Chapter 7 - The Last Lie
The black SUV followed them for three blocks.
Marcus noticed first.
He instructed Christopher to turn into a police station parking lot.
The SUV continued straight.
But before they could relax, Marcus received a call.
“Mrs. Reed?”
“Yes?”
“We found another company connected to Northbridge.”
“What company?”
“Redwood Financial.”
Alison frowned.
“Who owns it?”
There was a pause.
“Your former employer.”
Alison froze.
“That can't be right.”
“It is.”
She had worked there seven years earlier.
Before her divorce.
Before Abigail was born.
Before Gregory.
Her former boss had always been kind to her.
His name was Daniel Parker.
The same surname as the witness from court.
Alison stared at the phone.
“Mrs. Parker?”
“Her husband.”
Suddenly the story became more complicated.
Daniel Parker had worked with Gregory's mother.
He had known about Alison's property.
He had access to financial records.
And he had been the person who recommended Gregory for a consulting position.
Alison felt sick.
“What if Gregory wasn't the one who found me?”
Marcus answered.
“That's what we're trying to determine.”
That evening, Alison confronted Mrs. Parker.
“Did your husband know about me?”
Mrs. Parker hesitated.
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Years.”
“Why?”
“He was involved with Northbridge.”
“Was he the mastermind?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Mrs. Parker began crying.
“I don't know anymore.”
She handed Alison a small envelope.
“Your husband left this for me.”
Inside was an old photograph.
It showed Christopher standing outside a courthouse.
Beside him was another man.
Daniel Parker.
On the back:
If anything happens to me, protect Alison.
Alison stared.
“Christopher knew him.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Before your divorce.”
The pieces shifted again.
Christopher hadn't acted alone.
There had been someone inside the company helping him.
Someone who had tried to expose Northbridge.
Someone who might have failed.
Mrs. Parker whispered:
“My husband thought he could stop them.”
“Did he?”
“No.”
“Where is he now?”
“He disappeared two years ago.”
Alison stared.
Another disappearance.
Another secret.
Another person connected to Gregory.
Then Abigail came running into the room.
“Mom!”
“What happened?”
“My backpack.”
“What about it?”
“It’s gone.”
Alison's blood ran cold.
The backpack contained nothing important.
Except the little brass key.
Locker 317.
The key to the storage unit.
Someone had taken it.
Marcus immediately checked the security footage.
A man entered the hotel.
Baseball cap.
Dark jacket.
He went directly to the room.
Alison felt panic rise.
“Abigail was inside.”
“No,” Christopher said. “She was with Catherine.”
The man had searched the room.
He hadn't taken jewelry.
Or money.
Only the key.
Marcus replayed the footage.
Then paused.
The man's face became visible for half a second.
Alison stared.
“I know him.”
“Who?”
“Gregory's brother.”
Marcus frowned.
“Gregory has a brother?”
“That's what he told me.”
“Name?”
“Ethan.”
But Gregory had always said Ethan lived overseas.
Marcus searched the records.
Ethan Voss had been dead for eleven years.
Alison felt the blood leave her face.
“That isn't possible.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Then who did you see?”
She didn't know.
But that night, a message arrived.
Stop looking for Gregory.
Then:
The man you should fear is the one who taught him.
Alison stared at the screen.
A final photograph appeared.
It showed a younger Gregory.
Beside him stood Daniel Parker.
And behind them…
Christopher.
The date was thirteen years earlier.
Alison turned toward Christopher.
“What is this?”
Christopher stared at the image.
His face collapsed.
“I know.”
“You know him?”
“Yes.”
“Who is he?”
Christopher whispered:
“The man who taught me how to disappear.”
Alison's heart pounded.
“What does that mean?”
Christopher looked at her.
“I wasn't hiding from Gregory.”
“Then who?”
May you like
Christopher's answer was barely audible.
“His father.”
