Chapter 7 - THE FAMILY SECRET
Nathan didn't hesitate.
“Take the boys to the cottage.”
Marcus shook his head.
“Sir, if Evan is inside the property—”
“I know.”
Nathan looked at me.
“You stay with them.”
“What about you?”
“I need to find him.”
“No.”
Nathan stared at me.
“You don't know what you're walking into.”
“Neither do you.”
For a moment, we simply looked at each other.
Then Laura spoke.
“She's right.”
Nathan frowned.
“You're not going alone.”
“I wasn't planning to.”
He looked toward Marcus.
“Three people.”
Marcus nodded.
They left.
The boys sat beside me in the cottage.
Jacob was holding his bracelet.
Jonah was drawing.
“What are you drawing?”
“A house.”
I looked.
This house had windows.
But no doors.
“Why no door?”
Jonah shrugged.
“Mommy said some houses keep people trapped.”
The words made me uncomfortable.
Then he added a second drawing.
A red coat hanging beside a clock.
“What's that?”
“Mommy's room.”
I noticed something on the drawing.
A small black square.
“What is this?”
Jonah looked at it.
“The box.”
“What box?”
“The one Mommy hid.”
Before I could ask more, footsteps approached.
Nathan entered.
Alone.
His face was bruised.
I stood immediately.
“What happened?”
“Evan got away.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Nothing serious.”
Marcus came behind him.
“We found his vehicle.”
“Where?”
“Near the greenhouse.”
Laura looked at Nathan.
“Did you find anything?”
Nathan held up a photograph.
“Evan left this.”
It showed Nathan's family twenty years earlier.
His father.
His mother.
Nathan.
Daniel.
And a teenage boy.
Evan.
I noticed something strange.
Evan's face had been scratched out.
“Why?”
Nathan sat down.
“Because my father disowned him.”
“Why?”
Nathan hesitated.
“Daniel had debts.”
“That doesn't explain it.”
“No.”
He looked at the boys.
“My father believed Evan was dangerous.”
Jonah looked up.
“Was Mommy scared of him?”
Nathan's expression softened.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
Jacob spoke quietly.
“She did.”
Nathan looked at him.
“How do you know?”
“She told us not to talk to him.”
Nathan's jaw tightened.
“Did Evan ever visit?”
Jacob nodded.
“Sometimes.”
“When?”
“At night.”
Nathan's face changed.
“What did he do?”
“He brought Mommy flowers.”
That didn't fit.
The villain in the photographs didn't look like someone who brought flowers.
Then Jacob added:
“Mommy cried when he left.”
Nathan looked away.
Maybe Claire's relationship with Evan had been more complicated than anyone realized.
Laura examined the photograph.
“There is something behind it.”
She turned it over.
A handwritten number.
17.
Nathan recognized it.
“The old hotel room.”
“What?”
“Room 17 at Harbor Crown.”
He stood.
“Claire used to stay there when she wanted privacy.”
I asked, “Why would she leave that number?”
Nathan looked at the boys.
“Because she wanted me to find something.”
We drove to the hotel.
Nathan insisted the boys stay at the estate with Marcus.
I remained with them.
Two hours later, Nathan returned carrying a small wooden box.
He placed it on the table.
Inside was Claire's necklace.
A simple gold chain with a small oval pendant.
Jacob smiled.
“Mommy wore that.”
Nathan touched it.
“She wore it every day.”
He opened the pendant.
Inside was a tiny photograph.
Claire.
The twins.
And Nathan.
On the back were four words.
We were never the target.
Nathan stared.
“What does that mean?”
Laura examined the pendant.
“Maybe the boys weren't the intended victims.”
Nathan looked at her.
“Then who was?”
The answer came from Marcus.
“You.”
Nathan turned.
“What?”
“The exposure began shortly after Claire discovered financial transfers involving your companies.”
Nathan frowned.
“What transfers?”
Marcus handed him a file.
Millions of dollars had been diverted through shell companies.
Northstar Environmental was one of them.
Nathan looked at the dates.
“Someone was stealing from me.”
“Yes.”
“And Claire found it.”
“Yes.”
“Why hurt the boys?”
Marcus hesitated.
“To pressure you.”
Nathan's face hardened.
Laura disagreed.
“Maybe.”
Everyone looked at her.
She pointed to the medical records.
“But the exposure was carefully controlled.”
Nathan frowned.
“If they wanted to kill the boys, they could have.”
“Yes.”
“But they didn't.”
Laura nodded.
“That suggests the goal may have been something else.”
I thought about Claire's note.
We were never the target.
“Maybe they wanted Nathan to believe the boys were dying.”
Nathan looked at me.
“So he'd keep spending money.”
“And keep trusting the people treating them.”
Nathan slowly understood.
“Someone could make money from my fear.”
Marcus nodded.
“Medical contracts. Private laboratories. Consultants. Equipment.”
Nathan looked sick.
Three million dollars.
Not spent randomly.
Spent through the same network.
Then Laura found something in the file.
“There's a payment here.”
Nathan leaned closer.
“From whom?”
“Claire.”
“To whom?”
Laura looked at the name.
“Evan Coleman.”
Nathan froze.
“How much?”
“Five hundred thousand dollars.”
Marcus frowned.
“Why would Claire pay Evan?”
Nathan stared at the page.
“I don't know.”
Then the cottage door opened.
Evelyn stood there.
Everyone turned.
She looked exhausted.
“Mr. Coleman,” she whispered.
Nathan stood.
“Where have you been?”
“I was trying to find you.”
“Why?”
She looked at the twins.
Then at the necklace.
“Because Claire asked me to protect them.”
Nathan's expression hardened.
“You knew?”
Evelyn nodded.
“I knew she was investigating.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because she made me promise.”
Nathan's voice cracked.
“She died.”
“I know.”
“You let me believe my children were sick.”
Evelyn began crying.
“I tried to tell you.”
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
Nathan froze.
“What stopped you?”
Evelyn reached into her coat.
She pulled out a small cassette recorder.
“Claire left me this.”
Nathan took it.
Then Evelyn whispered:
“She said if she ever died, I should give it to you only when you stopped trusting Dr. Reeves.”
Nathan stared at her.
“We already know about Reeves.”
Evelyn shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at him.
“You don't.”
She pressed play.
Claire's voice filled the room.
“If you're hearing this, then Reeves is not the person you should be afraid of.”
Nathan went still.
Claire continued.
“He's guilty.”
A pause.
“But he's not the one who started it.”
Nathan looked at Evelyn.
The recording continued.
“The person who started everything is someone I thought was dead.”
Nathan's face went white.
Then Claire said a name.
May you like
“Daniel.”
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