Chapter 9: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
My father didn't answer any more questions until Eleanor arrived.
She came to the hotel at 2:26 a.m., carrying her laptop and a file she had apparently kept separate from the rest of the investigation.
Dad showed her the photograph.
She studied it for nearly a minute.
“Where did this come from?”” she asked.
“An anonymous email to Olivia,” Dad replied.
Eleanor looked at me.
“Did you open any attachments other than the photograph?””
“No. I only viewed the image.””
“Good. We'll preserve the email and let the investigators examine it.””
She placed her laptop on the table and opened a database of corporate records.
“Your father is referring to Thomas Reed,” she said.
I frowned.
“Who is Thomas Reed?””
“Five years ago, Thomas owned the property where the investigators found Daniel's documents. He was a business associate of Marcus Bell.””
“Was?””
Eleanor glanced at Dad.
“Thomas was reported missing after a boating accident near the Georgia coast. His vehicle was found near the marina, and investigators at the time believed he had drowned. His body was never recovered.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“Then how could he be the original owner?””
“Because the property was never formally transferred in the way Daniel claimed,” Eleanor replied.
“Some of the ownership records remained tied to a company Thomas controlled. Other records indicate that Daniel's business later assumed responsibility for the property's expenses.””
My thoughts raced.
“Is Thomas related to Vanessa?””
“Not according to the information we've confirmed so far,” she said.
“They share a surname, but we haven't established a family connection.””
Dad sat down heavily.
“Thomas and I worked together years ago on a corporate security contract. We lost contact shortly before he disappeared.””
“Did you think he was dead?””
“I believed the investigation's conclusion was accurate.””
“Why didn't you tell me about him?””
“Because I barely knew him personally, sweetheart. He was a professional associate. I had no reason to think his disappearance had anything to do with your marriage.””
I studied his face.
“You look as if you know more than you're saying.””
He held my gaze.
“I know that Thomas was involved in a dispute over a business contract. I don't know whether that dispute had anything to do with his disappearance, and I won't pretend otherwise.””
Eleanor closed the database.
“We need to give the photograph and the email to Detective Harris. If Thomas is alive, that could be important. If someone is using his name to frighten Olivia, that's important, too.””
Dad nodded.
He forwarded the information through the proper channel, and within minutes Harris called back.
“I've seen the photograph,” the detective said.
“We'll investigate its origin and compare it with the property records. I also want to know whether the sender has any connection to Marcus Bell.””
“Can you confirm Thomas is alive?”” I asked.
“Not yet. But we have an additional lead. Rachel Moore, the former Northstar bookkeeper, has provided preliminary information about a person she believed was communicating with Marcus under an alias.””
“What alias?””
“Ethan Cole.””
The name meant nothing to me.
“Who is he?””
“We're checking. Rachel says Marcus received instructions from this person concerning the property and the Friday payment. She didn't meet him directly.””
Dad leaned forward.
“Does she have any records?””
“She has copies of invoices and messages she retained from her time with the company. We're arranging to collect them.””
The call ended.
I looked at Eleanor.
“Could Thomas Reed be Ethan Cole?””
“It's possible, but we have no evidence establishing that,” she said.
“We must avoid treating a theory as a fact.””
I nodded, though my mind had already begun connecting the names.
Thomas Reed. Marcus Bell. Daniel Carter. Northstar.
And a mysterious man who might be using another identity.
At sunrise, Detective Harris sent an officer to collect the original email from my temporary device. Dad arranged for us to remain at the hotel while the investigation continued.
By nine, Rachel Moore had arrived at the station for her formal interview.
At eleven twenty, Harris called with an update.
“Rachel has provided records showing that Northstar received payments from several companies, including one connected to Thomas Reed's former business.””
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
“It means we're examining whether the company was used to move money through multiple accounts. We haven't established that every transaction was unlawful, but some records appear inconsistent with the stated business purposes.””
“And Daniel?””
“Rachel says Daniel attended at least three meetings with Marcus. During one meeting, he asked whether the original ownership documents had been destroyed.””
My stomach tightened.
“Destroyed?””
“Yes. Rachel says Marcus refused. According to her, he told Daniel that the original owner could still challenge the arrangement if he returned.””
Dad's face hardened.
“Did she say what Daniel replied?””
Harris paused.
“She remembers him saying, 'He won't be coming back.''”
The words settled over the room.
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Does that mean Daniel knew Thomas was alive?””
“We can't determine that from one statement. It could have been a reference to someone who was missing, or it could mean something else entirely. We're verifying Rachel's account.””
After the call, I walked to the window.
Atlanta was waking up beneath a pale blue sky. People hurried toward offices, coffee shops opened their doors, and cars crowded the streets.
The world continued as if my husband hadn't spent the previous evening beating me for refusing to surrender my savings.
I pressed my fingertips against the glass.
“Daddy, what if Daniel knew about Thomas all along?””
“Then the evidence may eventually tell us.””
“And what if Thomas really is alive?””
Dad joined me by the window.
“Then we need to understand why someone wants you to know about him now.””
I turned toward him.
“You think the person sending these messages wants to help me?””
“I think they want something. Whether it's help, revenge, or leverage, we don't know yet.””
My temporary phone rang.
Detective Harris.
I answered immediately.
“Olivia, we've received another piece of information from Rachel. She found an old invoice in Northstar's records with an address that doesn't match any of the company's registered offices.””
“What address?””
He read it aloud.
I wrote it down.
It was an address in Savannah, Georgia.
My father stared at the paper.
“That's not far from where I live.””
“Do you recognize it?”” I asked.
He shook his head slowly.
“Not the address itself.””
Harris continued.
“There's a handwritten note attached to the invoice. It says, 'Deliver directly to T. Reed.
No electronic copies.'' The invoice is dated six months after Thomas was reported missing.””
I felt the hairs rise on my arms.
Six months after the world had supposedly accepted that Thomas Reed was dead, someone had been sending documents directly to him.
“Detective,” I whispered, “does that mean he's alive?””
“It means someone was communicating under his name or referring to him after his disappearance. We're following the lead.””
Dad took the paper from my hand.
For several seconds, he stared at the address.
Then he looked up.
“I know this street.””
“How?””
He swallowed.
“Because five years ago, Thomas told me that if anything ever happened to him, I should look for a locked storage unit near that address.””
My heart began pounding.
“Did you ever check it?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because I believed he was dead, and I had no reason to think the storage unit still existed.””
Dad reached for his phone.
“I need to speak to Detective Harris before anyone goes near that location.””
But before he could make the call, a new message appeared on my screen.
The sender had used the same unknown address.
There were only two lines.
May you like
*Your father was right not to trust the official story.*
*If you want to know why Daniel married you, ask him what happened to Thomas Reed on the night before your wedding.*
