Chapter 13 - THE ROOM BENEATH THE DOLLHOUSE
Police had already searched Daniel’s home.
The dollhouse remained in Emily’s bedroom.
Rebecca had disturbed it during the break-in, but she had not taken it.
Daniel examined every wall, floorboard and miniature room.
The wooden mother figure was missing.
Rebecca had been holding it in the security footage.
The word Soon had been written on its back.
Claire studied the dollhouse roof.
“This wasn’t purchased from a store.”
Daniel agreed.
The construction was too precise.
Tiny copper wires ran through the walls.
Several miniature lights had no visible battery compartment.
He removed the base.
A metal plate was embedded beneath the wooden floor.
Stamped across it were the initials WDG.
Whitmore Development Group.
The silver key from Thomas’s box fit a lock hidden behind the miniature staircase.
When Daniel turned it, the entire back wall opened.
Inside was a small data drive.
Claire inserted it into an offline laptop provided by Ramirez.
The drive required three passwords.
A clue appeared.
THE DAUGHTER.
THE SON.
THE DAY THE TWO LINES BECAME ONE.
Claire entered her childhood name.
Rejected.
Daniel entered his birth date.
Rejected.
Then they understood.
The daughter was Emily.
The son was Daniel.
The day the two lines became one was the date Daniel and Claire met.
The drive opened.
It contained thousands of financial records.
The final ledger.
Names of judges, politicians, executives and contractors appeared beside payments stretching back decades.
Some individuals were dead.
Others remained powerful.
Martin Vale was listed as administrator.
Harold and Margaret were listed as distributors.
Vivian Cross was listed under the category MONITOR.
Daniel read it twice.
“Vivian worked for them.”
Claire shook her head.
“She collected evidence.”
“She received payments.”
“Maybe to maintain cover.”
“Or maybe she has been controlling us from the beginning.”
A separate folder contained video files.
The earliest showed Thomas Whitmore arguing with Elias Crowe in the orange hospital room.
Thomas accused Elias of stealing company funds.
Elias accused Thomas of hiding assets from investors.
Margaret entered halfway through the recording.
She held infant Daniel.
“I did what you asked,” she told Elias. “Now give me the documents.”
Elias looked at the baby.
“You were supposed to convince Thomas the child was his.”
“He ordered a blood test.”
Thomas stepped toward her.
“Get that child out of here.”
Margaret’s expression became hatred.
“You promised me a future.”
“I promised nothing.”
The recording ended.
Another video was dated the day of the plane crash.
Thomas spoke directly to the camera.
“If Elias sees this, then I failed.”
He explained that he had hidden the ledger inside an object that would be delivered to the first child of the combined Whitmore and Crowe bloodlines.
Daniel paused the video.
“Crowe.”
Claire looked at him.
“Emily is not only a Whitmore and Mercer heir.”
“She is Whitmore and Crowe.”
The Mercer name had never mattered biologically.
Harold had been used as a public father and business intermediary.
The true conflict was between Thomas Whitmore and Elias Crowe.
The final video was recent.
Recorded four days before Emily’s birthday.
Vivian sat in the orange room.
She looked tired and frightened.
“I have confirmed Margaret plans to move against Claire,” she said. “Elias believes he can control the outcome. He is wrong.”
Vivian looked toward someone off camera.
“The child must survive the birthday.”
A man answered.
“We cannot protect her openly.”
Daniel recognized the voice.
Officer Ramirez.
Claire stood.
“No.”
They replayed it.
There was no mistake.
Ramirez had spoken to Vivian before the party.
He knew Emily was in danger.
He had not warned them.
Daniel turned toward the interview-room mirror.
Ramirez stood on the other side.
Watching.
Daniel closed the laptop.
The door opened.
Ramirez entered alone.
“How much did you see?”
“Enough.”
Claire stepped between him and Emily.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You let us go to that house.”
“I was told the threat involved financial coercion.”
“You knew Margaret planned to move against me.”
“I did not know how.”
“You could have warned us.”
“If I had, the ledger would have remained hidden.”
Daniel grabbed Ramirez by the shirt.
“My daughter was almost killed so you could find a drive?”
Ramirez did not resist.
“I was trying to dismantle an organization that has survived for decades.”
“She is four.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Daniel released him.
Ramirez looked toward the dollhouse.
“Margaret wants the original drive. The copy we opened is incomplete.”
“What is missing?”
“The identity of the current controller.”
“Elias.”
“No.”
“Vivian?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Ramirez looked toward Emily.
“The controller is identified only by a title.”
“What title?”
“The Birthday Keeper.”
Daniel felt Emily’s fingers tighten around his hand.
She whispered, “That’s what Grandma calls the man in my dreams.”
Everyone looked at her.
“What man?” Claire asked.
“The man who sings outside my window.”
Daniel crouched.
“What does he look like?”
Emily pointed toward the family photograph on Daniel’s phone.
Not at Elias.
Not Harold.
May you like
Not Martin Vale.
She pointed at the birthday photographer.
