Chapter 4
Frank Mercer agreed to meet us that evening.
Officer Bennett told us not to leave the house until another officer arrived to take statements about the forged title.
But sitting there felt impossible.
Every room reminded me that Ray had lived among Dad’s belongings for years.
He had eaten at Dad’s table.
Used Dad’s garage.
Slept beside Dad’s widow.
And somewhere along the way, he had started hunting for something Dad had left behind.
Chloe sat at the kitchen counter staring at her phone.
Her boyfriend had sent three messages asking why a police cruiser had shown up outside his apartment.
She ignored him.
Finally she looked at me.
“I’m sorry.”
I didn’t answer.
“I mean it.”
“You told me to get over my dead father’s car.”
Her eyes filled.
“I know.”
“That wasn’t five years ago, Chloe. That was an hour ago.”
“I thought you were being dramatic.”
“You thought my father’s last gift was something your dad could hand you because you wanted it.”
“I know.”
“No. I don’t think you did.”
She wiped her cheek.
For once, she didn’t argue.
Mom placed a glass of water in front of her.
Then she looked at me.
“Marcus.”
“I’m not going to yell at her.”
“I know.”
“But I’m also not pretending everything is fine.”
“You shouldn’t.”
Chloe nodded.
“I deserve that.”
The front door opened.
Everyone jumped.
Officer Bennett stepped into the hallway.
“Easy. It’s me.”
Mom pressed a hand to her chest.
“Did you find Ray?”
“Not yet.”
“What about his truck?”
“We sent the plate out.”
Officer Bennett looked toward Ray’s office.
“I also spoke with an investigator. Given the forged transfer and Ray’s messages, we have enough to move forward. But don’t touch the safe.”
Mom crossed her arms.
“So it just sits there?”
“For now.”
An hour later, a dark green pickup stopped outside.
A man in his late sixties climbed out.
Frank Mercer looked nothing like Dad.
He was tall, thin, and walked with a slight limp.
But the moment he saw me, he stopped.
His eyes went glassy.
“You look like him.”
I didn’t know what to say.
Frank entered the house and stared at the framed photograph of Dad over the fireplace.
“Been a long time, Danny.”
Mom hugged him.
She seemed surprised by how emotional she became.
“I’m sorry I never called.”
Frank shook his head.
“You had enough to survive.”
We sat around the dining room table.
Officer Bennett stayed.
Chloe sat in the corner.
Frank placed a worn leather folder on the table.
“Your father and I opened Hale & Mercer Automotive when we were twenty-four.”
He pushed the old photograph toward me.
“We were broke. Borrowed tools. Half the roof leaked. But Daniel could fix anything.”
I smiled despite everything.
“That sounds like him.”
“We built it up. After five years, a developer offered to buy the property. We refused.”
“What does that have to do with Dad losing the business?”
Frank’s expression darkened.
“Because somebody started moving money.”
Mom leaned forward.
“Who?”
“Our accountant.”
Officer Bennett asked, “Name?”
“Dennis Dawson.”
My mother froze.
I felt the room tilt.
“Dawson?”
Frank nodded.
“Ray’s father.”
Chloe stood so fast the chair scraped backward.
“No.”
Frank looked at her.
“I’m sorry.”
“That’s not possible.”
“It is.”
“My grandfather was an accountant?”
“Yes.”
Chloe shook her head.
“He owned a consulting company.”
“Afterward.”
Mom stared at Frank.
“Ray told me his father died before we met.”
“He did. About ten years ago.”
“What happened with Daniel?”
Frank opened the leather folder.
“Dennis was taking money from the company. Small amounts at first. Then bigger transfers. Daniel found out.”
“And?”
“Dennis blamed me.”
I stared at him.
“Dad believed him?”
“For a while.”
That explained the falling-out.
Frank continued.
“Daniel and I split. He agreed to sell his share because he thought I’d betrayed him.”
“Then he learned the truth.”
Frank nodded.
“Too late. The company was sold. Dennis disappeared with money from several accounts.”
“How much?”
“Over three hundred thousand dollars.”
Chloe whispered, “No.”
Frank glanced at her.
“I’m not saying Ray had anything to do with what his father did.”
Officer Bennett spoke carefully.
“But Ray may know about it now.”
Frank nodded.
“Daniel contacted me shortly before he got sick. We compared records. That’s when we finally understood what Dennis had done.”
“Why didn’t Dad go to the police?”
“He planned to.”
“What stopped him?”
“Cancer.”
The word hit me harder than I expected.
Dad had been fighting for his life while trying to fix something that happened years earlier.
Frank slid a photocopy toward me.
It showed an account number and a bank name.
“Daniel recovered some of the missing funds.”
“How?”
“Dennis had put money into an account using a shell company. Daniel found records linking it back to the garage.”
“How much was left?”
“A little over forty-eight thousand dollars.”
The number from the bank statement.
Mom whispered, “The settlement.”
Frank nodded.
“Daniel and I agreed that whatever we recovered would be split. But I told him to keep it.”
“Why?”
“Because he was dying and had a kid.”
My throat tightened.
“He created a trust for you.”
I stared at him.
“A trust?”
“The money grew over the years. I don’t know the current balance. Daniel wanted you to have access after twenty-one.”
“I’m twenty.”
“Exactly.”
“Then why hide a key in the car?”
“Because the trust wasn’t the only thing protected.”
Officer Bennett leaned forward.
“What kind of key?”
“A safety deposit box key.”
There it was.
The missing object.
Frank continued.
“Inside that box are originals of the financial records proving what Dennis did.”
Mom looked toward Ray’s office.
“And Ray found the key.”
Frank nodded slowly.
“If he knew what it opened.”
My phone buzzed.
A message from Ray.
I’m willing to give back what was in the car.
Come alone.
Frank saw my face.
“What is it?”
I showed them.
Officer Bennett immediately shook his head.
“You’re not going anywhere alone.”
Another message appeared.
Old Mercer Bridge. Midnight.
Bring the letter.
No police.
Chloe stared at the screen.
Then her expression changed.
“Wait.”
“What?”
“That bridge is near Grandpa’s old cabin.”
Officer Bennett looked at her.
“Dennis Dawson’s cabin?”
She nodded.
“My dad inherited it.”
Frank leaned back slowly.
“That’s where Dennis used to keep his private records.”
Officer Bennett stood.
“I’m calling this in.”
But Chloe grabbed my arm.
“There’s something else.”
I looked at her.
“My dad went there last week.”
“How do you know?”
“I saw the address in his GPS history.”
My heart hammered.
“What was he doing?”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
May you like
Then she whispered something that made Mom go pale.
“But he came home carrying a shovel.”
