Chapter 6 - The Woman Behind Julian
By morning, Evelyn Mercer was missing.
Police checked her home.
Empty.
Her car was gone.
Her phone had been turned off at 2:14 a.m.
Marcus sat beside Claire while Detective Davis explained it.
“She left before we issued the alert.”
Claire gave a humorless smile.
“Of course she did.”
Davis placed a file on the hospital table.
“We found something else.”
Inside were documents from Reed Logistics.
Marcus scanned them.
Transfer agreements.
Debt purchases.
Private loans.
Signatures.
Their father’s signature appeared again and again.
Claire pointed.
“That isn’t Dad’s signature.”
Davis nodded.
“Handwriting analysis is pending.”
Marcus looked at the lender.
Mercer Capital Group.
“Evelyn’s company.”
“Yes.”
Claire stared at the page.
“So she buried Dad in debt.”
“Possibly.”
Davis turned another page.
“Then two days before his death, the company transferred controlling interest to Mercer Family Holdings.”
Marcus looked at Claire.
“Julian inherited it.”
Davis nodded.
“Along with Evelyn.”
Claire leaned back.
“He married me to keep the family quiet.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Or to make sure we never looked too closely.”
A knock came at the door.
David Hale entered with his attorney.
Marcus immediately stood.
Hale raised both hands.
“I’m cooperating.”
“Good for you.”
Davis gestured toward the chair.
Hale sat.
“I found something in Julian’s office.”
He handed over a flash drive.
Davis frowned.
“You removed evidence?”
“Before I knew police were involved.”
“What’s on it?”
“Internal billing files.”
Hale looked at Claire.
“And a recording.”
Marcus stared.
“Of who?”
“Evelyn.”
Davis inserted the drive into a department laptop.
An audio file opened.
Evelyn’s voice filled the room.
“He should have taken the deal.”
A male voice answered.
Samuel Reed.
“He’s my company.”
Marcus stopped breathing.
The recording continued.
Evelyn spoke calmly.
“Not anymore.”
Samuel said, “I know what you and your people are doing.”
“What people?”
“Politicians. Contractors. Judges.”
There was a pause.
Then Evelyn said, “Careful, Samuel.”
Samuel laughed.
“You think I’m scared?”
“You have children.”
Claire covered her mouth.
The recording ended.
Marcus’s hands shook.
“She threatened us.”
Hale nodded.
“Julian kept that file locked away.”
“Why?”
“Leverage.”
Davis looked at him.
“Against his own mother?”
Hale gave a sad smile.
“You still don’t understand Julian.”
Claire did.
“He blackmails everyone.”
“Yes.”
“Even Evelyn.”
“Yes.”
Marcus stared at Hale.
“Then why is she helping him?”
“Because if Julian goes down, she does too.”
The hospital room door opened.
Officer Grant stepped inside.
“We have an update.”
Everyone turned.
“Julian’s SUV was found abandoned near the river.”
Claire asked, “Was he inside?”
“No.”
“Any blood?”
“No.”
Grant looked at Davis.
“But we found Claire’s phone in the glove box.”
Claire exhaled.
“Good.”
“There’s more.”
Grant placed a printed message on the table.
“Last text sent from your phone was twelve minutes before we found the vehicle.”
Claire read it.
To Marcus.
I can’t do this anymore. Take care of Lily.
Marcus’s jaw tightened.
“He’s still building the suicide story.”
Davis nodded.
Grant continued.
“But he made a mistake.”
“What?”
“The phone connected to another device before he abandoned the SUV.”
“What device?”
“A tablet registered to Evelyn Mercer.”
Marcus looked at Davis.
“So they’re together.”
Grant nodded.
“And the tablet pinged thirty minutes ago.”
“Where?”
Grant slid a map onto the table.
Claire recognized the area first.
Her eyes widened.
“No.”
Marcus looked at her.
“What?”
She pointed at the map.
“That’s Dad’s old warehouse.”
Davis stood.
“Everyone stays here.”
Claire pulled the IV from her arm.
“No.”
The monitor began beeping.
Marcus stared at her.
“Claire.”
“My husband held me in a basement for three days.”
She swung her legs off the bed.
“His mother threatened our father before he died.”
She stood.
“And now they’re hiding in Dad’s warehouse.”
Davis stepped forward.
“You are a victim and a witness. You are not coming to a police operation.”
Claire looked him straight in the eye.
“There’s something in that warehouse you need.”
“What?”
Claire swallowed.
“When Dad died, I found a key in his desk.”
Marcus frowned.
“You never told me.”
“I thought it was junk.”
“To what?”
She looked at the map.
“A locker.”
“Where?”
“Inside that warehouse.”
Davis’s expression sharpened.
“What’s in it?”
May you like
Claire answered quietly.
“I think it’s the file Julian has been looking for.”
