Chapter 7 - The Father in the Basement
I drove to the estate with Detective Harper's team following several minutes behind.
The house looked exactly as I remembered it.
White stone walls.
Tall windows.
A dead fountain in the front courtyard.
But the red door beside the garage was gone.
In its place was a freshly painted wall.
I found an old maintenance entrance behind the garden.
The lock had been replaced.
Inside, a narrow staircase descended into darkness.
I turned on my flashlight.
At the bottom was a steel door.
And behind it, I heard a familiar voice.
“Marcus?”
I nearly dropped the flashlight.
It was my father.
I pushed the door open.
An older man sat in a chair beside a small table.
His hair was almost completely white. His face was thinner, and he walked with difficulty.
But I recognized his eyes.
“Dad?”
He began to cry.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then he stood.
I crossed the room and embraced him.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I know, son.”
“Richard told everyone you died.”
My father closed his eyes.
“Richard wanted the company. I discovered what he was doing, and he arranged the fire. Vincent helped me escape, but he couldn't protect me without putting you in danger.”
“Why didn't you come back?”
“Because Richard had people watching you. He threatened to kill Elena if I appeared.”
I stepped back.
“Where is Adeline?”
My father looked toward the ceiling.
“Richard took her upstairs.”
I immediately reached for my phone.
No signal.
My father grabbed my arm.
“Listen to me. Richard doesn't want the company anymore.”
“What does he want?”
“The trust.”
He opened a drawer and removed an old leather folder.
Inside were original documents proving that my father had transferred his controlling shares into a protected trust.
There was also a list of financial transactions.
Millions of dollars had been diverted over the years.
And every transfer had been approved using my identity.
Richard had been building a case against me for years.
He intended to make me look like the thief, the attacker, and eventually the murderer.
“Where's Elena?” I demanded.
My father looked down.
“She was here last night.”
“Was?”
“She escaped.”
A loud crash came from upstairs.
Then a child's scream.
“DADDY!”
I ran toward the stairs.
Richard stood in the doorway at the top.
He was holding Adeline's hand.
My daughter was crying.
Behind him stood a man with a pistol.
“That's far enough,” Richard said.
I stopped.
“Let her go.”
Richard smiled sadly.
“After everything I've done for this family, this is how you repay me?”
“You murdered my father.”
“No. I saved him from making a very expensive mistake.”
My father appeared behind me.
“Richard, stop.”
For the first time, Richard looked genuinely frightened.
Then he laughed.
“Wonderful. The whole family is together again.”
He pulled Adeline closer.
“Now, Marcus, I need you to sign something.”
He held out a document.
The transfer of the Hale family trust.
And beside it was a photograph of Elena.
She was kneeling on the floor.
Her hands were tied.
May you like
Richard leaned toward me.
“Sign it, or your wife dies.”
