Chapter 9 - what celeste was really afraid of)
Nathan Vale surrendered without resistance.
Police found him sitting beside the cold fireplace with a loaded pistol on the table and a photograph of Celeste in his hand.
He asked for one thing.
To speak to Ava.
Detective Walsh refused at first.
Ava insisted.
The meeting took place through reinforced glass at the police station.
Nathan was sixty-one.
Gray hair.
Exhausted eyes.
The compass tattoo showed beneath his sleeve.
Ava picked up the phone.
Nathan did the same.
"You knew my great-uncle."
His expression changed.
"Thomas."
"Yes."
"I never met him."
"Then why were you hiding in his cabin?"
Nathan looked down.
"Because Celeste told me nobody went there anymore."
Ava's pulse quickened.
"Where is she?"
"I don't know."
"Is she alive?"
He closed his eyes.
"She was when I last saw her."
"When?"
"The night Owen was outside."
"After the party?"
"Yes."
"Why did she disappear?"
"Because Sebastian told her he was finished using her."
Ava stared.
"Using her?"
Nathan looked at her through the glass.
"You think my niece married Julian because Sebastian recruited her."
"Didn't he?"
"Not at first."
Ava waited.
Nathan continued.
"Celeste met Julian on her own. She wanted his life. The house. The name. The money. Sebastian approached her after the engagement."
"And offered what?"
"Information."
"About the trust?"
"Yes."
Ava felt disgust.
"Then they planned to remove me as trustee."
"At first."
"At first?"
Nathan nodded.
"Sebastian's plan changed when he learned Richard's reason for creating the trust."
Ava leaned closer.
"The Bennett connection."
Nathan's eyes sharpened.
"You know."
"We found the DNA records."
"Then you understand why Sebastian became obsessed."
"I understand why he was angry."
"No."
Nathan shook his head.
"You don't."
Ava remained silent.
"Sebastian did not care that Julian wasn't Richard's son. He cared that Richard knew."
Ava frowned.
"What difference does that make?"
"Richard let Sebastian believe blood mattered."
Nathan's voice became bitter.
"He praised him for carrying the Mercer name. He told him he would inherit the company. Then at the end he gave control to the child of a man who wasn't even a Mercer."
"Owen."
"Yes."
"But Owen is three. This isn't his fault."
"Sebastian does not think in terms of fault. He thinks in terms of correction."
Ava hated the word.
"What was Phase Two?"
Nathan's face tightened.
For the first time he looked frightened.
"Where is Owen?"
"Safe."
"With whom?"
"Answer me."
Nathan glanced toward the camera in the corner.
"Phase One was destroying your credibility."
"I know."
"Phase Two was destroying Julian's."
"How?"
"An incident at your home. Owen would be injured. Evidence would indicate Julian had ignored repeated warnings about a security risk."
Ava felt sick.
"And me?"
"You would react."
"What does that mean?"
"They knew you would accuse Julian publicly. They wanted both biological parents appearing unstable and negligent."
"Then Celeste petitions for guardianship."
Nathan nodded.
"Temporarily."
"Long enough to control the trust."
"That was the legal theory."
Ava stared.
"What was supposed to happen to Owen after that?"
Nathan did not answer.
Ava's blood ran cold.
"What was supposed to happen?"
Nathan looked at her.
"Sebastian said the boy would be sent somewhere quiet."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You helped put him in that room."
Shame crossed Nathan's face.
"I was told they were recording rehearsals for a custody evaluation."
"You watched them freeze him."
"I stopped it."
"You participated."
"Yes."
The answer came without defense.
Ava hated him more for that honesty.
"Why?"
Nathan looked at the photograph in his hands.
"Celeste."
"Your niece?"
"Her mother died young. I raised her for several years."
"And that excuses this?"
"No."
"Then why?"
"Sebastian had evidence tying me to Northstar."
Ava frowned.
"The illegal DNA testing."
"That was only part of it."
"What else?"
Nathan's eyes filled with fear.
"Northstar did not shut down because of unauthorized testing."
"What happened?"
"We found something."
"About Julian?"
"About several families."
"Which families?"
Nathan leaned toward the glass.
"We were hired by wealthy clients to verify paternity, inherited disease risk, family lineage. But some samples showed alterations we could not explain."
Ava stared.
"Alterations?"
"Someone had manipulated medical records. Switched samples. Changed parentage results."
"Why?"
"To redirect inheritances."
The implication was enormous.
Ava whispered, "Fraud."
"Across generations."
"Who?"
"We never proved it."
"Sebastian?"
"No. This began before he was born."
"Richard?"
Nathan closed his eyes.
"I don't know."
Ava thought of Owen.
"Was his DNA tested?"
Nathan opened his eyes.
"Yes."
Her stomach dropped.
"When?"
"At birth."
"We never authorized that."
"Richard did."
Ava stood so quickly the chair scraped backward.
Nathan lifted his hand.
"Listen."
Ava remained standing.
"What did the test show?"
Nathan hesitated.
"A result Richard expected."
"What result?"
Before he could answer, an alarm sounded in the corridor.
Detective Walsh appeared behind Ava and yanked open the door.
"We're done."
"What happened?"
"Security breach."
Nathan suddenly stood.
"What kind?"
Walsh looked through the glass.
His face went white.
"Celeste."
Ava turned.
"What?"
Nathan shouted through the glass.
"If she found the archive, Sebastian will kill her."
Walsh froze.
"What archive?"
Nathan grabbed the phone again.
"The Northstar master archive."
"Where is it?"
May you like
Nathan stared directly at Ava.
"Inside Richard Mercer's grave."
