Chapter 7 - The Brother in the Photograph
The hidden transfer agreement Nina discovered changed everything.
It showed that the Lake Ashford development was never meant to succeed.
The land had been purchased through inflated deals, and the construction contracts routed money into companies connected to Continuum Biomedical.
The final destination was a private research facility in Switzerland.
The project was not a failed resort.
It was a financial pipeline.
Clara, Marcus, and Nina met with federal investigators the next morning.
The investigators were already familiar with Continuum Biomedical.
The company had appeared in cases involving hidden assets, illegal tissue transfers, falsified medical records, and private genetic databases.
“Why would Mercer Holdings send tens of millions to a biomedical firm?” Clara asked.
Agent Dana Reed closed the file.
“That is what we intend to discover.”
Dana was in her late forties, calm and direct. She had worked financial crimes for two decades.
“Is Arthur Mercer alive?” Clara asked.
Dana did not answer immediately.
“Arthur Mercer was declared legally dead after the crash.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
“We have no verified evidence that he survived.”
“What about Sebastian?”
Dana exchanged a glance with her partner.
“Sebastian Mercer disappeared shortly before Arthur’s plane went down.”
Clara leaned forward.
“You knew about him.”
“He was a person of interest in the original Mercer investigation.”
“For fraud?”
“For cooperating with investigators.”
Marcus frowned.
“Sebastian was a whistleblower?”
“Possibly. He contacted federal authorities claiming Arthur Mercer was moving money through medical research firms. Before he could provide the complete records, he disappeared.”
“And the plane crashed.”
“Yes.”
Clara thought of the anonymous messages.
“You believe Sebastian may still be alive.”
Dana closed the file.
“I believe someone with access to old Mercer records is trying to guide you.”
“Why not come forward?”
“Because that person may fear prosecution, retaliation, or both.”
After the meeting, Clara visited Chloe at the new safe location.
The independent doctor had performed a prenatal DNA test using a sample collected from Julian under court supervision.
The results would take several days.
Chloe sat near the window, dressed in loose gray clothing.
Her confidence had disappeared.
“I thought I was going to marry him,” she said.
Clara remained by the door.
“I know.”
“I pictured a house. A nursery. I believed he loved me.”
“Did you ever picture what happened to me?”
Chloe looked down.
“At first, he said you knew the marriage was over.”
“And when you realized I didn’t?”
“I told myself he would leave soon.”
Clara walked farther into the room.
“You helped him lie.”
“Yes.”
“You entered my home when I traveled.”
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
“You wore my robe.”
Chloe looked up sharply.
Clara had seen it folded among the maternity clothes in Evelyn’s house.
“I’m sorry.”
“I don’t need you to say that every five minutes.”
“What do you need?”
“The truth, even when it makes you look terrible.”
Chloe nodded slowly.
Clara placed the photograph of Arthur and Sebastian on the table.
“Have you seen either man?”
Chloe studied it.
“Arthur’s face was everywhere in Evelyn’s house when I first met Julian.”
“When you first met him?”
“She removed several photographs later.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know.”
Chloe pointed toward Sebastian.
“But I’ve seen him.”
Clara’s pulse quickened.
“Where?”
“At the clinic.”
“When?”
“During my first procedure. He was walking down a restricted hallway with Evelyn.”
“Are you certain?”
“He was older, but yes.”
“Did Julian see him?”
“No. Julian wasn’t there that day.”
Clara immediately called Marcus.
Before he answered, an alarm sounded in the hallway.
The security officer opened the door.
“We need to move.”
Smoke began drifting from the ventilation vent.
Chloe stood too quickly and grabbed her stomach.
Clara helped her.
“What happened?”
“Fire alarm.”
The officer guided them toward the emergency stairs.
Other guests moved through the corridor.
The smell of smoke grew stronger.
As they reached the stairwell, the lights failed.
Someone shoved Clara from behind.
She struck the wall.
Chloe screamed.
Clara turned and saw a man in a maintenance uniform pulling Chloe toward the service corridor.
Clara grabbed his sleeve.
He struck her across the face.
The security officer tackled him.
Chloe fell to the floor.
A second man appeared through the smoke.
He held a syringe.
Clara placed herself between him and Chloe.
The man raised the syringe.
A gunshot cracked through the corridor.
He dropped.
Dana Reed stood at the far end with her weapon raised.
“Federal agent! Get on the floor!”
The first attacker broke away and ran toward the stairs.
Dana’s partner pursued him.
Clara knelt beside Chloe.
“Are you hurt?”
Chloe shook violently.
“My stomach.”
Blood appeared beneath the hem of her clothing.
The ambulance arrived within minutes.
At the hospital, doctors rushed Chloe into an examination room.
Clara sat outside with dried blood on her cheek.
Dana approached.
“The man with the syringe survived. We recovered the contents.”
“What was it?”
“A drug that can trigger premature labor.”
Clara closed her eyes.
“They were trying to make her lose the baby.”
“Or force an emergency delivery.”
“Why?”
Dana looked toward the examination room.
“Because once that child is born, a DNA sample becomes easier to obtain.”
A nurse stepped into the hallway.
“Ms. Bennett?”
Clara stood.
“The baby is stable,” the nurse said. “But Ms. Hayes needs strict monitoring.”
Relief passed through Clara.
Then the nurse handed her a sealed evidence bag.
“This was taped beneath Ms. Hayes’s clothing. She said she didn’t put it there.”
Inside was a small metal key.
May you like
A paper tag was attached.
Mercer Estate. Basement Archive. Cabinet 1958.
