Chapter 7: The Name Behind the Mask
The attic window shattered.
A second man climbed through.
And both men pointed their guns at Daniel.
Harrison's mouth went dry.
The first man—the one who had removed his mask—smiled.
“Hello, Harrison.””
Harrison stared at him.
“Thomas.””
Daniel looked confused.
“Who is Thomas?””
The man's smile widened.
“Your father never told you about me?””
Harrison stepped in front of Daniel.
“Stay behind me.””
Thomas laughed softly.
“Still protecting your son. Margaret would have been proud.””
“Don't say her name.””
Thomas's expression hardened.
“You don't get to tell me what I can say.””
Victor stood near the broken attic door, breathing heavily.
“Thomas,” he said, “this ends tonight.””
Thomas turned toward him.
“You've been saying that for six years.””
“You're supposed to be dead.””
Thomas shrugged.
“So was I.””
The second man kept his gun trained on Daniel.
He wore a dark tactical jacket and a black cloth covering the lower half of his face.
Thomas glanced at him.
“Take the boy.””
Daniel stepped backward.
Harrison grabbed his arm.
“No.””
The second man moved forward.
Victor lunged.
A gunshot exploded through the attic.
Victor dropped to one knee.
“Victor!”” Daniel shouted.
Blood appeared on Victor's sleeve.
The bullet had grazed his upper arm.
“I'm fine,” Victor gasped.
Thomas smiled.
“Still reckless.””
Daniel grabbed a heavy wooden chair.
“Stay away from my family!””
Thomas looked amused.
“Your family?””
He glanced at Harrison.
“You still haven't told him, have you?””
Harrison's voice was cold.
“Tell him what?””
Thomas looked at Daniel.
“Who your mother really was.””
Daniel froze.
“My mother?””
Thomas nodded.
“Margaret wasn't simply your father's wife.””
Harrison stepped forward.
“Enough.””
“She worked for me.””
Daniel looked at his father.
“What is he talking about?””
Harrison didn't answer.
Thomas laughed.
“There it is.””
Daniel turned toward Harrison.
“Dad?””
Harrison's face was pale.
“Thomas is lying.””
“Is he?””
Thomas reached into his coat.
Harrison tensed.
But Thomas pulled out a photograph.
He tossed it onto the floor.
Daniel picked it up.
It showed Margaret standing beside Thomas.
She looked younger.
Maybe thirty-five.
Thomas was smiling.
Behind them was a warehouse.
Daniel turned the photograph over.
There was handwriting on the back.
*Boston — 1998.*
“What is this?”” Daniel whispered.
Harrison closed his eyes.
“Your mother knew Thomas before she met me.””
Thomas corrected him.
“She knew me before she met you.””
Daniel looked at his father.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
Harrison's voice was low.
“Thomas was my business partner.””
Daniel stared.
“You never told me.””
“Because he betrayed me.””
Thomas laughed.
“I didn't betray you.””
“You stole from me.””
“I took what you were too blind to protect.””
“You destroyed the company.””
Thomas's smile vanished.
“No. You did that yourself.””
Daniel looked between them.
“What happened?””
Neither answered.
Thomas stepped closer.
“Twenty-two years ago, your father discovered that I had created accounts outside the company.””
“You were laundering money,” Harrison said.
Thomas shook his head.
“I was moving money away from people who wanted to steal it.””
Victor coughed.
“That isn't what the records show.””
Thomas looked at him.
“Victor, you were never very good at understanding the whole picture.””
“You murdered Margaret.””
Thomas's expression changed.
For the first time, the smile disappeared completely.
“I didn't.””
Harrison stared at him.
“Then who did?””
Thomas pointed toward the ledger.
“Ask what's written inside.””
The second man stepped forward.
“Give us the book.””
Harrison looked at the ledger lying near the broken window.
He moved toward it.
The gun followed him.
“Slowly.””
Harrison picked it up.
The leather cover was warm from the attic floor.
Thomas extended his hand.
“Give it to me.””
Harrison held it tightly.
“No.””
Thomas sighed.
“You always were stubborn.””
“And you always were a coward.””
Thomas's eyes hardened.
“Do you know how many people died because of that book?””
Harrison stared at him.
“Margaret.””
Thomas said nothing.
“Who else?””
Thomas's silence answered.
Daniel looked horrified.
“What did you people do?””
Harrison turned toward him.
“Daniel, I need you to trust me.””
Daniel shook his head.
“That's the problem, Dad. Everyone keeps asking me to trust them.””
The second man suddenly moved.
Victor threw himself into him.
The two men crashed into the wall.
The gun went off.
Daniel ducked.
Harrison grabbed the ledger and ran toward the attic stairs.
Thomas shouted,
“Stop!””
Harrison didn't.
He raced down the stairs.
Daniel followed.
“Dad!””
“Keep moving!””
They reached the second floor.
Smoke filled the hallway.
The fire alarm screamed overhead.
Sarah was shouting from below.
“Daniel!””
“Get everyone out!”” Harrison yelled.
They ran downstairs.
Mia stood near the front door with the children.
Her face was streaked with tears.
“Where's Victor?””
“Upstairs.””
Mia looked toward the smoke.
“I'll get him.””
“No,” Harrison said.
She stopped.
Harrison handed Daniel the ledger.
“Take this.””
Daniel stared at it.
“What?””
“Don't let anyone take it.””
“What are you going to do?””
Harrison looked at Mia.
“I'm going back.””
Mia stepped forward.
“I'm coming.””
Harrison shook his head.
“You've done enough.””
Her face crumpled.
“I know.””
She looked at Daniel.
“I'm sorry.””
Daniel stared at her.
“For what?””
Mia swallowed.
“For all of it.””
A crash came from upstairs.
Harrison ran back.
Mia followed.
Daniel shouted after them.
“Dad!””
Harrison didn't stop.
At the top of the stairs, he found Victor struggling with the masked man.
Victor slammed him into the wall.
The man's gun skidded across the floor.
Harrison kicked it away.
Thomas stood near the attic door.
He was holding something.
A small remote control.
Harrison stopped.
“What is that?””
Thomas smiled.
“The house's sprinkler system.””
Victor looked at the device.
“Don't.””
Thomas pressed a button.
Nothing happened.
He pressed it again.
Still nothing.
Thomas's smile disappeared.
Harrison slowly lifted his phone.
“I disabled the remote access yesterday.””
Thomas stared at him.
“You?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because my wife used to tell me never to trust technology I didn't understand.””
Victor laughed despite the pain.
Thomas looked furious.
Then the second masked man emerged from the attic.
His face was bruised.
He had recovered his gun.
He aimed at Harrison.
“Give us the ledger.””
Daniel appeared at the bottom of the stairs.
“I have it.””
Harrison turned.
“Daniel, no!””
Daniel held the ledger against his chest.
The second man descended one step.
“Put it down.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
Thomas looked at him.
“You're just like your mother.””
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“You knew her.””
Thomas nodded.
“Better than your father ever did.””
“Then tell me who killed her.””
Thomas looked toward Harrison.
“Ask him.””
Harrison's face changed.
Daniel turned.
“Dad?””
Thomas smiled.
“Ask your father what happened in Margaret's bedroom that night.””
Daniel stared at Harrison.
“Dad?””
Harrison couldn't speak.
Because the memory had returned.
Not the glass.
Not the hospital.
Not the funeral.
Something else.
Margaret had been standing in the bedroom doorway.
Alive.
Terrified.
And Harrison had been holding a telephone.
He remembered her words.
*“If I disappear, tell Daniel the truth.””*
Then the door had opened.
Thomas had walked in.
But Thomas hadn't been alone.
Someone had stood behind him.
A woman.
Harrison suddenly whispered,
“Mia.””
Mia froze.
Daniel turned toward her.
“What?””
Harrison stared at her.
“That night…”
Mia's eyes filled with tears.
“I know.””
“You were there.””
“I was twenty-three.””
“You watched.””
“I couldn't stop it.””
Daniel looked at her.
“You were there when my mother died?””
Mia shook her head.
“I was there before.””
Thomas laughed.
“Now we're getting somewhere.””
Harrison turned on him.
“You used her.””
“I trained her.””
Daniel stared at Mia.
“You were working for him.””
Mia nodded.
“Yes.””
“And my mother knew.””
“Yes.””
“Then why did she trust you?””
Mia's voice broke.
“She didn't.””
Harrison looked at her.
“Then why did she give you the blue box?””
Mia wiped her tears.
“Because she knew I was going to betray Thomas.””
Thomas's expression hardened.
“You should have kept your mouth shut.””
Mia looked at him.
“I've been silent for six years.””
Thomas raised his gun.
“That was your mistake.””
Harrison moved toward Mia.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Stop!””
Everyone froze.
Daniel held the ledger up.
“If you shoot anyone, I burn it.””
Thomas stared.
“You wouldn't.””
Daniel pulled a lighter from his pocket.
Thomas's eyes widened.
“Put that away.””
“No.””
“You don't understand what you're holding.””
“My mother died because of it.””
Thomas's voice became quiet.
“And if you burn it, you'll never know why.””
Daniel lowered the lighter slightly.
“Then tell me.””
Thomas took one step forward.
“Your mother discovered the truth.””
“What truth?””
Thomas looked at Harrison.
“That your father didn't betray me.””
Harrison's eyes widened.
Thomas continued.
“He protected me.””
Daniel stared.
“Why?””
“Because your father and I weren't partners.””
Thomas's voice dropped.
“We were brothers.””
Harrison closed his eyes.
Daniel whispered,
“You never told me you had a brother.””
“I didn't.””
Thomas smiled.
“Because I was never supposed to exist.””
A siren sounded outside.
Real police this time.
Thomas looked toward the window.
Then at Harrison.
“Looks like our evening is over.””
He pulled a small device from his pocket.
Victor shouted,
“Get down!””
The device exploded.
The attic door blew inward.
Smoke filled the hallway.
Daniel dropped the lighter.
The ledger slipped from his hands.
Thomas grabbed it.
Then he vanished into the smoke.
Harrison lunged after him.
“Thomas!””
A voice came from below.
“Dad!””
Harrison turned.
Daniel was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Holding the blue box.
He had found it.
May you like
And there was blood on his hands.
Not his own.
