Chapter 7 - The Brother Nobody Mentioned)
Daniel had not spoken to his younger brother in eleven years.
Richard Arden had always been the opposite of him.
Daniel built things.
Richard sold them.
Daniel saved money.
Richard spent it.
Daniel married young and stayed married for thirty-four years.
Richard had gone through three marriages before turning fifty.
But none of that had caused the final break between them.
The Arden brothers stopped speaking after their father died.
Their father had left Daniel control of the family company.
Richard received money, property, and shares, but not control.
He called it betrayal.
Daniel called it their father’s decision.
The argument became a lawsuit.
The lawsuit became hatred.
Richard eventually moved to Europe.
At least, that was what Daniel believed.
Now Richard’s face was on his phone.
Standing beside Rebecca.
Helping move Emily into a car.
Daniel looked at Thomas.
“You knew he was back?”
“No.”
“You just recognized him.”
“I haven’t seen Richard in years, but I know what he looks like.”
“Catherine trusted him?”
Thomas hesitated.
“Not exactly.”
“You said he was one of the people she told.”
“She didn’t tell him voluntarily.”
Daniel’s patience snapped.
“Speak clearly.”
Thomas lowered his voice.
“Richard discovered Catherine was investigating Bellweather.”
“How?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did he do?”
“He offered to help.”
Daniel laughed without humor.
“Richard never helped anyone unless there was a percentage in it.”
“Catherine said the same thing.”
“Did she accept?”
“I think she pretended to.”
“Why?”
“To find out what he knew.”
Daniel looked again at the photo.
Richard appeared older.
His hair was almost entirely silver.
But it was him.
“Why would he help Rebecca attack Emily?”
“I don’t know.”
Daniel dialed Richard’s old number.
Disconnected.
He searched his contacts for Richard’s former attorney.
Before he could call, Marcus came through the stairwell door.
“Mr. Arden.”
“Where’s Noah?”
“In my office with one of my officers.”
“Good.”
Marcus looked toward Thomas.
“I need to show you something privately.”
Thomas started to leave.
Daniel stopped him.
“He stays.”
Marcus hesitated, then nodded.
“We recovered eleven minutes of loading dock footage from a backup server.”
He showed Daniel a tablet.
The video began at 12:36 a.m.
Rebecca’s blue sedan entered the loading area.
Two minutes later, Rebecca and Richard appeared.
Emily was between them.
She stumbled but walked.
They placed her into the rear seat.
Rebecca moved toward the driver’s side.
Richard caught her arm.
There was no audio.
The two argued.
Rebecca pushed him.
Richard pointed angrily toward the building.
Then something unexpected happened.
He opened the rear door.
He leaned toward Emily.
Daniel watched closely.
Richard appeared to place something into her hand.
“What did he give her?” Daniel asked.
Marcus shook his head.
“Can’t tell.”
The video continued.
Rebecca got into the car.
Richard did not.
He stepped away.
The sedan left.
Daniel stared.
“He didn’t go with them.”
“No.”
Marcus moved the timeline forward.
“Now watch this.”
Three minutes later, another vehicle arrived.
A black SUV.
Richard entered it.
The SUV drove away.
Daniel paused.
“Can you identify the plate?”
“We’re working on it.”
Thomas pointed toward the screen.
“Go back.”
Marcus did.
Thomas enlarged the image of Richard.
“His coat.”
Daniel frowned.
“What about it?”
“There’s something in the pocket.”
Marcus zoomed.
A white rectangular object protruded from Richard’s coat.
An envelope.
Thomas whispered, “Catherine used envelopes like that.”
Daniel looked at him.
“What?”
“When she was investigating Bellweather, she kept documents in white archival envelopes with blue seals.”
Daniel remembered them.
Catherine had used them for insurance files too.
The memory hurt.
Marcus lowered the tablet.
“We’ve also got another problem.”
Daniel looked at him.
“What now?”
“The ceremony coordinator says Rebecca wants to move the wedding forward.”
“To when?”
“Three thirty.”
Daniel checked his phone.
2:52.
“She suddenly wants to marry thirty minutes early?”
“That’s what she told them.”
Thomas looked at Daniel.
“She knows.”
Daniel nodded.
“Or suspects.”
Marcus asked, “Do you want me to remove her from the property?”
Daniel considered it.
Every instinct demanded that he walk into Rebecca’s suite, confront her, and end the wedding.
But Emily’s evidence showed Rebecca was part of something larger.
Michael had warned him.
Rebecca is the part you can see.
Richard was back.
Bellweather Holdings had been paying people before Rebecca supposedly met him.
Catherine had investigated the same company before her death.
If Daniel ended everything now, Rebecca could disappear.
Richard could disappear.
Whoever controlled Bellweather could erase the rest.
“No,” Daniel said.
Thomas stared at him.
“You’re still having the wedding?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“What are you doing?”
Daniel looked toward the ballroom floors below.
“I’m letting Rebecca believe she still has a wedding.”
Marcus understood first.
“You want her to continue the plan.”
“I want to see who comes out of hiding.”
Thomas shook his head.
“That’s dangerous.”
“So was leaving Emily alone with her.”
Thomas accepted the rebuke silently.
Daniel turned to Marcus.
“Can you protect Noah?”
“Yes.”
“Can you keep the hotel cameras isolated from whoever compromised the system?”
“We can create a separate local network.”
“Do it.”
“And Rebecca?”
“Watch her.”
Thomas asked, “What about Emily?”
Daniel looked at Marcus.
“Take me to her.”
They left the stairwell and went one floor down.
Marcus led them through an employee-only corridor.
Near the housekeeping office, he stopped.
“Only you.”
Daniel entered alone.
Emily sat inside.
A bandage crossed her forehead.
Her shoulder-length brown hair was messy.
Her pale-blue dress was wrinkled.
When she saw him, she stood.
Daniel stopped in the doorway.
For a second, neither moved.
Then Emily crossed the room and threw her arms around him.
Daniel held his daughter.
Everything he had been controlling since Noah’s warning finally broke.
He pressed his face against her hair.
“I’m sorry.”
Emily shook her head.
“Dad.”
“I should’ve listened to you.”
“This isn’t the time.”
“I left you alone.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have.”
Emily pulled back.
Her eyes were red.
“Where’s Noah?”
“Safe.”
“Did he give you the USB?”
“Yes.”
“Did you watch everything?”
“Most of it.”
Emily nodded slowly.
“Then you know Rebecca isn’t working alone.”
Daniel stared at her.
“I saw Richard.”
Emily’s expression changed.
“You know?”
“Hotel footage.”
She sat down.
Daniel joined her.
Emily took something from her purse.
A white envelope.
Blue seal.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
“Richard gave you that.”
Emily stared.
“How did you know?”
“I saw the footage.”
She handed it to him.
“I thought Rebecca was taking me somewhere to scare me. Richard opened the door while she was getting into the car. He whispered one sentence.”
“What?”
Emily looked at her father.
“He said, ‘Tell Daniel Catherine was right.’”
Daniel opened the envelope.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Catherine.
Alive.
Standing beside Richard.
The date printed on the back was two days before Catherine’s fatal car accident.
Daniel turned it over.
May you like
Catherine had written four words in her handwriting.
DO NOT TRUST THE WILL.
