Chapter 8: My Brother Had Been Protecting the Wrong Person
I drove home so fast that the road became a blur of headlights and shadows.
Claire insisted on coming with me, but I barely heard her. All I could think about was Noah's frightened face, his tiny arms wrapped around my neck, and the promise I'd made that nobody would take him away.
When I reached the house, two police vehicles were parked outside.
Ethan stood on the front steps, pale and sweating.
The moment I got out, he rushed toward me.
“Danny, I'm sorry.””
I grabbed his shoulders.
“Where's my son?””
“I don't know.””
“What do you mean you don't know?””
“He was upstairs. I went to get him a glass of water, and when I came back, the bedroom window was open.””
I stared at him.
“Noah's room is on the second floor.””
“I know.””
“Who was watching the house?””
“The officer was downstairs. I was with Noah.””
“Then how did someone get into his room?””
Ethan's mouth opened.
No answer came.
I shoved past him and ran inside.
Detective Harris met me in the hallway.
“Mr. Mercer, we're searching the property.””
“Someone took my son.””
“We're treating this as a possible abduction.””
“Possible? He's three years old!””
Harris held my gaze.
“I understand. We're doing everything we can.””
I climbed the stairs two at a time.
Noah's bedroom was empty.
His blanket lay crumpled on the floor. The window was open, and a small curtain fluttered in the night breeze.
I looked outside.
Below the window was a narrow strip of garden, followed by a tall hedge. A person could climb down using the drainpipe, but carrying a child would be difficult.
On the carpet beside the bed lay a toy dinosaur.
Noah's favorite.
I picked it up.
My hands shook.
Then I noticed a small mark on the windowsill.
Fresh black grease.
The same kind of grease I'd seen on the security equipment Mason had installed.
I called Detective Harris.
“Check the exterior cameras from the neighboring properties. Someone may have used the drainpipe.””
“We're already contacting nearby residents.””
“Check Mason's vehicle. Check the SUV. Check every car registered to him.””
“We will.””
I turned toward Ethan.
He stood in the doorway, staring at the empty bed.
“You were supposed to protect him,” I said.
His face crumpled.
“I know.””
“Who knew you were staying here?””
“Only you, Rebecca, and the police.””
“Did you tell anyone else?””
“No.””
I studied him.
He had been my closest friend since childhood. When our father died, Ethan had helped me handle the estate. When our mother supposedly died, he had sat beside me through the funeral and told me we would get through it together.
He was the person I'd trusted with my son.
And my father's recording had just identified him as the man who helped sell our family.
“Ethan,” I said quietly, “I need you to tell me the truth.””
He looked up.
“About what?””
“Did you know our father was alive?””
The color drained from his face.
He didn't ask what I meant.
He didn't laugh.
He simply closed his eyes.
That was answer enough.
I took a step backward.
“How long?””
“Danny—”
“How long have you known?””
“Since I was twenty.””
I stared at him.
“Six years before he supposedly died?””
Ethan nodded.
“Dad contacted me after the fire. He said he needed help disappearing. He told me people were watching the family.””
“And you helped him?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did Claire say you sold us?””
His expression collapsed.
“Because I did.””
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
I could hear the officers downstairs, the radio crackling, the distant sound of a dog barking.
My brother lowered himself onto the edge of Noah's bed.
“Dad discovered that the company's accounts were being used to move money for people who weren't supposed to exist on paper. Politicians. Contractors. Men who paid for problems to disappear.””
“And you were involved?””
“Not at first.””
“That's not an answer.””
Ethan rubbed his face.
“Dad asked me to help him transfer the original records out of the country. I did. But someone found out. They threatened to expose a fraud investigation involving my own company.””
I felt sick.
“What fraud investigation?””
“I had made bad investments. I borrowed money from the wrong people. Dad found out and tried to help me.””
“So you gave them the records?””
“I gave them copies. I thought I could negotiate.””
“You thought you could negotiate with the people who were threatening our family?””
“I thought I could keep you safe.””
I laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“You've been saying that a lot tonight.””
Ethan flinched.
“I know.””
I stepped closer.
“Did you arrange the accident?””
“No.””
“Did you know about it?””
He hesitated.
“Ethan.””
“I knew something was planned. I didn't know what. I was told you would be forced to step away from the company for a while. I thought it was a financial maneuver.””
“You knew someone might hurt me?””
“I didn't think they would go that far.””
I stared at him.
“You don't get to decide how much danger is acceptable for my family.””
He nodded, tears gathering in his eyes.
“I know.””
“Where is Noah?””
“I don't know.””
“Who took him?””
“I don't know.””
“Then what exactly do you know?””
Ethan looked at the open window.
“I know Mason wasn't working alone.””
He reached into his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“I found this in the car before you arrived.””
I snatched it from him.
It was a handwritten note.
*The boy goes to the original guardian. The father is to be declared deceased before midnight.*
At the bottom was a set of initials.
R.M.
Richard Mercer.
My father's initials.
I stared at the paper.
“Where did you find this?””
“On the passenger seat of the SUV.””
“Which SUV?””
“Mason's.””
“Why didn't you give it to the police?””
“Because I was afraid they'd arrest me before I could explain.””
I crumpled the paper in my fist.
“Someone has taken my son, and you're worried about yourself?””
Ethan bowed his head.
“I deserve that.””
A sound came from the hallway.
Claire stood in the doorway.
“Give me the note,” she said.
I turned toward her.
“You know what this means?””
She took the paper and examined the initials.
“Your father used those initials on his private documents. But the handwriting isn't his.””
“How can you tell?””
“Because I've seen hundreds of his notes.””
She pulled a photograph from her bag.
It showed a man standing beside a black car outside an old courthouse.
The man's face was older, his hair almost completely gray, but the resemblance was unmistakable.
My father.
Alive.
Claire pointed to the man standing beside him.
“This is the person who has been moving the money.””
I leaned closer.
The second man wore a dark suit and held a leather folder beneath his arm.
I recognized him immediately.
Martin Vale.
The chairman of my company's board.
The man who had mentored me after my father's supposed death. The man who had supported my promotion to chief executive. The man who had told me, only three months ago, that I was the closest thing he had to a son.
“Why would Martin be involved?”” I whispered.
Claire looked at me.
“Because he was your father's business partner. And because your father knew what he was doing.””
My phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
There was a photograph attached.
Noah sat on a chair in an unfamiliar room, clutching his stuffed dinosaur. He looked frightened but unharmed.
Behind him stood a tall man wearing a dark overcoat.
His face was partly hidden by shadow.
The message read:
*Bring the original company records to the Mercer estate by 11:30 p.m. Come alone. If you involve the police, the boy disappears.*
A second message appeared.
*Ask Ethan why your father chose him to inherit the family business.*
I looked at my brother.
He had gone completely still.
“Ethan,” I said.
“What does that mean?””
He shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Claire studied him.
“That's a lie.””
Ethan's face hardened.
“You have no idea what happened.””
“Then tell us.””
He looked at me, and for the first time in my life, I saw genuine terror in my brother's eyes.
“Dad didn't disappear to protect us,” he whispered.
“He disappeared because he was afraid of me.””
The room fell silent.
Ethan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key.
It was old, brass, and stamped with the number 17.
“He left something in the family estate. Something he said should only be opened after both of you knew the truth.””
I stared at the key.
“Why didn't you tell me before?””
“Because the letter said that if I opened it, the people watching the family would know the records had been found.””
Claire took the key from him.
“Where is the estate?””
Ethan looked at me.
“Three miles from here.””
I checked the time.
10:41 p.m.
We had less than an hour.
And my son was waiting for me in a room controlled by people who had spent years planning my disappearance.
I turned toward Detective Harris, who had just entered the bedroom.
“Detective, I need you to listen carefully. My son has been abducted, and I know where the people behind it are taking me.””
Harris glanced at the photograph on my phone.
“Mr. Mercer, we're not letting you go alone.””
“Then don't.””
I looked at Ethan.
“You're coming with us.””
He nodded.
Claire slipped the key into her pocket.
As we headed downstairs, Ethan caught my arm.
“Danny, there's something else.””
I stopped.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“Dad left a message specifically for you. He said that if you ever found out the truth about the accident, you must never let Martin Vale show you the original birth certificate.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
Ethan's eyes filled with tears.
“Because Noah isn't the child Martin has been trying to take.””
May you like
He paused.
“It's you.””
