Chapter 10: The Father Who Never Came Home
“Chloe was there?””
I looked from my mother to my sister.
Chloe shook her head violently.
“No. Emily, don't listen to him.””
Daniel adjusted his silver watch.
“Interesting. You were quite comfortable accepting the money when we made the agreement.””
“Shut up!”” Chloe screamed.
Nathan stepped between Daniel and the desk.
“Everyone is going to stop talking until we understand what happened.””
Daniel laughed.
“You think you can control this situation, young man?””
“No. But I can make sure you don't leave before the authorities arrive.””
For the first time, Daniel's confidence slipped.
Mom stood slowly.
“Emily, I need to tell you what happened that night.””
I folded my arms.
“Then tell me everything.””
She looked at the photograph of my father.
“When Richard was taken to the private medical facility, he was unconscious. Daniel told me the doctors couldn't save him. He said your father had suffered a severe cardiac event.””
“But he was alive.””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you bring him home?””
Mom covered her mouth.
“Because Daniel told me your father had become dangerous.””
I stared at her.
“Dangerous to whom?””
“To us.””
She explained that Daniel had convinced her that Dad's financial investigation would destroy the family. He claimed the police would discover her signatures on the unauthorized transfers and charge her with fraud.
He offered her a choice.
Cooperate, or lose everything.
“He said Richard would receive treatment somewhere private,” Mom whispered.
“He promised that once he recovered, we'd explain everything.””
“And you believed him?””
“I wanted to believe him.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“Where was he taken?””
Mom shook her head.
“I don't know the name of the facility. Daniel arranged everything.””
Daniel cleared his throat.
“That's a rather convenient story.””
Mom turned toward him.
“You told me he was receiving treatment!””
“He was.””
“Then why didn't you let me visit?””
“Because you were becoming emotional.””
Mom slapped the desk.
“You told me he had died!””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“And you signed the documents.””
Chloe suddenly stepped forward.
“Stop blaming Mom. I was the one who found out where Dad was.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“I found an old address in Daniel's office. I went there with Grandma.””
“When?””
“Six months after Dad disappeared.””
I remembered the photograph.
The hospital room.
The silver ring.
“You saw him?””
Chloe nodded.
“He was awake.””
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
“What did he say?””
Her voice broke.
“He asked about us.””
I felt tears running down my face.
“What else?””
“He asked whether you were still taking piano lessons. He asked whether I was still afraid of thunderstorms.””
I closed my eyes.
My father remembered everything.
Even the little things.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
Chloe looked at the floor.
“Because Daniel said he'd make sure Dad never came home if we told anyone.””
I stepped closer.
“And you kept quiet for twenty years?””
“I was seventeen, Emily!””
“So was I supposed to be grateful that you knew my father was alive?””
“I was scared!””
I looked at Mom.
“Did Grandma know?””
Mom nodded.
“She discovered the facility through one of Daniel's former employees. She visited Richard once.””
“Why didn't she bring him home?””
Mom began crying.
“Because he refused to leave.””
That answer made no sense.
“Why?””
Mom reached into her purse and removed a small photograph.
It showed Dad sitting beside a hospital window.
He looked thinner, older, but unmistakably alive.
On the back, he'd written:
Margaret, I cannot return until the truth is safe for my daughters.
I stared at the handwriting.
“Why would he say that?””
Mom looked at Daniel.
“Because he believed someone was watching the family.””
Daniel suddenly reached for the photograph.
Nathan blocked him.
“Don't.””
Daniel's voice became sharp.
“Give me that.””
“No.””
Daniel looked around the room.
For a moment, he seemed to calculate his options.
Then he smiled.
“You're all making a terrible mistake. Richard is gone. Whatever happened twenty years ago is irrelevant.””
I held up the photograph.
“Then why are you so afraid of it?””
He didn't answer.
Olivia took out her phone.
“I'm contacting Eleanor's attorney.””
Daniel laughed.
“Go ahead. He won't help you.””
“Why not?””
“Because he has no idea what happened to Richard either.””
I looked at my mother.
“Where is Dad now?””
She hesitated.
Then she reached into her handbag and pulled out a small folded card.
An address was written on it.
Beneath the address was a phone number.
“I received this three weeks ago,” she whispered.
“From whom?””
“An employee at the facility. She said Richard had been moved to a rehabilitation center.””
My hands trembled.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because the message included a warning.””
She turned the card over.
There was one sentence written on the back.
If Emily learns the truth, Daniel will make sure Richard disappears again.
Nathan immediately took out his phone.
“I'm calling the police.””
Daniel suddenly lunged toward the desk.
He grabbed the photograph and tried to tear it.
But Nathan caught his arm.
The two men struggled briefly before Sarah and another staff member rushed inside.
Daniel was forced away from the documents.
“Get your hands off me!”” he shouted.
Then his phone slipped from his jacket pocket and landed on the floor.
The screen lit up.
An incoming message appeared.
I looked down.
It was from an unknown number.
THE FATHER IS BEING MOVED TONIGHT. DESTROY THE ORIGINAL FILES BEFORE EMILY FINDS HIM.
I slowly raised my eyes toward Daniel.
He looked at the message.
Then at me.
For the first time, he had no explanation.
And I realized something terrifying.
May you like
My father wasn't simply hidden.
Someone was still trying to keep him from coming home.
