Chapter 8: The Truth Mark Buried
The room went dark.
Lily screamed.
I grabbed her and pulled her against my chest.
“It's okay.””
“No!””
She buried her face against me.
“Mommy, don't let him come back.””
Mark was at the door, trying to force it open.
“Help me!””
Zoe rushed forward.
Together, she and Mark shoved against it.
Nothing.
I looked around the room.
There had to be another way out.
The television turned on again.
Daniel's face appeared.
“Chloe.””
I stared at the screen.
“What do you want?””
“Your daughter.””
“No.””
“You misunderstand.””
“I don't care.””
Daniel smiled.
“I don't want to hurt her.””
“Then let her go.””
“I will.””
“When?””
“When you understand why she was chosen.””
I tightened my arms around Lily.
“She wasn't chosen.””
“She was.””
“Why?””
Daniel leaned closer to the camera.
“Because she is the only person in this family who has never lied.””
Mark shouted, “Leave her out of this!””
Daniel looked toward him.
“You've already involved her.””
“You're sick.””
“I taught you everything you know.””
“You taught me fear.””
“And fear kept you alive.””
Mark turned away.
I looked at him.
“What does he mean?””
Mark wouldn't meet my eyes.
“Tell me.””
He was silent.
“Mark.””
“I was sixteen.””
“What happened?””
Daniel's voice came through the television.
“Tell her.””
Mark's jaw tightened.
“My father made me help him.””
“With what?””
“Money.””
I waited.
“He ran a private lending operation.””
“What does that mean?””
“He loaned money to people who couldn't get it from banks.””
“And?””
“And when they couldn't pay, he took something.””
“What?””
“Businesses. Houses. Property.””
I looked at Lily.
“That's why the trust?””
Mark nodded.
“Some of that money went into it.””
I stared at him.
“You put stolen money into a trust for our daughter?””
“I didn't.””
“Then who?””
“My father.””
Daniel smiled.
“Your husband has always been very good at pretending his hands were clean.””
Mark shouted at the screen.
“You forced me!””
“I gave you a choice.””
“You threatened Mom.””
“I threatened everyone.””
“And you killed people.””
Daniel's expression remained calm.
“I made mistakes.””
I felt sick.
“What does any of this have to do with Lily?””
Daniel answered.
“Because one of the properties I took belonged to your family.””
I froze.
“My family?””
Mark looked at me.
“Yes.””
“What property?””
“The old Carter warehouse.””
I stared at him.
“My father's warehouse?””
“Yes.””
“That was where his business failed.””
“No.””
Mark's voice cracked.
“It didn't fail.””
I felt the room shift beneath me.
“What are you saying?””
“Your father refused to sell.””
“So?””
“My father wanted the property.””
“And?””
“Your father disappeared.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
Mark looked down.
“I was there.””
The room went silent.
“You were sixteen.””
“Yes.””
“You saw my father?””
“Yes.””
“What happened?””
“I don't know.””
“Mark.””
“I saw him arguing with my father.””
“And then?””
“He got into a car.””
“Whose car?””
“My father's.””
“And he never came home.””
My hands went cold.
“My mother told me he'd run away.””
“I know.””
“She waited for him.””
“I know.””
“You knew.””
Mark closed his eyes.
“I was sixteen.””
“You knew my father disappeared because of your family.””
“I didn't know what happened to him.””
“You could have told me.””
“I was terrified.””
Daniel interrupted.
“You still are.””
I looked at the television.
“Where is my father?””
Daniel smiled.
“Closer than you think.””
A sound came from the hallway outside.
Three knocks.
Everyone froze.
Then another.
The hidden door opened.
An old man stood there.
Thin.
Gray-haired.
His face was bruised.
But I knew him.
I knew those eyes.
My knees almost collapsed.
“Dad?””
The man stared at me.
“Chloe.””
I covered my mouth.
“No.””
My father took one step into the room.
“I’m sorry.””
I ran to him.
For twenty years, I had imagined this moment.
I had imagined anger.
Questions.
Revenge.
Instead, I wrapped my arms around him.
He held me tightly.
My father was alive.
The man my family had mourned was standing in front of me.
“I thought you were dead.””
“I know.””
“Why didn't you come home?””
“I tried.””
“When?””
“Many times.””
“Why didn't you?””
He looked toward Mark.
“Because they were watching you.””
I turned.
Mark stood frozen.
“You knew my father was alive?””
He shook his head.
“No.””
My father stared at him.
“You knew.””
“I swear I didn't.””
“You knew enough.””
Mark looked devastated.
“Mr. Carter…”
“Don't call me that.””
My father turned to me.
“Daniel kept me alive because I refused to sign over the warehouse.””
“Why?””
“Because it wasn't just a warehouse.””
“What was it?””
“My company held records.””
“What records?””
“Accounts.””
“Of Daniel's money?””
“Yes.””
I understood.
“The trust.””
My father nodded.
“Daniel used my company to move money.””
Mark whispered, “I didn't know.””
My father looked at him.
“You knew.””
“I was a child.””
“You were old enough to understand what your father was doing.””
“I didn't.””
“You carried the ledgers.””
Mark went pale.
I looked at him.
“You did?””
He couldn't answer.
My father continued.
“When I refused to cooperate, Daniel threatened Chloe.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“You threatened me?””
“No.””
My father shook his head.
“Daniel did.””
“Why me?””
“Because you were his weakness.””
I looked at Mark.
“My weakness?””
Mark whispered, “You.””
My father nodded.
“Daniel knew Mark loved you.””
I stared at my husband.
Suddenly, twenty years of strange behavior made sense.
The secrecy.
The fear.
The constant need to keep everyone happy.
The way Mark had always avoided conflict with his father.
He hadn't simply been protecting himself.
He had been living under a threat.
But that didn't excuse what he'd done.
“You knew about Lily's trust.””
Mark nodded.
“Yes.””
“And you knew Megan controlled it.””
“Yes.””
“Why didn't you stop her?””
“Because she threatened to expose the source of the money.””
“And?””
“I thought if the trust stayed untouched, Lily would be safe.””
My father stepped closer.
“You were wrong.””
Mark looked at him.
“I know.””
Then my father's expression changed.
“Where is Daniel?””
Mark looked at the television.
“He's here.””
“No.””
My father pointed toward the ceiling.
“That's not Daniel.””
Everyone stared.
“What?””
My father walked toward the television.
He examined the screen.
Then he laughed softly.
“It's a recording.””
Mark frowned.
“But he spoke to us.””
“It's an old recording.””
“How?””
My father pointed to the camera.
“Motion-triggered playback.””
Zoe's eyes widened.
“He's been planning this.””
My father nodded.
“Daniel always planned three moves ahead.””
I looked at Lily.
“Then where is the real Daniel?””
My father became very still.
“He's nearby.””
A gunshot sounded outside.
The officers shouted.
Megan screamed from upstairs.
Then every light in the cabin came on.
A speaker crackled.
Daniel's real voice filled the room.
“Now we can stop pretending.””
The door behind us locked.
A red light appeared above it.
And Daniel said:
“Chloe, your father knows where the money is.””
My father looked at me.
Then whispered:
“No.””
The speaker continued.
“And your daughter knows where the bodies are.””
Lily began crying.
I held her tighter.
May you like
Then the basement floor beneath us suddenly opened.
And we fell.
