Chapter 9: The Attorney Who Disappeared
By dawn, the story had spread beyond the walls of the Bennett estate.
A police investigation had begun into the suspicious death of Charles Bennett, the sabotage of my car, and the disappearance of Samuel Price. Financial reporters were already asking questions about the proposed acquisition of Bennett Holdings.
Chad Mercer had issued a statement denying any wrongdoing.
Brooke had released an apology for her behavior at the gala.
Neither statement mentioned the mechanic, the missing trust amendment, or my mother's arrest.
I read both statements on my phone while sitting in the estate's sunroom.
Then I deleted them.
For once, I didn't want to spend another minute thinking about people who were only concerned with how their actions looked in public.
Isabella sat across from me, holding a mug of tea she hadn't touched.
She hadn't slept.
Neither had I.
“Do you think Samuel Price is dead?”” she asked.
“I don't know.””
“Your mother said he knew something about my birth certificate.””
“She also said a lot of things to distract us.””
Isabella looked down at her hands.
“What if she's telling the truth?””
“Then we'll find the records.””
“And if the records say my father wasn't my father?””
I leaned forward.
“Daniel Hayes raised you. He loved you. He showed up when you needed him. No document can erase that.””
She looked at me for a long moment.
“Thank you.””
Before I could respond, Richard entered carrying a tablet.
“We found something.””
He placed it on the table.
The screen showed a photograph of Samuel Price leaving his office the previous afternoon. He was carrying a leather briefcase and speaking to someone outside a black sedan.
The image was grainy, but the person beside him was unmistakable.
Chad Mercer.
I sat up.
“Where was this taken?””
“Outside Price's office, at 4:17 p.m. The building's security system recorded them meeting. Eleven minutes later, Price left with the briefcase.””
“Did Chad enter the building?””
“No. But the receptionist says he had visited three times that week.””
Isabella frowned.
“Why would Chad be meeting with your father's attorney?””
“Because he was trying to get his hands on the original trust documents,” I replied.
Richard nodded.
“The police believe Price may have been carrying the missing amendment when he disappeared.””
I stared at the photograph.
Chad had been involved in the acquisition, the payment to Harlan, and the attempt to seize control of Bennett Holdings. If he had the original trust amendment, he could destroy the evidence connecting my mother to the estate.
“Where is Chad now?””
“His apartment is empty. His car was found near the airport, but there's no record of him boarding a flight.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Then he's still in the city.””
Richard hesitated.
“There is another detail. The private investigator found a second address connected to Samuel Price. A storage facility in Queens.””
“What's inside?””
“We don't know. The police are obtaining a warrant.””
I stood up.
“I want to go there.””
Richard immediately shook his head.
“Absolutely not.””
“Richard—”
“You've been awake all night. Your legs are trembling, and your mother may have accomplices. You are not going to investigate a storage facility yourself.””
“I won't be alone.””
He looked at Isabella.
She set down her tea.
“I'll go with him.””
Richard stared at both of us.
“You cannot be serious.””
“We're not going to break into anything,” I said.
“We'll meet the police there.””
Richard exhaled sharply.
“Fine. But you will do exactly what the officers tell you.””
Two hours later, we arrived at the storage facility.
The building sat between a warehouse and an auto repair shop. Rainwater dripped from the gutters, and the air smelled of wet concrete and motor oil.
Two detectives were already waiting near the entrance.
Detective Maria Alvarez introduced herself and led us to Unit 214.
“We have reason to believe Mr. Price stored documents here,” she said.
“The owner confirmed that he rented the unit under his own name. The warrant authorizes us to search the contents.””
She unlocked the door.
Inside stood a metal filing cabinet, three cardboard boxes, and a small wooden desk.
Nothing about the room looked extraordinary.
Then I noticed the photographs pinned to the wall.
My father.
My mother.
Chad.
And me, sitting in my wheelchair outside the rehabilitation center.
Someone had been watching us for months.
Isabella stepped closer to the photographs.
“Why would Samuel Price have these?””
Detective Alvarez examined the dates written beneath them.
“Some of these were taken before Mr. Bennett's accident. Others are recent.””
I studied the photograph of Chad.
He was standing outside a bank, holding a document folder.
The date was two days before my accident.
“Can we examine the folder?”” I asked.
The detective carefully removed it from the cabinet.
Inside were bank statements, copies of corporate agreements, and a handwritten list of payments.
One entry was circled in red.
*$150,000 — Harlan Automotive Services.*
Below it was another payment.
*$75,000 — Samuel Price.*
And beneath that, a name I had never seen before.
*Elena Hayes.*
Isabella went pale.
“My mother?””
Detective Alvarez looked at her.
“You know this person?””
“My father told me my mother's name was Elena. But she died when I was little.””
The detective placed the document on the desk.
“This payment was made six months before the first accident.””
I stared at the date.
“Why would Chad pay Isabella's mother?””
Richard examined the statement.
“This account belonged to a company that was dissolved years ago. We need to trace the funds.””
Isabella shook her head.
“My mother died before I was old enough to remember her. Why would she be receiving money from a company connected to Chad?””
No one answered.
Then Detective Alvarez opened the first cardboard box.
Inside were dozens of letters, most of them sealed.
She picked up one envelope addressed to Samuel Price.
The handwriting was my father's.
The detective carefully opened it and unfolded the letter.
“Mr. Bennett,” she said, “you need to read this.””
I took the page.
Samuel,
If Victoria discovers that Elena is alive, she will do whatever it takes to keep the truth hidden. I believe she has already paid someone to locate her.
The girl must remain protected. If anything happens to me, do not allow Alexander to sign the transfer agreement. It would place both children in danger.
I stopped reading.
“Both children?””
Detective Alvarez turned to the second page.
The next paragraph was underlined.
Alexander is not the only child I may have fathered. The second child's identity is recorded in the original hospital file.
Isabella looked at me.
“What does that mean?””
I couldn't answer.
The letter continued.
If the children ever meet, make sure they understand that neither is responsible for the sins of their parents.
I lowered the page.
The room seemed suddenly smaller.
Isabella was my father's possible daughter.
But if he had fathered another child, then there was someone else out there whose identity had been concealed.
Someone whose existence might explain why my mother had been so desperate to control the trust.
Detective Alvarez continued searching the box.
At the bottom, she found a small cassette recorder and a sealed envelope.
The envelope bore my name.
Inside was a short note.
Alexander,
If you have reached this point, Samuel has either disappeared or been silenced. The truth is in the recording.
But before you listen, you must understand one thing.
The person who caused the first accident was not Victoria.
I stared at the sentence.
My mother had confessed to poisoning my father and covering up the collision. Harlan had admitted sabotaging my car at her request.
But now my father was suggesting that someone else had caused the first accident.
Someone who had wanted Daniel Hayes dead.
Someone who had paid Elena Hayes.
I looked at the recorder.
Detective Alvarez inserted a fresh battery and pressed PLAY.
For several seconds, there was only static.
Then my father's voice filled the storage unit.
“Alexander, if you're hearing this, then the people I feared have finally moved against you.””
I gripped the desk.
My father's voice sounded tired but steady.
“I need you to know that I did not die because of my heart. Victoria poisoned me, but she wasn't the person who first decided our family had to be destroyed.””
A pause.
Then he continued.
“The person who arranged the first collision was someone I trusted with everything.””
I leaned closer to the recorder.
My father's voice dropped to a whisper.
“Someone who knew about Elena, the trust, and the child she gave birth to before she disappeared.””
The recording crackled.
Then my father said a name.
“Chad Mercer.””
Isabella covered her mouth.
I felt the blood drain from my face.
But the recording wasn't finished.
My father took a shaky breath.
“And if Chad has found the original hospital file, he already knows the second child's identity.””
A door slammed somewhere outside the storage unit.
Detective Alvarez immediately turned toward the entrance.
A man shouted.
Then we heard running footsteps.
The detective drew her weapon and rushed into the corridor.
Richard pulled Isabella behind the desk.
I remained frozen beside the recorder.
My father's final words continued to play.
“Alexander, the second child is…”
The recording cut off.
I stared at the machine.
A second later, my phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A single message appeared.
If you want to know who your real family is, come alone.
Bring the original trust amendment.
And don't tell Isabella.
I looked at her.
She was watching me, her face pale.
“Alexander,” she whispered, “what does the message say?””
Before I could answer, Detective Alvarez returned.
Her weapon was lowered, but her expression was grim.
“The man escaped,” she said.
“He left something behind.””
She placed a photograph on the desk.
It showed Chad Mercer standing beside a hospital bed.
Beside him lay a newborn baby.
May you like
On the back, in my father's handwriting, were five words.
The second child is Chad's.
