Chapter 15 - The Father Who Never Came Home
For twelve years, I had lived with one question.
Why did my father leave?
Now I had another.
Why had he stayed away?
Caroline lowered her weapon.
“Untie her.”
I looked at Emily.
She was bound to a metal chair.
I moved forward.
Daniel raised his gun.
“Don't.”
Caroline smiled.
“You still don't trust me.”
“No.”
“Good.”
She gestured toward Emily.
“Untie her.”
I carefully approached.
My hands shook as I cut the rope around Emily's wrists.
She rubbed them.
Then looked at me.
“You really are my sister?”
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
“I don't.”
I looked toward Caroline.
“But she does.”
Emily turned toward our mother.
“Why did you take me?”
Caroline's face changed.
For a moment, she looked tired.
Almost human.
Then the cold expression returned.
“Because John wanted to destroy everything.”
Emily frowned.
“That's not an answer.”
“No.”
Caroline looked at her.
“It's the only answer you'll get from me.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Where's John?”
Caroline looked at him.
“You've been chasing ghosts for twelve years.”
“Answer me.”
She laughed.
“You think John disappeared because I wanted him gone?”
My voice shook.
“Didn't you?”
“No.”
She looked directly at me.
“John disappeared because he was afraid.”
“Of you?”
“Of himself.”
The words made no sense.
“What did he do?”
Caroline's eyes moved toward the black bag.
“The archive will tell you.”
She pointed.
“Give it to me.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Then Emily dies.”
Daniel raised his weapon.
“You won't shoot her.”
Caroline smiled.
“You don't know me.”
I stepped between them.
“Mom.”
She looked at me.
“You lied about Dad.”
“Yes.”
“You lied about Emily.”
“Yes.”
“You stole our money.”
“Yes.”
“You destroyed our family.”
Her expression hardened.
“Yes.”
I swallowed.
“Then why?”
Caroline stared at me for a long time.
Finally she said,
“Because I was trying to save you.”
I almost laughed.
“From what?”
“From John.”
“Why?”
“Because your father was going to sell you.”
Silence.
Emily stared at her.
“What?”
Caroline continued.
“John had made a deal.”
“With whom?”
“Victor.”
My stomach dropped.
“Victor Hale?”
“Yes.”
Sarah stepped forward.
“That's impossible.”
Caroline laughed.
“You still believe John's version of the story.”
She looked at me.
“Your father needed money.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“He was drowning.”
“No.”
“He sold information about the family.”
“No.”
Caroline's eyes hardened.
“He planned to give Victor control of Bennett Holdings.”
I stared at her.
“That's a lie.”
“Is it?”
She nodded toward the bag.
“Open the archive.”
I did.
I pulled out the financial records.
Then the recordings.
Then a final folder I hadn't seen before.
JOHN — ORIGINAL TRANSACTION.
My hands froze.
Daniel stepped beside me.
“Open it.”
I did.
A bank document appeared.
The date was December 23, 2014.
One day before Christmas.
A transfer.
$8,700,000.
From Bennett Family Holdings.
To Redwood Holdings.
Authorized by:
JOHN BENNETT.
I stared.
“No.”
Caroline smiled.
“Now you understand.”
Sarah stepped backward.
“That's impossible.”
Daniel examined the document.
“The signature looks real.”
I couldn't breathe.
My father had transferred nearly nine million dollars.
The same money we had spent years believing my mother stole.
I looked at Caroline.
“You said he sold us.”
“He did.”
“Then why did he disappear?”
Caroline's smile vanished.
“Because he regretted it.”
My eyes burned.
“What happened after the transfer?”
She looked toward the door.
“Ask him.”
“You know where he is.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me.”
She hesitated.
Then gave me an address.
My hands trembled as I read it.
An abandoned rehabilitation center outside Chicago.
My heart raced.
“Why would he be there?”
Caroline didn't answer.
Instead, she said,
“You're making a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“Believing that finding John will give you peace.”
I stared at her.
“Maybe it won't.”
I looked at Emily.
“But I need the truth.”
Caroline slowly lowered her gun.
“You always were like him.”
Daniel moved forward.
“Put the weapon down.”
She did.
For one impossible second, I thought it was over.
Then a gunshot cracked from outside.
Caroline's body jerked.
She fell.
“Mom!”
I rushed toward her.
Blood spread across her shoulder.
Daniel looked through the greenhouse window.
“Sniper!”
Everyone dropped.
Emily crawled behind the chair.
Sarah grabbed Sophie.
Another bullet shattered the glass.
Caroline looked at me.
Her face was pale.
“Go.”
“Mom—”
“Go find him.”
“Who?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Your father.”
She grabbed my wrist.
“And when he tells you what happened…”
She struggled to breathe.
“Don't believe everything.”
Then her hand went limp.
I stared at her.
“Mom?”
No answer.
Daniel pulled me away.
“We have to move!”
We escaped through the rear door.
Minutes later, police flooded the greenhouse.
But Caroline was gone.
Someone had taken her.
And on the floor where she had fallen was a single piece of paper.
I picked it up.
Only one sentence was written on it.
JOHN BENNETT DIDN'T DISAPPEAR. HE WAS KIDNAPPED.
Below it was an address.
The same address Caroline had given me.
The rehabilitation center.
I looked at Daniel.
“We're going.”
He nodded.
Sarah looked terrified.
“You don't understand.”
“What?”
She stared at the paper.
“That place hasn't been abandoned.”
“What do you mean?”
Sarah whispered,
“People have been living there.”
“Who?”
She looked at me.
“The men who have been protecting John.”
My heart stopped.
“From whom?”
Sarah's face went white.
“From Victor Hale.”
I looked toward the dark Chicago skyline.
May you like
After twelve years, I finally knew where my father was.
And for the first time, I was terrified of finding him.
