Detective Pike took my phone from me long enough to photograph the messages, record the number, and forward the images to a forensic technician. He did not bother pretending there was any version of the next hour in which Gabriel, Rachel, or I would be allowed near the lake house.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one goes there,\u201d he said. \u201cNot you. Not your husband. Not his sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel leaned against the table. \u201cHe asked Chloe to come alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhich is precisely why she won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think Dad expects police?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI think your father is improvising.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel had wrapped both hands around a mug she was not drinking from. The sedative had mostly worn off, but she still looked exhausted, her movements slower than usual. \u201cIf he knows the originals are there, he could burn the place before you arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll move fast.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what Mom probably thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
The detective did not answer that.<\/p>\n
He made two calls, spoke in abbreviations, and requested units closer to the lake property. Then he asked Gabriel for everything he knew about the house: entrances, outbuildings, shoreline access, any old keys that might still work.<\/p>\n
Gabriel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a rear mudroom door. It sticks in winter. Front porch entrance. Kitchen door on the east side. Cellar access outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOther structures?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA boathouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDistance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout sixty yards downhill.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike wrote it down.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd where did you hide from storms?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the loft.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel frowned. \u201cWhat loft?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbove the old workshop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a workshop?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAttached to the boathouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never took me there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hated the lake.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hated Dad yelling because I got mud in the car.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn watched them quietly.<\/p>\n
Pike asked, \u201cWhy would your mother reference that place?\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel rubbed his thumb against the edge of the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I was nine, there was a thunderstorm. Granddad and Dad were fighting in the house. I hid in the loft because nobody ever looked there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe found me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Gerald?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
That was the first thing we had heard all day that Eleanor had successfully hidden from him.<\/p>\n
The detective stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m leaving.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel stepped forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can identify the hiding place.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGive me directions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou won\u2019t find it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTry me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s jaw tightened.<\/p>\n
I knew that expression. He had inherited it from Gerald, though in him it came without the assumption that everyone else would surrender.<\/p>\n
He drew a quick map on the back of Pike\u2019s notepad.<\/p>\n
The boathouse sat downhill from the main house. The workshop was attached along its northern wall. Inside, above an old rack of fishing rods, a narrow ladder led to a half-floor loft concealed behind beams.<\/p>\n
Pike folded the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf your father contacts you again, do not respond.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at me specifically.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstood?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He left.<\/p>\n
The room remained quiet until we heard his car pull away.<\/p>\n
Then Gabriel looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re not going.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t planning to.\u201d<\/p>\n
He exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI needed to hear you say it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel gave him a tired look.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she knew the message was a trap.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKnowing and going anyway are two different things.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you planning to go?\u201d<\/p>\n
He did not answer.<\/p>\n
That was answer enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Dad gets there first\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice are already moving.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou really think Dad is standing around waiting for them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he\u2019s destroying whatever Mom left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel set down the mug.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd if you go, he\u2019ll control the scene again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you suggest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor once? Let somebody else arrive before us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed.<\/p>\n
He looked away.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two minutes passed.<\/p>\n
Then thirty.<\/p>\n
Pike did not call.<\/p>\n
I checked my phone twice even though I knew he had my number.<\/p>\n
At forty-one minutes, a message arrived.<\/p>\n
Not from Pike.<\/p>\n
Unknown number.<\/p>\n
A photograph opened on my screen.<\/p>\n
The lake house porch.<\/p>\n
Closer this time.<\/p>\n
The front door stood open.<\/p>\n
Beneath the image:<\/p>\n
TOO SLOW.<\/p>\n
Gabriel saw it over my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOr wants us to think he is.\u201d<\/p>\n
A second image arrived.<\/p>\n
This one showed the inside of the boathouse.<\/p>\n
Old timber rafters. A hanging lantern. A stack of warped paddles.<\/p>\n
The angle was from the doorway.<\/p>\n
Gabriel whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cCall Pike.\u201d<\/p>\n
I did.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
No answer.<\/p>\n
Then Evelyn\u2019s phone rang.<\/p>\n
She stared at the display.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnknown.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t answer,\u201d Gabriel said.<\/p>\n
She did.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Then a man\u2019s voice came through.<\/p>\n
Not Gerald.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn?\u201d<\/p>\n
She went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t let them come here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
The man hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then said, \u201cDaniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer.<\/p>\n
Gabriel took the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the lake house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Every face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got a message too.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Eleanor left something for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou told us you hadn\u2019t been there in six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hadn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI haven\u2019t seen him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice are on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI saw two cars on the north road.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel turned toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer said, \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
A sound came through the phone.<\/p>\n
Wood striking wood.<\/p>\n
Then Mercer lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone else is here.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went dead.<\/p>\n
Evelyn stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
Gabriel was already reaching for his coat.<\/p>\n
I blocked him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMove.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPike has officers there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer\u2019s inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what exactly are you going to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFind him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel moved beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at both of us.<\/p>\n
There was fear in him now, naked and furious.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that\u2019s Dad\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen running into the house is what he wants,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He stopped.<\/p>\n
I could almost see the struggle in his face.<\/p>\n
Every instinct he had been raised with told him action meant control.<\/p>\n
Gerald had taught him that.<\/p>\n
The difference was beginning to matter.<\/p>\n
Evelyn whispered, \u201cCall Pike again.\u201d<\/p>\n
This time he answered.<\/p>\n
His breathing was fast.<\/p>\n
\u201cStay where you are.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer\u2019s at the house,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe called us from inside.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike swore.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDo not contact him again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s happening?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found a vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGerald\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhose?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re checking.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then someone shouted near him.<\/p>\n
Pike said, \u201cI have to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line disconnected.<\/p>\n
For nine minutes, no one spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Pike called back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have Mercer.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDad?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot located.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer was inside the workshop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMinor head injury.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cWho hit him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat vehicle did you find?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt belongs to Martin Voss.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s impossible,\u201d Gabriel said. \u201cMartin\u2019s in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who drove it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is what we\u2019re trying to determine.\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought of the name Calder Holdings.<\/p>\n
Martin\u2019s shell company.<\/p>\n
Martin staging Eleanor\u2019s photographs.<\/p>\n
Martin in my bedroom.<\/p>\n
A useful man with useful property.<\/p>\n
\u201cWas anything destroyed?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you find the loft?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSomething had already been removed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel swore.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a recessed compartment in the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEmpty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot entirely.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMeaning?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found one metal cashbox.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel gripped the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was inside?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPaper records. Several audio cassettes. One small notebook.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn whispered, \u201cEleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel asked, \u201cYou said not entirely. What\u2019s missing?\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike inhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe compartment was large enough for at least two boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne is gone,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRecently?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFresh marks. Dust disturbance.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel looked at me.<\/p>\n
Gerald\u2019s message.<\/p>\n
COME ALONE IF YOU WANT THE ORIGINALS.<\/p>\n
He had known there was more than one box.<\/p>\n
Pike continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s another issue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMercer says the person who hit him wasn\u2019t Gerald.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he see them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBriefly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe won\u2019t say until I\u2019m with him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe claims he needs to be certain.\u201d<\/p>\n
A muffled voice sounded near Pike.<\/p>\n
Then Mercer himself came on the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cGabriel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have come six years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel said nothing.<\/p>\n
Mercer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found the compartment before whoever attacked me arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas the second box there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel\u2019s head lifted.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou saw it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened to it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI opened it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were photographs.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat photographs?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer\u2019s voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother had been following Gerald too.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words caught all of us off guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cFollowing him where?\u201d Gabriel asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOne person appeared repeatedly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer breathed out.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everyone turned toward her.<\/p>\n
She stepped backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s not possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer heard her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI met Gerald all the time. He was my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Mercer said. \u201cThese weren\u2019t family meetings.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe photographs were taken at Calder properties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her face went white.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been to any Calder property.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer was silent.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cThere was also a ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pike spoke in the background.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel, stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Mercer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn\u2019s name was in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel stared at his aunt.<\/p>\n
Rachel whispered, \u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn looked genuinely frightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercer said, \u201cNeither do I.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is the ledger now?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
The answer came from Pike.<\/p>\n
\u201cGone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the second box?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the attacker took it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe believe so.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Evelyn.<\/p>\n
She was trembling.<\/p>\n
Not with guilt.<\/p>\n
Or not only guilt.<\/p>\n
Something else had surfaced.<\/p>\n
Recognition.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pressed a hand to her mouth.<\/p>\n
Then whispered, \u201cThe old Calder warehouse.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you I\u2019d never been there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel took a step toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn opened her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother asked me to go there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThree days before she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you went?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she show you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn looked at all of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe never came.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were supposed to meet Mom?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a Calder warehouse?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she didn\u2019t show?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho did?\u201d<\/p>\n
Evelyn\u2019s voice broke.<\/p>\n
\u201cGerald.\u201d<\/p>\n
Detective Pike took my phone from me long enough to photograph the messages, record the number, and forward the images to a forensic technician. He did not bother pretending there … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=29389"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29424,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29389\/revisions\/29424"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/29380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=29389"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=29389"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=29389"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}