Chapter 8 - the man with Walter’s face
The nursing facility went into emergency lockdown.
Security guards sealed the doors.
Naomi pulled Evelyn away from the window.
Walter remained frozen.
Outside, Adrian spoke to the man who had stepped from the driver’s side.
The stranger was close to Walter’s age.
He had the same height.
The same silver hair.
The same narrow eyes.
Even from a distance, the resemblance was undeniable.
Walter approached the glass.
“Daniel.”
The stranger looked directly at him.
Then he smiled.
Pierce joined them.
“Do you know that man?”
“He is my brother.”
“You said your brother died,” Evelyn whispered.
Walter did not look at her.
“That is what my father told me.”
Adrian raised a phone.
Walter’s phone rang.
He answered through the speaker.
Daniel’s voice filled the lobby.
“Hello, little brother.”
Walter gripped the device.
“Where is Margaret?”
“Safe.”
“And Caroline?”
“Safer than she has been in years.”
Evelyn stepped closer.
“Let me speak to my mother.”
Daniel looked through the glass at her.
“You have her eyes.”
“Where is she?”
“Ask Walter why she had to disappear.”
Evelyn turned.
Walter’s face was filled with pain.
“I don’t know.”
Daniel laughed.
“You always were the obedient one.”
“What do you want?” Walter demanded.
“The ledger and the amendment.”
“You’ll never get them.”
“Then Margaret and Caroline remain hidden.”
Naomi took the phone.
“Your legal authority over Jane Mercer was obtained under a false identity.”
Daniel studied her through the window.
“You must be Naomi Reed.”
“You know me?”
“I know everyone Walter trusts.”
The emergency lights flickered.
Adrian moved toward the electrical panel outside.
Naomi spoke quickly to Pierce.
“Is there another exit?”
“The basement loading dock.”
They hurried toward the rear stairwell.
Walter remained behind.
“Come with us,” Evelyn said.
“He wants me.”
“He wants the documents.”
“He will follow if I stay.”
Evelyn grabbed his arm.
“Mia needs her grandfather.”
The words reached him.
Walter followed.
They descended into the basement and crossed a dimly lit corridor.
At the loading dock, Naomi stopped.
The door was open.
Trevor stood beside Walter’s car.
“Get in,” he said.
Walter moved toward him angrily.
“You knew about Daniel.”
“I knew someone was using the name. I didn’t know he was your brother.”
“You hid Margaret from me.”
“She was terrified of you.”
Walter looked wounded.
Trevor opened the passenger door.
“We can argue while driving.”
Evelyn hesitated.
“Why should we trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It’s the only honest answer I’ve given you.”
Voices echoed in the corridor.
Adrian’s men had entered the basement.
Naomi pushed Evelyn toward the car.
They drove away seconds before the loading dock closed.
Trevor took narrow roads through the countryside.
“Where are we going?” Walter asked.
“To the lake house.”
“The one where Margaret disappeared?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because that is where she hid the original amendment.”
Naomi stared at him.
“You said you wanted the amendment.”
“I wanted to destroy it.”
“Why?”
Trevor looked at Evelyn in the rearview mirror.
“Because it proves I was never entitled to the Hale inheritance.”
Walter’s expression changed.
“What are you talking about?”
“Margaret told me I was not your biological son.”
Silence filled the car.
Walter looked out the window.
“I don’t believe you.”
“She said Daniel was my father.”
Evelyn remembered the message on the photograph.
Caroline knows the truth about both boys.
Trevor continued.
“Daniel had an affair with Margaret. When she became pregnant, he disappeared. Your father forced her to marry you.”
Walter’s hands curled into fists.
“That’s a lie.”
“Maybe. But Margaret believed it.”
“Why would she tell you?”
“Because I found her.”
Trevor turned onto a dirt road.
“She had spent years hiding from Daniel. She said he wanted control of the Bellmere Foundation because it held evidence of his financial crimes.”
“And Caroline?” Evelyn asked.
“She helped Margaret disappear.”
“Why was my mother declared dead?”
“Daniel threatened you.”
Evelyn felt the answer before Trevor spoke it.
“Caroline chose to vanish to keep you alive.”
The lake appeared ahead.
An abandoned house stood among the trees.
Trevor stopped the car.
“The documents are inside.”
Naomi examined the property.
“You could be leading us into a trap.”
“I am.”
Walter turned toward him.
“What?”
Trevor looked at the road behind them.
May you like
A line of dark vehicles emerged between the trees.
“Daniel followed us.”
