Chapter 6 - THE REMOTE WAS A BAD IDEA
Natalie confronted Ethan before anyone else.
“You scared the hell out of us.”
“I know.”
“You wanted us to think the tent would blow up.”
“I wanted them away from it.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought Claire might try to take the laptop bag inside.”
Natalie stared.
“What was in it?”
“Financial records.”
“That does not justify making everyone think you had a bomb.”
Ethan looked down.
No argument.
The remote controlled:
vehicle locks,
site floodlights,
and a high-decibel perimeter alarm attached to a commercial camping security kit.
Legal.
Ordinary.
He had programmed it because the group camped near a trailhead with theft warnings.
But he used everyone’s assumption as intimidation.
That mattered.
Later, when police interviewed witnesses after the broader dispute, Ethan admitted it.
“I knew what they thought.”
“Did you threaten an explosion?”
“No.”
“Did you intend them to fear one?”
“Yes.”
The officer wrote that down.
May you like
Ethan hated seeing it in plain language.
Fear can become a weapon even when the object itself is harmless.
