Chapter 8 - The Mother Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Margaret did not look like a prisoner.
That disturbed Daniel more than if she had been restrained.
She wore a gray coat and clean black shoes. Her hair was neatly tied behind her head. Only her eyes suggested something was wrong.
They were too still.
“You were in the video,” Daniel said.
Margaret glanced at the laptop.
“Adrian enjoys theater.”
“Who is Adrian?”
“A man who mistakes control for intelligence.”
Daniel moved toward the stairs.
The basement door remained locked.
“What do you want?”
“To speak.”
“You locked me in.”
“You came through an unlocked door in a house that does not belong to you.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“It’s my marital home.”
Margaret smiled faintly.
“You sound like William.”
“You knew him?”
“He raised my daughter.”
“Claire?”
Margaret’s expression changed at the name.
Not affection.
Possession.
“Yes.”
Daniel remembered Jonah’s claim outside the hospital room.
He remembered Nathan’s reaction.
“You’re Jonah Reed’s wife.”
“I was.”
“Is he Claire’s father?”
“Biologically.”
“And you’re her mother?”
Margaret stepped closer.
“Claire was born during a complicated period. William believed he could provide stability.”
“He took her?”
“He protected her.”
The words sounded rehearsed.
Daniel studied Margaret.
“Why did everyone think you were dead?”
“Because dead women are easier to hide than living witnesses.”
“Witnesses to what?”
Margaret looked toward the ceiling as though the answer lived somewhere above them.
“William created Bennett Medical Logistics to transport emergency supplies. Jonah expanded the network. Then government contractors began requesting special services.”
“Northstar?”
Her eyes returned to him.
“You have been listening.”
“What is Northstar?”
“A structure. Not a company. Companies can be dissolved. Structures survive.”
Daniel felt impatience rise.
“What does this have to do with Claire’s drive?”
Margaret’s face softened.
“That drive contains the original transfer ledger. Names, dates, locations, payments.”
“Transfers of people?”
“Sometimes.”
“Children?”
Margaret did not answer.
Daniel’s stomach tightened.
He wanted money.
He wanted his position restored.
He did not want to understand what stood behind it.
“Adrian said you could help me.”
“Adrian says what produces movement.”
“Can you restore the accounts?”
“No.”
“Can you protect my mother’s house?”
“No.”
“Then why am I here?”
Margaret stepped within arm’s reach.
“Because Claire will eventually speak to you.”
“She hates me.”
“Hate is a connection.”
“She won’t tell me where she is.”
“She does not need to.”
Margaret removed a small object from her coat.
A baby monitor receiver.
The screen displayed a dark room.
Claire sat in a chair, holding Lily.
Daniel stared.
“Where is that?”
“A temporary safe house.”
“How are you watching her?”
“Northstar built the security system.”
Daniel remembered Nathan saying the same organization operated Bennett Protective Services.
“Can you reach her?”
“Not yet.”
“Then what do you need me for?”
“Claire has known for years that someone watches her. She changes patterns when she feels threatened. But she has always underestimated you.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“She froze every account I used.”
“Because she expected you to react emotionally.”
Margaret handed him a phone.
On the screen was a drafted message.
Claire, I found something in the basement. It belonged to your father. I think someone is inside the house.
“She won’t believe me.”
“She will believe the photograph.”
Margaret showed him an image of the blue room in William Bennett’s old house.
Floorboards had been removed.
A bloodstained piece of cloth lay beneath them.
Daniel looked closer.
The cloth was embroidered with the initials C.B.
Claire Bennett.
“What is that?”
“Something Claire lost when she was five years old.”
Daniel shook his head.
“This is insane.”
Margaret’s voice remained calm.
“Send the message.”
“What happens if she responds?”
“You tell her you found a second drive.”
“But there isn’t one.”
“There is.”
Margaret moved to a storage cabinet and opened it.
Inside was a metal case.
Daniel recognized the embossed Bennett logo.
She lifted a small black drive.
“The one Claire protects is a decoy.”
Daniel stared at it.
“Where did you get that?”
“William gave it to Nathan.”
“But Nathan works for Claire.”
“Nathan works for whoever keeps Eleanor alive.”
Daniel felt the room shift beneath him.
“His sister is alive?”
Margaret smiled.
“Everyone in this story is alive until their usefulness ends.”
The baby monitor screen flickered.
Claire stood suddenly.
Jonah entered the room and said something Daniel could not hear.
Nathan appeared behind him.
All three looked toward the safe house door.
The image froze.
Then the feed went black.
Margaret’s calm expression vanished.
“No.”
“What happened?”
She grabbed another phone and dialed.
No answer.
She tried again.
Still nothing.
A red notification appeared.
SAFE HOUSE NETWORK OFFLINE.
Margaret turned toward Daniel.
May you like
For the first time, she looked afraid.
“Adrian found them before we did.”
