Chapter 8 - TYLER’S LAST MOVE
Tyler knew exactly how to hurt me.
He sent another photograph.
Emily was standing beside the pool.
She was not alone.
A shadow stood behind her.
The message contained only one sentence.
Bring the original will.
I showed it to Marcus.
He immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“He has Emily.”
“We don't know that.”
“The picture—”
“Could be old.”
I stared at it.
He was right.
The image could have been taken weeks earlier.
Tyler wanted me to panic.
He wanted me to make a mistake.
Again.
We examined the photograph.
The trees.
The sunlight.
The pool.
Then Emily called.
I answered immediately.
“Jake?”
“Where are you?”
“At the courthouse.”
My heart stopped.
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
The photograph was fake.
Or old.
Tyler had wanted me to believe she was in danger.
But why?
Then Marcus noticed something.
The photograph had been taken from the neighbor's property.
We contacted the neighbor.
Their security cameras had captured someone near the house.
The person was Martin Cole.
He had been watching the property.
The footage showed him meeting Tyler.
They were planning something.
The police tracked the vehicle.
It led to a private airfield.
Tyler was preparing to flee the country.
But before they could arrest him, he called me.
“You should have taken the deal.”
“What deal?”
“You walk away.”
“From what?”
“Everything.”
“You stole everything from me.”
“You had a chance to leave.”
“You kidnapped my wife.”
“I didn't.”
“Then why did you send me the photograph?”
He laughed.
“Because I wanted to see if you were still predictable.”
I said nothing.
“You think the police can save you?”
“No.”
“Then what do you think?”
“I think you are scared.”
The line went silent.
I continued.
“You ran from the house.”
“You hid your money.”
“You sent fake photographs.”
“You are not in control anymore.”
Tyler began breathing heavily.
“You think you won?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I think you already lost.”
He hung up.
The police arrested him at the airfield.
Martin was captured two days later.
He had been hiding in a motel.
The evidence against them was overwhelming.
But Tyler still had one secret.
During questioning, he finally confessed.
He admitted the financial fraud.
He admitted the threats against Emily.
He admitted helping my mother.
But he denied knowing anything about my father's death.
Then the investigator asked him about the medication.
Tyler's face changed.
The investigator noticed.
“Who gave it to him?”
Tyler said nothing.
“Was it your mother?”
Silence.
“Was it Martin?”
Tyler looked down.
Then he whispered:
“Martin.”
The investigator leaned forward.
“What did he do?”
Tyler began crying.
“He said Dad was going to destroy us.”
“Who is us?”
“Me and Mom.”
“Did your mother know?”
Tyler closed his eyes.
“She knew Martin was going to scare him.”
“Scare him how?”
“I don't know.”
“You knew.”
Tyler began shaking.
“Martin said it would look natural.”
That was enough.
My father's death was reopened as a homicide investigation.
My mother was charged.
Martin was charged.
Tyler was charged.
For the first time, the family that had spent years controlling everyone else was forced to answer questions.
But the legal battle was not over.
My mother tried to claim she had been manipulated by Martin.
Martin claimed my mother had ordered everything.
Tyler claimed he had only followed instructions.
They turned against one another.
And every time they did, more evidence appeared.
The truth finally came out.
My mother had planned the financial transfers.
Martin had forged the documents.
Tyler had intimidated Emily.
And together, they had hidden the truth about my father's death.
The company was returned to me.
The house was returned to me.
The stolen funds were recovered.
But none of that mattered as much as what happened next.
Emily came to me one evening.
She held a folder.
“What is that?”
She smiled.
“Something I want to show you.”
Inside was a document.
A new company agreement.
My name.
Her name.
Equal ownership.
I looked at her.
“What is this?”
“Our company.”
“But it's yours too.”
She smiled.
“I know.”
May you like
For the first time since I had come home…
I felt like we were truly coming home together.
