Chapter 250

Chapter 250:

Camille nodded against his chest. “It’s strange. Seeing him try to do the right thing after everything. Part of me wants to believe he’s changed.”

“People can change,” Alexander said softly. “You did. I did.”

“The difference is, we changed for ourselves. Not for someone else’s forgiveness.” She pulled back slightly, looking up at him. “But if his information helps us stop Rose, I won’t turn it away.”

Special Agent Diana Chen ducked under the yellow tape surrounding what remained of Substation 12. The smell of burnt metal and melted plastic filled her nose. Five days after the explosion, the site still smoldered in places. FBI evidence technicians in white suits moved through the wreckage, marking and collecting anything that could help identify the perpetrator.

“What do we have so far?” her partner, Agent Trent Morgan, asked, notebook in hand.

Chen pointed to a corner where three technicians huddled around something. “They found pieces of the detonator. Military grade, just like at Substation 8.”

“So, we’re looking at the same person for both bombings?” Morgan asked, scribbling in his notebook.

“It gets better,” Chen led him toward a table where collected evidence sat in clear plastic bags. She picked up one containing a twisted piece of metal.

“Look at this.”

Morgan squinted at the bag. “Is that a business card?”

“What’s left of one.” Chen nodded. “Fire damaged it, but our lab confirmed part of a name—‘TON.’ And look at the corner, that’s a corporate logo.”

Morgan took the bag, studying it closely. “Preston Enterprises.”

“As in Herod Preston?” Chen said, her voice rising with excitement. “The FBI database has his fingerprints from when he applied for an international business license. They found a match on pieces of wire from both explosion sites.”

Morgan let out a low whistle. “So, we’ve got him at both scenes. We’ve got his business card. Motive?”

“That’s where it gets interesting.” Chen pulled out her tablet and brought up a file. “Preston’s family owned a shipping empire that collapsed about ten years ago after some kind of conflict with Victoria Kane. His father and brother both killed themselves afterward.”

“Revenge against Kane Industries,” Morgan mused. “But why now? Why wait ten years?”

“The Phoenix Grid is Victoria Kane’s biggest project in a decade,” Chen said. “Maximum damage to her legacy.”

“We need everything on this guy,” Morgan said, his eyes hardening. “Get a warrant for his apartment and office. I want to know what else he’s planning.”

Three hours later, the FBI tactical team broke down the door to Herod Preston’s penthouse apartment. Morgan and Chen followed them in, weapons drawn.

“Clear!” called the team leader after checking each room. “No one’s home.” Morgan holstered his weapon, looking around the luxurious space. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the city. Expensive furniture, original artwork on the walls, and a bar stocked with top-shelf liquor.

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