crackled over the speaker. "Pike just left Bellweather. He and Reed are clearing out the private office safe on the executive mezzanine. They're shredding the physical logbooks!"
"Hold your position, Antoine. Don't confront them," Detective Vance warned.
"They brought two gasoline cans, Marcus!" the chef whispered in sheer panic. "They're planning to torch the basement and blame it on an electrical fire from the old pastry ovens to destroy the scene!"
Ethan grabbed his coat. "They're burning the evidence before dawn."
"We can't walk in there without a signed federal warrant," Detective Vance said, checking his watch. "A judge won't sign off on an emergency raid until 7:00 AM based on preliminary lab results."
"We don't need a search warrant for a building I legally own," Ethan said coldly. "Pike’s security credentials have already been revoked on my server. Every minute we wait is another document turned to ash."
Mia stood up beside him, zipping her jacket. "I'm coming with you."
"Mia, it's too dangerous," Ethan insisted. "Pike is armed and desperate."
"My father built that restaurant with his bare hands!" Mia shouted, stepping directly into Ethan's space, her courage unshakeable. "His original recipes are framed in the kitchen! His name is being dragged through the dirt! I’m not sitting in a science lab while they burn his memory to the ground!"
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Ethan looked at her for three long seconds. In her eyes, he saw the same unrelenting spirit that had once made David Carter the heart and soul of their company.
"All right," Ethan said softly. "Let's take back your father's restaurant."
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