Chapter 8 - The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Police locked down the estate.
Daniel kept his children in the kitchen with two officers.
Claire sat at the table under a blanket.
Sophie wouldn’t let go of her.
Neither would Ethan.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
There were too many tears.
Too many questions.
Daniel watched Claire hold their children and felt joy mixed with something close to grief.
Four years had been stolen.
Four birthdays.
Four Christmas mornings.
Four years of Sophie asking why her mother left.
Ethan had stopped asking after the second year.
That somehow hurt even more.
Claire kissed his hair.
“I’m sorry.”
Ethan shook his head.
“Don’t.”
“I should have found a way.”
“You came back.”
Claire closed her eyes.
Daniel turned away.
He couldn’t let himself break yet.
Grant entered.
“We found Vanessa’s ankle monitor.”
“Where?”
“By the woods.”
“She has my gun.”
“We know.”
Daniel looked outside.
Rain hammered the windows.
“Where would she go?”
Claire answered immediately.
“The carriage house.”
Grant looked at her.
“Why?”
“There’s another tunnel.”
They moved.
Daniel refused to stay behind.
The carriage house stood two hundred yards from the mansion.
Police surrounded it.
Grant kicked the side door open.
Empty.
But the floor had been pulled up.
A ladder descended into darkness.
Daniel looked at Claire.
“She used this?”
Claire nodded.
“When she brought me food.”
Grant signaled two officers.
They went down first.
Daniel followed.
The tunnel ran toward the woods.
They had walked maybe fifty yards when the lead officer stopped.
“Movement.”
Flashlights swung forward.
A man stood at the end of the tunnel.
Tall.
Gray-haired.
Holding Vanessa by the arm.
Daniel recognized his face from old newspaper photographs.
Arthur Vale.
The dead man.
Vanessa pulled away.
“Dad, let go.”
Daniel stopped.
Arthur smiled.
“Daniel Mercer.”
“You’re supposed to be dead.”
Arthur’s smile widened.
“So was your wife.”
Grant raised his weapon.
“Hands where I can see them!”
Arthur ignored him.
He looked past Daniel toward Claire.
“You were always stubborn.”
Claire stepped forward.
“You kept me underground.”
Vanessa snapped, “He told me you had to stay alive.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“For what? Insurance?”
Arthur tilted his head.
“Leverage.”
Daniel’s hands curled into fists.
“Against who?”
“Your brother.”
Michael appeared behind them.
Arthur’s expression changed.
There it was.
Daniel saw it clearly.
Fear.
Arthur was afraid of Michael.
Michael walked forward.
“Give it up.”
Arthur laughed.
“You still think you’re the good son.”
“I know exactly what I am.”
“Do you?”
Arthur reached into his coat.
Grant shouted.
“Don’t!”
Arthur stopped.
Slowly pulled out a small black device.
Remote trigger.
Daniel’s stomach dropped.
“What is that?”
Arthur smiled.
“Insurance.”
Claire looked around the tunnel.
“No.”
Arthur pressed his thumb against the button.
Michael shouted.
“Everybody run!”
The explosion came from behind them.
The tunnel shook.
Brick cracked overhead.
Daniel grabbed Claire.
Grant dragged Vanessa down.
Dust swallowed the lights.
Then another explosion hit.
And somewhere through the darkness, Sophie’s voice came through Daniel’s radio.
“Daddy!”
Daniel froze.
His daughter wasn’t supposed to have a radio.
May you like
Then a man’s voice followed hers.
“Come back to the house alone.”
