Chapter 8
Linda was arrested in the school parking lot.
She never reached Ava.
That was the only thing that mattered at first.
I held my daughter in the principal’s office while police moved through the building.
Ava buried her face against me.
“Grandma told them you were sick.”
“I know.”
“She said I had to go with her.”
“You didn’t.”
“I told the secretary she was lying.”
I kissed her forehead.
“You did exactly right.”
The fake guardianship order was almost convincing.
Official formatting.
Court seal.
Case number.
A judge’s signature.
All fake.
The supposed hospital admission document was fake too.
But the sophistication terrified me.
This wasn’t Linda improvising.
Someone had prepared everything.
Detective Harris asked Linda who made the documents.
She demanded a lawyer.
Daniel denied knowing anything.
Of course he did.
But two hours later, Harris called me with news.
“Daniel’s missing.”
My stomach dropped.
“What does missing mean?”
“He wasn’t at work. He isn’t at the address he provided. His phone appears to be off.”
“Do you think he ran?”
“I don’t know.”
“Is there a warrant?”
“I can’t discuss that yet.”
“Should I take Ava somewhere else?”
“Yes.”
The speed of his answer frightened me more than anything else he had said.
Michael booked us into a hotel under his name.
Mom came too.
For the first time in years, the four of us slept under one roof.
Except nobody really slept.
At three in the morning, I heard Ava crying quietly.
I climbed into her bed.
“Nightmare?”
She nodded.
“Grandma took me and you couldn’t find me.”
“I’m right here.”
“What if Dad comes?”
I didn’t lie.
“If Dad comes, we call the police.”
“Do you hate him?”
The question hurt.
“I hate what he did.”
“Do you still love him?”
I stared into the darkness.
“I loved who I thought he was.”
“Is that different?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
I thought carefully.
“Sometimes you love a picture of someone in your heart. Then you discover the real person made choices you can’t accept.”
Ava was quiet.
“Did Dad ever love us?”
I swallowed.
“I don’t know what was in his heart. But love isn’t only what someone feels. It’s also what they do.”
She nodded slowly.
Then fell asleep against me.
The next morning, Detective Harris called again.
“We found Daniel’s vehicle.”
“Where?”
“Airport parking.”
My heart raced.
“Did he fly somewhere?”
“We’re checking.”
“Was he alone?”
“Security footage shows him entering the terminal.”
“With luggage?”
“One backpack.”
“He ran.”
“Possibly.”
“Where would he go?”
“That’s what we need help with.”
I thought about vacations.
Relatives.
Old friends.
Then Caroline’s name came into my mind.
“Oregon.”
“What?”
“His ex-fiancée lives in Oregon.”
Harris paused.
“We’ll check.”
I called Caroline.
She answered immediately.
“Rachel?”
“Have you heard from Daniel?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“He may be heading toward Oregon.”
Silence.
Then Caroline whispered, “Oh, no.”
“What?”
“He knows where I live.”
“Call police.”
“I moved last year.”
“Does he know the new address?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Call anyway.”
“I will.”
An hour later, she called back.
“Rachel.”
Her voice sounded strange.
“What happened?”
“I found something.”
“What?”
“On my porch.”
My stomach tightened.
“A package.”
“From Daniel?”
“No return address.”
“Don’t touch it.”
“I already opened it.”
“Caroline!”
“It wasn’t dangerous.”
“What was inside?”
She breathed shakily.
“Copies of documents from when I lost my house.”
“Why would someone send those now?”
“There’s a note.”
“What does it say?”
Caroline read it.
HE DIDN’T DO IT ALONE.
I stopped breathing.
“What else?”
“A photograph.”
“Of who?”
“Linda.”
“That’s not surprising.”
“No.”
Caroline’s voice dropped.
“She’s with someone else.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Send it to me.”
She did.
The image was old.
Maybe fifteen years.
Linda stood outside a real estate office.
Beside her was a man in his forties.
Dark hair.
Expensive suit.
They looked close.
I didn’t recognize him.
Michael did.
When I showed him, he cursed.
“Who is that?”
“You seriously don’t know?”
“No.”
“That’s Victor Hale.”
The name meant nothing to me.
“Who?”
“One of Dad’s old business partners.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“Dad hated him.”
“Why?”
“They had a lawsuit years ago.”
“What kind?”
“Real estate investment deal. Victor claimed Dad cheated him.”
“Did he?”
“No. Victor was the one moving money around. Dad forced him out.”
I looked at the photograph again.
“Why is he with Linda?”
Michael shook his head.
“I have no idea.”
Mom entered the hotel room.
I showed her.
She turned pale.
“You know him too.”
She sat down.
“Oh, God.”
“Mom.”
“Your father thought Linda knew Victor.”
“What?”
“He mentioned it once.”
“When?”
“After he investigated Daniel.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because I forgot. It was years ago.”
My pulse pounded.
“What did Dad say?”
“That there were too many coincidences.”
“What coincidences?”
Mom pressed both hands to her temples.
“He discovered Victor had been involved in the sale of Caroline’s house.”
My blood turned cold.
“How?”
“I don’t remember.”
Michael grabbed his phone.
“I’m calling Samuel.”
Samuel confirmed it.
Victor Hale owned a private lending company.
That company had financed the buyer who purchased Caroline’s property.
Then resold it six months later at a huge profit.
“So this wasn’t just Daniel and Linda stealing from women?” I asked.
Samuel answered carefully.
“Your father suspected something larger.”
“A scheme?”
“Yes.”
“To do what?”
“Target people with inherited property or substantial equity. Build relationships. Create financial pressure. Obtain signatures or powers of attorney. Force distressed transfers.”
My mouth went dry.
“How many people?”
“We never knew.”
“And Daniel?”
“Your father suspected he was involved through Linda.”
I paced the hotel room.
“Why wasn’t this reported?”
“Richard lacked proof.”
“Caroline lost her house.”
“She refused to testify.”
“Because she was terrified.”
“Yes.”
“And now they’re doing it to me.”
Samuel was silent.
“Rachel, your father believed your marriage to Daniel may not have been an accident.”
The room seemed to tilt.
“What does that mean?”
“He wondered whether Daniel met you because Linda knew who you were.”
I stopped moving.
“Who I was?”
“Richard Hayes’s daughter.”
I felt sick.
My entire marriage.
Twelve years.
Ava.
Every anniversary.
Every vacation.
Every ordinary Tuesday night.
Could it all have begun because someone targeted me?
“No.”
Michael reached for me.
I stepped away.
“No. Daniel couldn’t fake twelve years.”
Samuel said softly, “People can have mixed motives. We don’t know what was real.”
That was somehow worse.
My phone rang.
Detective Harris.
“We located Daniel.”
My heart slammed.
“Where?”
“He never boarded a plane.”
“What?”
“He entered the airport, then left through a different terminal.”
“Where did he go?”
“We don’t know yet.”
“Then you didn’t locate him.”
“We located his phone.”
“Where?”
Harris hesitated.
“Inside your house.”
My skin went cold.
“My house?”
“Yes.”
“But Daniel isn’t there?”
“Officers entered. The house was empty.”
I stared at Michael.
“Why would he leave his phone there?”
Harris answered.
“Maybe to make us think he fled.”
Then he said, “There was evidence someone had been inside.”
“What evidence?”
“Your office was searched.”
My heart dropped.
“For what?”
“We don’t know.”
I did.
My father’s documents.
The trust.
Victor Hale.
I suddenly remembered Dad’s letter.
Trust your instincts before you trust anyone who tells you that you are imagining things.
“Detective.”
“Yes?”
“I think Daniel wants something my father left behind.”
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
Then Michael’s face changed.
“What?” I asked.
He looked at me.
“The basement.”
“What about it?”
“Dad renovated the house before you moved in.”
“I know.”
“He installed a wall safe.”
“No, he didn’t.”
Michael nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“I’ve never seen one.”
“Because he covered it.”
“Where?”
“Behind the built-in shelves.”
My pulse raced.
“What’s inside?”
Michael looked terrified.
“I don’t know.”
“But Daniel might.”
May you like
And that meant if Daniel hadn’t fled...
He might be going back to finish what he started.
