CHAPTER 9: The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
Nathan couldn’t move.
He just stood there.
Looking at the man in front of him.
A man he had buried in his memories.
A man he thought existed only in old photographs and stories Claire rarely told.
“Daniel…”
The name escaped Nathan’s mouth like a whisper.
Claire’s older brother smiled sadly.
“You remember me.”
Nathan took a step back.
“That’s impossible.”
Daniel Carter looked down.
“I know.”
“No.”
Nathan shook his head.
“You disappeared.”
“I had to.”
“You were declared missing.”
Daniel’s expression darkened.
“Because someone wanted everyone to believe I was gone.”
The warehouse suddenly felt colder.
Nathan looked around.
Every instinct told him he was standing in the middle of something much bigger than he understood.
“You knew Claire was in danger.”
Daniel didn’t answer.
That silence was enough.
Nathan’s anger rose.
“You knew.”
“I tried to warn her.”
“You let her die.”
Daniel looked at him.
And for the first time, Nathan saw something unexpected.
Pain.
Real pain.
“I failed her.”
The words stopped Nathan.
Because Daniel didn’t sound like a liar.
He sounded like a man who had carried guilt for two years.
“Then tell me the truth.”
Daniel looked toward the warehouse.
“Not here.”
Nathan frowned.
“Why?”
“Because they know you found me.”
A cold feeling moved through Nathan.
“Who?”
Daniel looked directly at him.
“The same people who have been watching your house.”
Nathan immediately thought of Emma and Lucas.
“My children.”
Daniel nodded.
“They’re in danger.”
Nathan’s face changed.
“What do you know?”
“Everything I should have told Claire before it was too late.”
Ten minutes later, Nathan sat inside Daniel’s old truck parked several blocks away.
The windows were covered.
The doors were locked.
But Nathan still felt like someone was watching.
“Start talking.”
Daniel looked exhausted.
“Claire discovered something about her family.”
Nathan frowned.
“Her family?”
“Yes.”
“What does that have to do with the money?”
Daniel took a deep breath.
“The company everyone thinks belonged to Richard Sterling…”
Nathan leaned forward.
“It didn’t.”
Daniel nodded.
“It belonged to our father.”
Nathan froze.
“Claire’s father?”
“Yes.”
Nathan remembered Thomas’s words.
Claire’s bloodline.
The family connection.
“What was the company really?”
Daniel looked out the window.
“Not just an investment company.”
“Then what?”
“A network.”
Nathan waited.
Daniel continued.
“Money laundering. Fake accounts. Illegal transfers.”
Nathan’s jaw tightened.
“And Claire found out?”
“She discovered documents proving it.”
“Then why didn’t she go to the police?”
Daniel looked at him.
“Because the police were already compromised.”
Nathan remembered Mark.
The changed report.
The missing evidence.
“Ethan?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Ethan was only a piece.”
Nathan felt his stomach drop.
“Only a piece?”
“Yes.”
“Then who was behind everything?”
Daniel didn’t answer immediately.
Instead, he reached into his jacket.
He pulled out an old envelope.
“This belonged to Claire.”
Nathan grabbed it.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
His wife’s handwriting.
His fingers trembled.
“Why do you have this?”
“Because Claire gave it to me the night before she died.”
Nathan looked up sharply.
“You saw her?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Here.”
Daniel pointed toward the warehouse.
Nathan’s eyes widened.
“This place?”
“Claire came here because she thought nobody would follow her.”
“And you were here?”
“Yes.”
Nathan’s anger returned.
“You were there when she died?”
Daniel looked away.
“I was the last person who saw her alive.”
The words hit Nathan like a punch.
“You watched her leave?”
“Yes.”
“And then?”
Daniel’s eyes filled with regret.
“Someone followed her.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked at him.
“That’s why I disappeared.”
Nathan opened the envelope.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
Only one sentence was written.
“The person who betrays you will be the person you trust after losing me.”
Nathan read it again.
Then again.
His heart sank.
Because Claire wasn’t talking about a stranger.
She was talking about someone who stayed close.
Someone who comforted him.
Someone who helped him rebuild his life.
Someone who had access to his home.
Nathan looked at Daniel.
“Vanessa?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Nathan frowned.
“Then who?”
Daniel hesitated.
Finally, he said:
“Your brother.”
Nathan felt his chest tighten.
“I already know Ethan was involved.”
“No.”
Daniel’s voice became serious.
“You don’t understand.”
Nathan stared at him.
“What don’t I understand?”
“Ethan didn’t kill Claire.”
Silence.
“Then who did?”
Daniel looked terrified.
“He was trying to protect her.”
Nathan shook his head.
“That makes no sense.”
“It does when you know the truth.”
“What truth?”
Daniel leaned closer.
“Ethan discovered who was controlling everything.”
Nathan’s breathing slowed.
“Who?”
Daniel whispered:
“The person who created this entire plan.”
Nathan waited.
Then Daniel said the name.
A name that made Nathan’s entire body go numb.
“Thomas Walker.”
Nathan stared at him.
“My father?”
Daniel nodded.
“No one knew Claire discovered the truth about him.”
Nathan stood up.
“That’s a lie.”
“I wish it was.”
“My father loved Claire.”
Daniel looked at him sadly.
“That’s why it worked.”
Nathan felt sick.
“What are you saying?”
Daniel opened another file from the envelope.
A bank transfer.
A signature.
Thomas Walker.
“The person who betrayed Claire was not someone who hated her.”
Daniel looked at Nathan.
“It was someone who loved her enough to know exactly how to destroy her.”
Nathan couldn’t speak.
His phone suddenly rang.
Emma’s school.
His heart dropped.
He answered immediately.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice sounded nervous.
“Mr. Walker?”
“Yes.”
“This is Emma’s teacher.”
Nathan stood still.
“What happened?”
“Your daughter left class early.”
“What?”
“She said a woman came to pick her up.”
Nathan’s blood turned cold.
“Who?”
The teacher hesitated.
“She said the woman told her she was your friend.”
Nathan’s grip tightened.
“Describe her.”
A pause.
Then the teacher answered:
“She was wearing a white coat.”
Nathan stopped breathing.
Because he knew exactly who it was.
Vanessa.
“Where is my daughter now?”
The teacher’s voice shook.
“Mr. Walker…”
“Yes?”
“She’s gone.”
Nathan dropped the phone.
The world went silent.
Someone had taken Emma.
And the person who knew the most about Claire’s death…
May you like
had just taken his daughter.
TO BE CONTINUED...
