Chapter 8: The Name in the Notebook
The three of them stood frozen inside the abandoned station.
The sound of the car door closing echoed through the empty building.
Marcus looked at Mrs. Gallagher.
“Who is outside?””
She didn’t answer.
That scared him more than anything.
Ethan whispered, “Marcus, maybe we should leave.””
But Marcus looked at the notebook in his hand.
They had spent years hiding the truth.
He wasn’t running now.
Mrs. Gallagher stepped forward.
“You don’t understand what you found.””
Marcus looked at her.
“Then explain.””
She closed her eyes.
“When your father discovered what Gallagher Industries was doing, he wasn’t just fighting a company.””
“What was he fighting?””
She looked at the notebook.
“A person.””
Marcus waited.
Mrs. Gallagher took a slow breath.
“Someone with enough power to erase problems.””
The door upstairs creaked.
Someone was inside.
Ethan lowered his voice.
“Can we talk about this somewhere that doesn’t have a mysterious person walking around?””
Mrs. Gallagher ignored him.
She looked at Marcus.
“Your father trusted very few people.””
“And you were one of them?””
She nodded.
“Until I made the mistake of trusting the wrong person.””
Marcus opened the notebook again.
He searched through the pages.
Then he saw a name repeated over and over.
Richard Hale.
He looked up.
“Who is Richard Hale?””
Mrs. Gallagher became silent.
Too silent.
Marcus noticed.
“You know him.””
She looked away.
“Yes.””
“Who is he?””
Before she could answer, a voice came from the hallway.
“Someone who should have stayed forgotten.””
Everyone turned.
A man stood there.
Older.
Gray hair.
Expensive suit.
Calm expression.
Marcus immediately recognized him.
Not personally.
But from the photograph.
The third person standing beside his father.
Richard Hale.
Marcus’s grip tightened around the notebook.
“You knew my father.””
Richard smiled slightly.
“I knew Daniel very well.””
Ethan moved closer to Marcus.
Mrs. Gallagher stepped between them.
“Richard, don’t.””
Richard looked at her.
“You still think you can protect him?””
Marcus looked between them.
“What did you do?””
Richard ignored the question.
Instead, he looked at the notebook.
“You found Daniel’s notes.””
Marcus said nothing.
Richard sighed.
“Your father was brilliant.””
“Then why did he disappear?””
The smile disappeared.
For the first time, Richard looked uncomfortable.
“Because he refused to understand how the world works.””
Marcus felt anger rising.
“My father understood enough to expose you.””
Richard’s eyes narrowed.
“You sound just like him.””
The sentence hit Marcus harder than he expected.
Richard stepped closer.
“Do you know what your father’s biggest mistake was?””
Marcus stared at him.
“He believed the truth automatically wins.””
Nobody spoke.
Richard continued.
“It doesn’t.””
Mrs. Gallagher looked furious.
“You’re still the same.””
Richard smiled.
“And you’re still pretending you had a choice.””
Marcus looked at Mrs. Gallagher.
“What does that mean?””
She looked down.
Richard answered for her.
“She helped me.””
Marcus froze.
“No.””
Mrs. Gallagher shook her head.
“Marcus, listen.””
But Richard continued.
“She gave me information about your father.””
Marcus looked at her.
The woman who had handed him the letter.
The woman who seemed afraid.
The woman who claimed she was trapped.
His trust started collapsing.
“Is that true?””
Mrs. Gallagher’s voice broke.
“I made one mistake.””
Marcus stepped back.
“One?””
The station became silent.
Then Mrs. Gallagher reached into her coat.
She pulled out an old recording device.
“I need you to hear this.””
Richard’s expression changed.
“What are you doing?””
She pressed a button.
A voice filled the room.
A voice Marcus had never heard before.
His father’s voice.
And the first words recorded were:
May you like
“Clara, if you’re hearing this, it means they found me.””
Marcus stopped breathing.
