Chapter 11 - RACHEL’S SECRET
The laptop took hours to unlock.
A forensic technician finally got in.
I sat beside Cole.
Emma refused to stay away.
“I’m part of this,” she said.
She was right.
The desktop looked ordinary.
Photos.
Invoices.
Recipes.
Then the technician found an encrypted folder.
The folder was named E.M.
Cole asked, “Know what that means?”
“No.”
They cracked it.
Inside were hundreds of documents.
Names.
Addresses.
Bank records.
Photographs.
And one name I recognized.
Jason Mercer.
My skin prickled.
“What the hell?”
Rachel had files on him dating back seven years.
Before we even bought our current house.
Cole opened a document.
It was a letter.
Not to me.
To the FBI.
Rachel had apparently contacted them about a financial fraud network.
Emma stared at the screen.
“Mom was investigating them?”
Cole shook his head.
“Not exactly.”
Another document opened.
Rachel’s former company had discovered fraudulent transactions involving several shell corporations.
Northbridge was one of them.
Rachel worked in corporate compliance.
She had found the money trail.
And reported it.
My chest tightened.
“So Mercer knew her.”
“Likely.”
“And Vanessa?”
The technician searched.
Nothing.
Then Emma said, “Try another name.”
We looked at her.
“What name?”
She stared at the screen.
“Victoria.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
Emma swallowed.
“Vanessa talked in her sleep once.”
“When?”
“Months ago.”
“What did she say?”
“She said, ‘Victoria, run.’”
Cole entered the name.
A scanned newspaper article appeared.
VICTORIA MERCER, 19, ARRESTED IN IDENTITY FRAUD INVESTIGATION.
The photo loaded.
Same eyes.
Same mouth.
Same woman.
Vanessa.
Emma whispered, “Oh my God.”
I felt like the floor had disappeared.
Cole read further.
“Victoria Mercer.”
“She’s Jason’s sister?”
“Half-sister.”
The article continued.
Rachel’s evidence had helped trigger the investigation.
Victoria was arrested.
Charges were later reduced.
Jason disappeared.
I stared at Rachel’s files.
“Vanessa targeted me because of Rachel.”
Cole nodded slowly.
“Looks that way.”
“This was revenge.”
“Possibly.”
A new folder caught Emma’s eye.
“Dad.”
“What?”
“That has your name.”
A folder labeled DANIEL.
My heart pounded.
Inside was a video.
Rachel sat in our old kitchen.
Alive.
Smiling.
I forgot how to breathe.
She looked tired.
Scared.
Then she spoke.
“Daniel, if you’re watching this, something probably went wrong.”
Emma covered her mouth.
I reached for her hand.
Rachel continued.
“There’s a man named Jason Mercer.”
Cole leaned forward.
“He knows I reported him.”
Rachel looked directly into the camera.
“He threatened our family.”
My stomach twisted.
“I didn’t tell you because I thought it would keep you safe.”
Tears blurred my vision.
May you like
Then she said the words that changed everything.
“If anything happens to me, don’t believe it was an accident.”
