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3:06 PM D
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Liam’s smug expression froze.
The officer holding the phone immediately followed up on my suggestion, navigating to Liam’s cloud storage.
As the seconds ticked by, the color drained from Liam’s face. What had been arrogance shifted into panic.
“Give it back!” he shouted, his voice cracking. “That’s my phone! Hand it over, now!”
Liam’s struggles were futile as two officers pinned him firmly to the ground.
Meanwhile, my father and Hannah, who had tried to slip away unnoticed, were stopped by the crowd and brought forward to the police officers.
“I found it!” one officer suddenly exclaimed. “There’s evidence in Liam’s cloud backup album!”
He quickly saved copies of the incriminating files, which contained damning proof.
Seizing the moment, I stepped forward, armed with the evidence Detective West had handed me earlier.
“Liam Reed used a hyper–realistic silicone mask to imitate my appearance,” I began. “It didn’t need to be perfect–just close enough for the dashcam footage and traffic cameras to show someone who resembled me.”
Detective West opened his bag and pulled out a sealed plastic evidence bag. Inside was a silicone mask–a chilling replica of my face.
The crowd and reporters erupted in anger.
“That explains it! That’s why the person in the dashcam and traffic footage looked like Zach!”
“With those low–resolution cameras, a mask like that would be enough to fool anyone!”
“If Zach hadn’t been in custody and hired Detective West, this frame job might’ve actually worked!”
I continued, detailing Liam’s methods step by step, exposing his calculated plan.
“Hannah coordinated with him,” I said, my voice steady. “She stood nearby, yelling my name during the incident. That helped convince witnesses that I was the one driving.”
“And then, my father came to the scene to deliver the final blow–testifying against me to seal my fate.”
As I read out more of the evidence from Liam’s phone, the crowd’s anger reached a boiling point. All eyes turned to Liam, who was still on the ground, restrained by the officers.
Even as I spoke, I continued flipping through the evidence Detective West had handed me. My expression darkened.
Not only did it contain Liam’s incriminating actions, but it also included a treasure trove of messages between him and Hannah.
The victim’s family, standing nearby, began breathing heavily. One of them clenched the knife in his hand so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
They had nearly killed an innocent man–me–when the true culprit, Liam, had been right in front of them all along.
Unable to hold back any longer, one of the family members stepped forward. In a single motion, he lunged behind Liam and plunged the knife straight into his chest.
A burst of crimson bloomed as blood splattered onto the ground.
The officers, focused on protecting me, were caught off guard and unable to intervene in time.
Liam collapsed, gasping and twitching, before going still.
D
<
The family member who had stabbed him threw the knife onto the ground and dropped to his knees, sobbing uncontrollably.
“One life… two lives,” he choked out through his tears. “My wife… and our baby…”
His voice broke as he clutched his head in despair. His wife, eight months pregnant, had been the love of his life. She had been carrying their unborn child, a life they had been so excited to welcome into the world.
But all of that had been destroyed–because of Liam’s selfishness.
Hannah, who had been frozen in shock, screamed hysterically when she saw Liam’s lifeless body.
“Liam! Liam!” she shrieked, rushing toward him.
“Somebody help him! Please, help him!”
She collapsed onto his blood–soaked body, pressing her hands against his chest in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. But it was useless- Liam was already gone.
I stepped forward, my voice cold and unyielding as I stared down at her.
“Tell me, Hannah. Why did you and Liam conspire to destroy me?”
