All Chapters of Secrets Behind The Mask: Chapter 231 - Chapter 240

The knock on the front door came at 8:47 AM.Liam had been awake for hours, sitting on the edge of the sofa, staring at his cracked phone screen. Planning his next steps. Running through scenarios of how to remove the ape from Lauren's life without leaving evidence that could be traced back to him.He got up and looked through the peephole, he saw it was the police. Fuck.He should have known they would come eventually. Had prepared for it. Had his story straight, his expression practiced, his lawyer's number ready to dial. This was that ape's doing.Three more knocks, harder this time."Mr. Carr? NYPD. We need to speak with you."Liam checked his reflection in the mirror mounted near the front door. He looked tired, dark circles under his eyes, stubble shadowing his jaw, but that worked in his favor. The concerned artist, losing sleep over a misunderstanding. The dedicated actor, devastated that his craft had been misinterpreted.He opened the door, two uniformed officers stood in th

Officer Sarah Clark sat at her desk, staring at the closed folder in front of her, her jaw so tight she could feel the muscle jumping beneath her skin. The interview with Liam Carr had gone exactly as she'd expected, which was precisely the problem. She had hoped he would slip and say something. But he’d been perfect. Too perfect, with the right amount of shock, the right amount of concern, the right amount of contrition mixed with righteous indignation. Every word carefully chosen, every emotion precisely calibrated to paint himself as the misunderstood nice guy rather than the obsessive stalker she knew he was.And she couldn't prove otherwise. Not yet."Fuck," she muttered under her breath, opening the folder again even though she'd memorized every detail.Lauren Gardener's case wasn't the first stalking situation she'd handled. Wouldn't be the last. But something about this one made her skin crawl in a way that went beyond professional concern. Maybe it was the progression. Maybe

Sarah showed her badge to the doorman, Tom, according to his name tag, and asked to be announced to Lauren Gardener's apartment. "Is she expecting you, Officer Clark?" Tom asked, reaching for the phone. "No, but she'll want to see me. It's about her case." Tom made the call, spoke quietly, then nodded. "You can go on up.” Sarah took the elevator up, using the ride to organize her thoughts. She had to be careful here. Had to give them enough information to protect themselves without explicitly violating the laws that kept Michelle Matthews case sealed. Liam had been a minor. The elevator doors opened, and she found Wyatt Heywood waiting in the hallway outside the apartment, arms crossed, his body language screaming pissed-off male. He had to know it wasn’t good news. Why else would she come by instead of calling? She was glad Lauren had him as protection. He was a fucking huge dude and, from what she could get on him, lethal. A lot of his file while in the SEALs was sealed. "Offi

Lauren woke to find Wyatt already up, dressed in jeans and a black polo shirt, standing at her bedroom window with his phone pressed to his ear. He was listening, and he mustn't like what he was hearing because his body language screamed tension.She pushed herself upright, watching him. The early morning light filtering through the curtains caught the hard line of his jaw, the set of his shoulders, the way his hand rested near his hip where she was guessing his weapon was already holstered."Okay... got it." He ended the call, turned, and found her watching him. "Morning.""Morning." Her voice came out rough with sleep. "Everything okay?""Nate's team has eyes on Liam. He didn't go home last night. Stayed at some dive bar in Brooklyn until closing, then went to a twenty-four-hour diner. He's there now, just... sitting. Drinking coffee. Staring at his phone.""Planning something," Lauren said, ice sliding down her spine."Most likely." Wyatt crossed to the bed, sat on the edge. "But w

Wyatt hit the button to answer, putting the phone on speaker as he set it on the shooting station counter. Lauren moved closer, her body still humming with adrenaline and arousal, but that faded quickly when she saw the grimness in Wyatt's expression."Talk to me," Wyatt said."Found it." Nate's voice was tight, controlled in that way that meant he was pissed off. "And it's worse than we thought."Lauren's stomach dropped. How could it be worse?"I'll start with what Officer Clark hinted at," Nate continued. "Michelle Matthews. Now Michelle Benson, married, living in San Diego. Works as a graphic designer. Hasn't been back to New York since 2016.""Clark mentioned looking at March or April 2016, what was that about did you find anything?" Wyatt said."Robert Matthews. Michelle's father. Single-vehicle collision, it was a wet night, went off a bridge six weeks after Michelle moved to California to live with her aunt." Nate paused. "Accident investigation found no evidence of tampering,