Chapter 13 - The Bride Tells the Truth)
Police reached the parking garage less than two minutes later.
Rebecca had vanished into the hotel’s service network.
Marcus sealed the building.
Daniel returned to the security office furious.
“Richard has Samuel.”
Emily stood.
“You saw him?”
“Yes.”
“Was Samuel hurt?”
“I couldn’t tell.”
Thomas asked, “What did Rebecca say?”
“That Richard took him.”
Michael shook his head.
“You believe her?”
“I believe she was surprised.”
Daniel placed Rebecca’s phone on the desk.
Police technicians began copying its contents.
Marcus entered.
“We have a sighting.”
“Rebecca?”
“Kitchen level.”
Daniel started toward the door.
Marcus stopped him.
“Police want you here.”
“I don’t care.”
“Daniel.”
“She attacked my daughter.”
Marcus lowered his voice.
“And if you go chasing her through a hotel, you become a liability.”
Emily touched her father’s arm.
“He’s right.”
Daniel hated it.
But he stayed.
Ten minutes later, two officers brought Rebecca into the security office.
She did not resist.
No wedding gown.
No veil.
No carefully controlled smile.
She looked exhausted.
An officer read her rights.
Rebecca asked for an attorney.
Then she saw Michael Holt.
Her expression turned bitter.
“You.”
Michael stared at the floor.
Rebecca laughed.
“You always were weak.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Where is Richard taking Samuel?”
Her eyes moved to him.
“I don’t know.”
“Why was Richard helping you last night?”
“He wasn’t.”
“He helped move Emily.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“He arrived after I called someone else.”
“Who?”
She said nothing.
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“Who?”
Rebecca stared at him.
“I called Bellweather.”
“Bellweather isn’t a person.”
“No.”
“Then who answered?”
“A coordinator.”
“Name.”
“I never knew it.”
Daniel laughed.
“You expect anyone to believe that?”
“I knew codes. Numbers. Locations.”
Michael looked up.
“She’s telling the truth about that.”
Daniel turned.
“How would you know?”
“Because I dealt with them the same way.”
Rebecca stared at Michael.
“You dealt with them?”
He nodded.
“You idiot.”
Daniel said, “Explain.”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
Michael answered instead.
“Bellweather is compartmentalized. People are deliberately prevented from knowing the whole network.”
Rebecca looked at Daniel.
“I was hired to become close to Catherine.”
The room became silent.
Emily stared.
“When?”
“Sixteen years ago.”
Daniel’s face tightened.
Rebecca continued.
“Catherine was working with a nonprofit that Bellweather wanted access to.”
“What nonprofit?”
“The Haven Foundation.”
Daniel remembered it.
Catherine had volunteered there.
“What kind of access?”
“Donor records.”
“Why?”
“I wasn’t told.”
“Did Catherine know you were working for them?”
“Eventually.”
Emily pointed toward Rebecca.
“My mother wrote that she refused to participate.”
Rebecca nodded.
“She discovered Bellweather was mapping wealthy family offices through charitable donations.”
Daniel frowned.
“Mapping?”
“Assets. Relationships. Heirs. Trustees. Vulnerabilities.”
Michael whispered, “Target profiles.”
Rebecca looked at him.
“Yes.”
Daniel felt sick.
“You profiled my family.”
“At first.”
“And then?”
Rebecca looked toward the floor.
“Catherine and I became friends.”
Emily laughed angrily.
“Don’t.”
Rebecca’s face tightened.
“It’s true.”
“You stalked her.”
“I was assigned to her.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“No.”
Rebecca looked at Daniel.
“Catherine discovered what I was doing. She could have exposed me.”
“Why didn’t she?”
“Because I helped her.”
Daniel stared.
“With Bellweather?”
“Yes.”
Rebecca took a breath.
“I gave her records. Names. Transfer routes. Enough to understand that your family was being studied.”
“For sixteen years?”
“Longer.”
Daniel struggled to process that.
“Why?”
“I never knew.”
“Then how did you end up marrying me?”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“After Catherine died, Bellweather contacted me again.”
“Why?”
“They knew I had been close to her.”
“Close enough to attend her funeral?”
“No.”
“Close enough that she never once said your name?”
Pain flashed across Rebecca’s face.
“She was protecting me.”
Daniel did not believe her.
Or did not want to.
Rebecca continued.
“They told me Catherine had hidden a protective trust provision. They needed to identify the trustee.”
“So you came after me.”
“Yes.”
The answer landed harder than any lie.
Emily stared at Daniel.
Rebecca continued.
“I arranged to meet Thomas through his foundation.”
Thomas looked sick.
“I knew he had helped Catherine.”
“You used him to get to me.”
“Yes.”
Daniel swallowed.
“Was any part of our relationship real?”
Rebecca looked directly at him.
The room seemed to disappear.
Her voice softened.
“That wasn’t supposed to happen.”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Answer.”
“I was supposed to gain your trust.”
“You did.”
“I was supposed to convince you to marry me.”
“You did.”
“I was supposed to create circumstances that allowed Bellweather to trigger the trust.”
“You almost did.”
Rebecca’s eyes filled.
“I wasn’t supposed to love you.”
Daniel looked away.
Emily remained silent.
Rebecca whispered, “But I did.”
Daniel laughed once.
“You attacked my daughter.”
“I panicked.”
“You planned to drug me.”
“No.”
Michael looked up sharply.
Rebecca turned toward him.
“I never agreed to that.”
Michael stared.
“You approved the medical authorization.”
“I approved an incapacity scenario. I told them I would not drug him.”
Daniel looked between them.
“Then who put something in the champagne?”
Rebecca’s face changed.
“What?”
Michael slowly stood.
“You didn’t?”
“No.”
Michael became pale.
“Then someone else was executing the plan.”
Daniel suddenly remembered Thomas holding coffee that morning.
Michael continued.
“If Rebecca wasn’t controlling the medical trigger, Bellweather had another operative inside the wedding.”
Everyone looked around the room.
Thomas whispered, “Who?”
Rebecca stared at him.
Then at Michael.
Then at Daniel.
“There’s one person Catherine was terrified of.”
Daniel moved closer.
“Who?”
Rebecca shook her head.
“I never knew the name.”
“What did she call them?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“The Steward.”
Michael’s expression changed.
Daniel noticed.
“You know that word.”
Michael said nothing.
“Michael.”
The attorney whispered, “I saw it in Samuel’s sealed instructions.”
“What did it say?”
Michael swallowed.
“If the Steward appears, activate Bluebird immediately.”
Daniel’s phone rang.
The caller ID showed Samuel Price.
Daniel answered instantly.
“Samuel?”
Static.
Then Richard’s voice.
“Hello, brother.”
Daniel gripped the phone.
“Where are you?”
“Not important.”
“Put Samuel on.”
A pause.
Samuel spoke weakly.
“Daniel.”
“Are you okay?”
“For now.”
Richard returned.
“You’ve had a difficult wedding day.”
Daniel’s anger sharpened.
“If you hurt him.”
“Oh, stop. If I wanted Samuel dead, he would have been dead years ago.”
Rebecca stood abruptly.
One officer pushed her back into the chair.
Richard continued.
“You found Catherine’s recording?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know enough to understand this isn’t about Rebecca.”
Daniel glanced at her.
“Where are you taking Samuel?”
“To finish something Catherine started.”
“What?”
Richard sighed.
“The truth.”
“Then tell me.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because the Steward is listening.”
Daniel froze.
Richard lowered his voice.
“And Daniel?”
“What?”
“You need to get Noah out of that hotel.”
Daniel looked toward the adjoining room.
“Why?”
Richard answered with five words.
May you like
“Because Bluebird just activated.”
The call ended.
