Chapter 2 - The Brother Nobody Mentioned
Emily survived the crash.
Barely.
For forty-seven minutes, Richard stood outside Trauma Room Three while doctors stabilized her.
Alan Mercer remained inside.
Richard watched through the narrow glass window.
Wrong brother.
The words repeated inside his head.
Alan Mercer had two brothers.
Daniel was the older one.
The initials on the fabric belonged to Daniel Charles Mercer.
But there had once been another brother.
Michael.
Richard had not thought about Michael Mercer for nearly twenty years.
Most people believed Michael was dead.
Richard had attended the funeral.
There had been a flag.
An empty coffin.
Richard suddenly remembered that detail.
Empty.
Michael Mercer had served intelligence operations overseas.
His helicopter had supposedly gone down over mountainous terrain.
No recoverable remains.
Only identification tags and fragments of aircraft.
Richard had accepted it because soldiers learned to accept the unacceptable.
Now he wondered whether that had been a mistake.
Detective Claire Watkins approached.
"We pulled the hospital surveillance."
Richard turned.
"And?"
"The van that dropped Emily behind the parking garage had stolen plates."
"Driver?"
"Baseball cap. Mask."
"Build?"
"Male. Approximately six feet."
"That describes half of Illinois."
Claire studied him.
"You recognized the initials."
"So did Alan."
"Who is Daniel Mercer?"
"A businessman."
"That's all?"
"No."
Richard looked through the window toward Emily.
"He's a man I should have killed seventeen years ago."
Claire frowned.
"That's a sentence I'm going to need explained."
Richard walked toward the waiting area.
Seventeen years earlier, Daniel Mercer had worked as a civilian contractor supplying equipment to military logistics units.
Richard had been stationed in Europe.
Several shipments vanished.
Medical supplies.
Encrypted radios.
Armor components.
Then weapons.
An internal investigation began.
Richard discovered documentation linking Daniel to the missing shipments.
Before Richard could submit his report, the evidence disappeared.
Three witnesses changed their statements.
One resigned.
Another died in a car accident.
Richard's commanding officer told him to let it go.
Richard refused.
Then Katherine received photographs of Emily leaving school.
Richard understood the message.
He still submitted the report.
But Daniel was never charged.
The investigation was sealed.
Richard was transferred.
A year later, Daniel left government contracting and built a fortune in commercial development.
Claire stared at him.
"You think Daniel threatened your family?"
"I know he did."
"Did you tell anyone?"
"I told the Army."
"And?"
"They told me there was insufficient evidence."
"Why didn't you tell Emily?"
"Because she was fourteen."
Claire lowered her voice.
"And Michael?"
Richard looked at her.
"He was Daniel's younger brother."
"What did he do?"
"Worked military intelligence."
"And died?"
"Supposedly."
Claire noticed the word.
"Supposedly?"
Richard took out his phone.
He searched an old contact.
Colonel Samuel Reed.
Retired.
Reed answered immediately.
"Richard?"
"I need a question answered."
"At this hour?"
"Michael Mercer."
Silence.
Richard walked farther from Claire.
"Sam?"
"I heard about Emily."
Richard stopped.
"How?"
"The veterans network moves fast."
"No. It doesn't move that fast."
Silence again.
Richard's voice became cold.
"How did you know about Emily?"
Reed exhaled.
"Richard, there are things you don't understand."
"I asked one question."
"Michael Mercer is dead."
"Did you see his body?"
"No."
"Did anyone?"
"Richard."
"Did anyone?"
"I don't know."
Richard's grip tightened.
"Then don't tell me he's dead."
Reed's voice dropped.
"You need to stop asking about Michael."
Richard almost laughed.
"Seventeen years ago, you told me to stop asking about Daniel."
"That was different."
"Was it?"
"Your daughter is alive."
"Because somebody allowed her to be."
Silence.
Richard closed his eyes.
"You know something."
Reed did not deny it.
Then he said, "Leave the hospital."
"What?"
"Take Emily when she's stable and leave Chicago."
"Why?"
"Because whoever did this wasn't trying to kill her."
Richard stared through the glass.
"How do you know?"
Reed answered after several seconds.
"Because dead people can't deliver messages."
The call ended.
Richard looked at the screen.
Claire had heard enough to understand the danger.
"Who was that?"
"Someone who just made himself part of the investigation."
Before she could answer, Alan Mercer walked out of Trauma Room Three.
"She's stable."
Richard moved toward him.
"Can I see her?"
"For a minute."
Richard entered.
Emily's eyes remained closed.
Machines surrounded her.
Richard sat beside her.
He took her hand carefully.
"I'm here, Em."
Her fingers moved.
Richard leaned forward.
Her eyes opened slightly.
"Dad."
"Don't talk."
"Drawer."
"What?"
"Drawer."
"Which drawer?"
Her breathing changed.
"The house."
"Your house?"
Emily nodded weakly.
"Kitchen."
Richard squeezed her hand.
"What am I looking for?"
Her eyes filled with fear.
"Nathan doesn't know."
May you like
Then she whispered something that froze him.
"But his mother does."
