Chapter 8: My Father Put a Gun to His Best Friend
“Dad?””
The word escaped my mouth before I could stop it.
The man standing in the doorway looked older than the father I remembered.
His hair had turned almost completely gray. A deep scar ran along his left cheek, and his eyes seemed hollow from years of suffering.
But it was him.
Daniel Hart.
My father.
He didn't lower his weapon.
“Step away from Victor, Lena.””
I couldn't move.
“Daddy?””
His expression softened for half a second.
Then it disappeared.
“Now.””
Victor slowly raised his hands.
“Daniel, listen to me.””
“Shut up.””
“Your daughter needs answers.””
“My daughter needs to stay away from you.””
My mother stepped forward.
“Daniel, please. It's me.””
His gun dropped slightly.
“Margaret?””
She began crying.
“Oh, Daniel.””
He stared at her as if he were looking at a ghost.
Then he rushed forward and embraced her.
For several seconds, the three of us stood together.
I pressed my face against his chest and breathed in the familiar smell of cedar and soap.
I had imagined this moment a thousand times.
In my dreams, my father always smiled.
He always told me he was proud of me.
He always promised he would never leave again.
But this man was trembling.
And when he finally pulled away, his first question wasn't about how I had survived.
It was about the ledger.
“Where is it?””
I blinked.
“Hello to you too.””
“Lena, I'm serious. Where is the ledger?””
Victor stepped forward.
“She found the memory card.””
My father turned on him.
“You let her access it?””
“I didn't know what was inside.””
“You should have known better!””
Victor's voice hardened.
“Don't blame me for what Leon did to your family.””
My father raised his gun again.
“You have no idea what Leon did.””
“Then tell me.””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You want the truth? Fine. Your father didn't die of a heart attack. Clara and Leon arranged his murder because he was preparing to expose them.””
Victor went completely still.
“My father?””
“Your father discovered that Clara had been stealing company money. He planned to remove her. Leon made sure he never got the chance.””
Victor looked as though someone had punched him.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you were already compromised.””
My father turned toward me.
“And because I couldn't risk losing you.””
I wiped my tears.
“Dad, why did you disappear?””
He looked at me for a long moment.
“Because I made a terrible mistake.””
“What mistake?””
“I trusted the wrong person.””
He glanced at Victor.
“Five years ago, I gave him the ledger. I believed he would protect it.””
Victor shook his head.
“You never gave me anything.””
“I gave you a copy.””
“Where is it?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Inside the music box was the key to finding the original. The memory card was only part of the evidence.””
My mother stepped forward.
“Daniel, you need to tell her about the night at the house.””
He closed his eyes.
“Not now.””
“Yes, now,” she insisted.
“She deserves to know.””
I looked between them.
“What happened?””
My father took a deep breath.
“Leon came to our house that night. I was upstairs hiding the ledger. You were in your bedroom.””
I remembered a distant image.
A loud crash.
My mother's screaming.
A man running through the hallway.
My father continued.
“Leon found me. We fought. He knocked me unconscious.””
I covered my mouth.
“You were there?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn't you come back?””
“Because when I woke up, Leon showed me something.””
“What?””
He looked at Victor.
“A photograph of you sleeping in your bed. He told me that if I ever contacted you, you'd be next.””
My knees weakened.
My father lowered his head.
“I thought disappearing was the only way to keep you safe.””
I wanted to hug him.
I wanted to scream at him.
I wanted to ask why he had allowed me to mourn him for five years.
Instead, I whispered, “You could have found a way.””
He nodded.
“I know.””
Victor suddenly checked his phone.
“Daniel, we need to leave. Leon knows about the music box.””
My father shook his head.
“He already knows where the ledger is.””
“How?””
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Because he has the original key.””
I felt cold.
“What key?””
My father reached into his pocket and pulled out a small metal object.
“The key to the safety deposit box. The one your mother gave you is a decoy.””
My mother gasped.
“Daniel, what are you saying?””
He turned toward me.
“Someone switched the keys before you left the townhouse.””
Victor immediately looked at Nina.
“Check the exits.””
She moved toward the hallway.
Then a loud explosion shook the building.
Glass shattered.
Ethan shouted from the living room.
“WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!””
My father grabbed my hand.
“There's no time. We have to get to the bank.””
Victor pulled out his weapon.
“Daniel, the bank is exactly where Leon wants us.””
My father looked at him.
“Then we're going to give him what he wants.””
He leaned closer to my ear.
“But Lena, when we get there, you must not let anyone see what's inside box 417.””
“Why?””
His eyes filled with tears.
“Because the ledger doesn't just contain the names of the people who murdered Victor's father.””
He paused.
“It contains the name of the person who ordered your mother's death.””
A gunshot rang out from the hallway.
Nina screamed.
Then the apartment door opened.
Clara Whitmore walked inside wearing a black leather coat.
She looked directly at my father.
“Hello, Daniel.””
My father raised his weapon.
“Stay away from my family.””
Clara smiled.
“I'm afraid that's no longer possible.””
May you like
Then she pointed at me.
“Lena, darling, your father has been lying to you again.””
