Chapter 5: The Dead Man Standing
“Call Nathan.””
Linda stared at me.
“Daniel—”
“Call your son.””
Her hands shook as she pulled out her phone.
Martin stood beside the desk, reading the fake death certificate.
Officer Ramirez watched Linda carefully.
She dialed.
Speakerphone.
One ring.
Two.
Three.
Nathan answered.
“Mom?””
“Nathan, where are you?””
Silence.
“Mom, why?””
“Where are you?””
“What happened?””
Linda looked at Ramirez.
Then at me.
“Daniel found the death certificate.””
The line went dead.
Nobody spoke.
Ramirez immediately radioed another officer.
“Get a location on Nathan Mercer. Physician. I’ll send the details.””
Linda sank into my desk chair.
“My children…”
I had no sympathy to spare.
“Did Nathan know about the trust?””
“I don’t know.””
“Did Vanessa?””
Linda nodded.
“How?””
“You told her.””
“No.””
“She mentioned it at Christmas.””
I remembered that night.
Vanessa had asked what would happen to Sophie financially if something happened to me.
I had given a vague answer.
“She’s protected.””
That was all I said.
Linda rubbed her forehead.
“She knew the amount.””
My stomach tightened.
“I never told her the amount.””
Martin looked up.
“Then she got it somewhere else.””
The safe.
My files.
Maybe long before three weeks ago.
Officer Ramirez’s radio crackled.
“Mercer’s vehicle registered at St. Anne’s Medical Center.””
Linda stood.
“He works there.””
Ramirez nodded.
“Units are heading over.””
Sophie appeared in the doorway.
“Daddy?””
I immediately folded the death certificate and turned it facedown.
“What is it?””
“Can I have Bunny?””
Bunny was the stuffed rabbit she had owned since she was two.
“Of course.””
“It’s in my room.””
“I’ll get it.””
“No.””
Her answer was immediate.
I crouched.
“What’s wrong?””
“I don’t want to go upstairs.””
“Why?””
She looked toward the hallway.
“Vanessa said Mommy watches me there.””
Every adult in the room became still.
“What do you mean?””
Sophie pointed toward the stairs.
“In my bedroom.””
I picked her up.
“Show me.””
We entered Sophie’s room together.
Pink curtains.
Books.
A dollhouse.
Nothing unusual.
Then Sophie pointed at a framed photograph of Rachel on the dresser.
“Vanessa said Mommy watches me through that.””
I walked closer.
The frame seemed ordinary.
Then Martin noticed a tiny black dot near one corner.
“Daniel.””
I lifted the frame.
A small camera had been installed behind it.
My stomach twisted.
Officer Ramirez put on gloves.
“Don’t touch anything else.””
Sophie began crying.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.””
“No.””
I held her tightly.
“You did nothing wrong.””
“She said Mommy wanted to know when I was bad.””
Ramirez’s expression hardened.
“Were there cameras anywhere else?””
Sophie nodded.
“Bathroom.””
My entire body went rigid.
Ramirez immediately raised a hand.
“Daniel, stay here.””
He called another officer upstairs.
They searched the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Ramirez returned.
“No camera in the bathroom.””
I exhaled.
“But there’s evidence something may have been removed recently.””
I felt sick.
“What was Vanessa recording?””
“We don’t know yet.””
Then Sophie pointed toward her closet.
“There’s a box.””
“What box?””
“Vanessa’s secret box.””
Ramirez searched.
Behind winter blankets on the upper shelf was a small lockbox.
He photographed it before opening it.
Inside were memory cards.
Dozens.
Each labeled with dates.
My travel dates.
Chicago.
Boston.
Seattle.
London.
Every time I had left Sophie with Vanessa.
Martin whispered, “Jesus Christ.””
Sophie’s Bunny was beside the box.
I handed it to her.
She hugged it tightly.
Ramirez took the memory cards downstairs.
One had already been inserted into a police laptop when his phone rang.
He answered.
“Yes?””
His expression changed.
“Where?””
Pause.
“Keep him there.””
He hung up.
“Nathan was located.””
“Did he run?””
“No.””
“What did he say?””
“He claims Vanessa forced him to create the certificate.””
Linda shook her head.
“Nathan wouldn’t—”
Ramirez looked at her.
“He admitted making it.””
She went silent.
“Why would he help her?”” I asked.
“He says she had leverage.””
“What leverage?””
“He wouldn’t tell officers until he had an attorney.””
Martin glanced at the memory cards.
“Maybe those explain it.””
One officer called us over.
“We found video.””
My heart pounded.
The footage showed Sophie’s bedroom.
Timestamp: three weeks earlier.
Vanessa entered.
Greg followed.
Sophie sat on the bed.
Vanessa placed papers in front of her.
“Sign here.””
Sophie shook her head.
“I want Daddy.””
“Daddy told me to do this.””
“No, he didn’t.””
Vanessa grabbed Sophie’s wrist.
“Sign.””
Greg looked uncomfortable.
“Vanessa, she’s a kid.””
“Then stop acting scared of her.””
Sophie wrote her name.
I clenched my fists.
Then Greg said something.
“What if Daniel finds out before Saturday?””
Vanessa turned toward the camera without knowing it was recording her.
“He won’t.””
“How do you know?””
She smiled.
“Because after Saturday, Daniel won’t be our problem anymore.””
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
Saturday.
Today.
Officer Ramirez immediately picked up his radio.
Then the front doorbell rang.
Every officer froze.
A uniformed cop checked the exterior camera.
“There’s a woman outside.””
“Who?””
He enlarged the image.
My sister Claire stood on the porch.
I hurried downstairs and opened the door.
She threw her arms around Sophie.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
Then Claire looked at me.
Her face was pale.
“I came because I remembered something.””
“What?””
“Rachel’s trust wasn’t the only thing Vanessa asked me about.””
My stomach tightened.
Claire reached into her purse and pulled out an envelope.
“Two weeks ago, Vanessa gave me this.””
My name was written across it.
“She told me to open it if something happened at the wedding.””
I stared at her.
“You didn’t think that was strange?””
“She said it was a surprise for you.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
Not from Vanessa.
From Rachel.
My dead wife.
May you like
And the first line made my knees nearly buckle.
Daniel, if you are reading this, someone has opened the private file I hid inside Sophie’s trust.
