Chapter 7 - The Price of Protecting Her
Damian could have disappeared.
He had enough money, contacts, and private transportation to leave the country before sunrise.
Vincent told him so.
Damian refused.
“Running makes me look guilty.”
“You may be guilty of something,” Vincent replied.
Damian gave him a cold look.
Vincent didn't flinch.
“You inherited your father's companies. Some of those operations continued under your watch.”
“I know.”
“Then you need to decide what you're willing to lose.”
Damian looked through the window.
Inside the medical suite, Caitlyn sat beside Noah.
She was brushing his hair gently away from his forehead.
“I've already decided.”
The following morning, Damian surrendered voluntarily with his attorneys present.
The news exploded.
Billionaire Shipping Executive Arrested.
Hamilton Holdings Under Federal Investigation.
Alleged Criminal Network Connected to Decades-Old Murder.
Caitlyn watched the coverage from her apartment.
She had never seen Damian look so alone.
He emerged from the federal building in handcuffs, surrounded by cameras.
Reporters shouted questions.
He ignored them.
Then one asked about his secretary.
“Is Caitlyn Elmore involved in your criminal activities?”
Damian stopped.
His attorney touched his arm.
Damian looked directly into the cameras.
“Miss Elmore has done nothing wrong. Leave her family out of this.”
The clip spread across the internet within hours.
At the same time, Caitlyn discovered the truth about the necklace.
The pendant opened with a pressure mechanism hidden beneath the clasp.
Inside was a tiny memory card.
She stared at it.
Then called Vincent.
“I found something.”
He arrived twenty minutes later.
They accessed the card using an isolated computer with a forensic technician present.
The files were encrypted.
One folder contained financial ledgers.
Another held scanned correspondence.
The final folder was labeled:
FOR CAITLYN — WHEN YOU ARE READY.
Her hands trembled.
She opened it.
A video appeared.
Her mother sat at the kitchen table in their old Pennsylvania home.
Rebecca Elmore looked tired.
Terrified.
But determined.
“Caitlyn, sweetheart,” she began.
Caitlyn covered her mouth.
It was her mother's voice.
Alive again.
“If you're watching this, something happened to us.”
Tears spilled down Caitlyn's face.
Rebecca continued.
“Your father and I found records proving Thomas Hamilton was murdered because he tried to expose a network of powerful people.”
She glanced toward the kitchen doorway.
“We also found evidence that someone inside the Hamilton family helped them.”
Vincent went still.
Rebecca leaned closer to the camera.
“I can't tell you everything here. But you must understand one thing.”
Her voice broke.
“Damian Hamilton is not your enemy.”
Caitlyn stared.
Rebecca wiped her eyes.
“He was a boy when this began. He doesn't know what they did in his name.”
The video ended abruptly.
Vincent replayed the final seconds.
Then checked the file metadata.
“There are additional recordings.”
“Open them.”
“They're locked.”
“With what?”
“A second authentication key.”
Caitlyn frowned.
“Where do we find it?”
Vincent examined the directory.
The answer appeared in a single text file.
SECOND KEY: N.E.
Caitlyn looked toward the bedroom where Noah's old photographs stood on her dresser.
“Noah Elmore.”
Vincent nodded.
“Your brother may know something.”
Caitlyn shook her head.
“He can barely communicate.”
“Maybe your parents prepared for that.”
She stared at the screen.
Then remembered something.
Before the accident, Noah had been studying computer science.
He had loved puzzles.
Passwords.
Codes.
And a childhood game they played together.
One person would write a secret message.
The other would solve it using the names of their favorite places.
Caitlyn whispered, “The lake house.”
Vincent turned.
“What?”
“Our parents had a cabin near Lake Wallenpaupack. Noah used to call it our secret headquarters.”
She typed the cabin's nickname into the authentication field.
Access granted.
A new video opened.
This one showed a man sitting beside her parents.
Arthur Mercer.
May you like
He looked directly into the camera.
“If you're seeing this,” he said, “then Evelyn Hamilton has probably already told you a lie.”
