The Doppelgänger’s Funeral: How a Small-Town Land Appraiser Uncovered His Own Staged Death and Business Partner’s $4.2 Million Scheme
👉 Previous Action: You uncovered the vast extent of Derrick’s fraudulent land scheme and Julian Kildare’s murder.
With the horrifying truth of Derrick’s crimes laid bare, I knew I needed to secure the last physical pieces of evidence: the original land deeds for my family’s ancestral property, stored in the old barn behind my childhood home.
I arrived at the property, the moon a sliver in the dark sky. The barn door creaked open, revealing dusty beams of moonlight and the faint scent of hay.
As I reached for the old metal box where the deeds were kept, a heavy shadow fell over me. Derrick Croft stood in the doorway, a triumphant, malicious grin on his face.
“Looking for something, Arthur?” he snarled, holding a lighted flare. “Too bad. I’m tying up loose ends tonight.”
He flung the flare onto a pile of dry straw bales. Flames erupted instantly, orange and ravenous, consuming the dried hay. Smoke billowed, choking me. I lunged for the door, but Derrick slammed it shut, the heavy oak thudding, and I heard the metallic click of a padlock from outside.
Trapped. The wooden structure groaned, the flames already licking at the support beams. Smoke filled my lungs, burning with every panicked breath.
➡️ Read CHAPTER 17 to continue the story.
More Stories
+ There are no comments
Add yours