Chapter 13 - THE LAST TRUSTEE
Police issued warrants for Evelyn Collins.
Her home was empty.
Her bank accounts had been drained two days earlier.
Her passport was gone.
But Emily insisted Evelyn was not the entire answer.
“She hated the program.”
“She kidnapped Lily,” Sarah said.
“To trade her.”
“That doesn’t make her better.”
“No.”
Emily looked exhausted.
“But Evelyn spent years trying to get out.”
Daniel asked, “How do you know?”
“She contacted me.”
“When?”
“Eight years ago.”
Sarah stared.
“You’ve been talking to her for eight years?”
“Sometimes.”
“And you never told us?”
“I couldn’t.”
Sarah laughed sharply.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
Emily flinched.
Sarah immediately regretted it.
But she did not apologize.
Not yet.
Too many people had made decisions for her.
Emily continued.
“Evelyn said Robert had created successor trustees.”
“Who?”
“She didn’t know all of them.”
“Then why take Lily?”
“To force Voss to surrender the index.”
Sarah shook her head.
“She could have called me.”
“She believed your phone was monitored.”
“It was.”
“She believed police were compromised.”
“They were.”
Sarah hated that Evelyn’s paranoia had been correct.
Torres entered from the stairwell.
“We have a location.”
“Evelyn?”
“Robert.”
The coordinates from his recording led to a private airfield outside the county.
“Too obvious,” Emily said.
Torres agreed.
“It’s probably a trap.”
Sarah looked at her.
“Then why go?”
“Because traps still contain information.”
Police approached the airfield at dusk.
Sarah remained in a command vehicle.
This time she did not argue.
She had Lily sitting beside her.
No one was separating them again.
Daniel and Emily watched another monitor.
The hangar was empty.
Inside sat a black sedan.
On the hood was a red envelope addressed to Sarah.
Bomb technicians cleared it.
Torres brought it to the vehicle.
Inside was a photograph.
Patricia tied to a chair.
Sarah stared.
Daniel whispered, “Dad has Mom.”
The back contained a handwritten message.
SHE FAILED THE FAMILY.
Sarah looked at Torres.
“Robert kidnapped Patricia?”
“It appears that way.”
Emily said, “He’s eliminating liabilities.”
The next item was a phone.
It rang.
Sarah answered.
Robert.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
“Where is she?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes.”
“That’s touching.”
Sarah gripped the phone.
“You attacked Lily.”
“No.”
“You restrained her.”
“Yes.”
“You hurt her.”
“I questioned her.”
“You fractured her face.”
Robert paused.
“No.”
Sarah looked at Emily.
“What?”
Robert’s voice became colder.
“When I left that room, Lily was conscious.”
Sarah remembered the video.
Robert leaving with the red box.
Patricia arriving.
Then Voss.
The ninety-one-second gap.
“Mom said you came back.”
“Patricia lies beautifully when frightened.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
“Who hit Lily?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I know Patricia slapped her. I know Voss entered. I know a fourth person entered during the camera interruption.”
Sarah sat up.
“A fourth person?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
“That is what I’m trying to discover.”
Sarah looked at Torres.
She was signaling technicians to trace the call.
Robert continued.
“Evelyn thinks I ordered Lily’s transfer. Patricia thinks Evelyn did. Voss thinks someone inside the new board revived the program.”
“New board?”
Robert laughed softly.
“You really believed a system this profitable ended because one summer camp closed?”
Sarah felt cold.
“How many children?”
“Not my concern anymore.”
“You made it your concern.”
“I built something. Others improved it.”
“Where is Patricia?”
“With people she trusted more than she trusted me.”
Sarah frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your mother was preparing to replace me.”
Emily whispered, “Successor trustees.”
Robert heard nothing.
Sarah asked, “Who is on the new board?”
“I can give you one name.”
“Why would you?”
“Because that person tried to kill me.”
Sarah almost laughed.
“You want my help.”
“I want equilibrium.”
“You want survival.”
“That too.”
“Name.”
Robert said two words.
“Michael Collins.”
Sarah stared.
Daniel frowned.
Emily went motionless.
Sarah whispered, “Who?”
Robert seemed pleased.
“Exactly.”
The call ended.
Sarah looked between Daniel and Emily.
“Who is Michael Collins?”
Neither answered.
May you like
Finally Emily sat down.
“Our brother.”
