Chapter 7: The Man Outside the Boathouse
“Don't move,” Andrew whispered.
Daniel's voice came again from outside.
“Sophia? I know you're in there.””
Andrew reached beneath the workbench and pulled out a small metal case.
“What are you doing?”” I whispered.
“Getting us out.””
“Andrew, that's my husband outside.””
“I know exactly who he is.””
He opened the case and removed a second phone.
I stared at it.
“How long have you been planning this?””
“Long enough.””
Outside, Daniel knocked three times.
“Sophia, sweetheart. We need to talk.””
I almost laughed.
Sweetheart.
He had called me that while secretly maintaining another woman, stealing from my company, and arranging documents with a dead man's signature.
Now he was standing outside a boathouse in the middle of the night, pretending to be concerned.
Andrew moved toward the back door.
“There's an old service path behind the trees. It leads to the lake road.””
“What about Daniel?””
“Let him wait.””
I grabbed Andrew's arm.
“No. I'm done running.””
He looked at me.
“Sophia, this isn't about pride.””
“I'm not leaving you here.””
Before he could answer, Daniel's voice changed.
“Andrew, I know you're in there.””
My brother froze.
A cold silence settled over the room.
Daniel laughed softly.
“You really should have stayed dead.””
Andrew's jaw tightened.
I looked at him.
“He knows?””
“He always knew.””
My stomach dropped.
“What?””
Andrew reached for my hand.
“There's something I didn't tell you.””
The front door handle moved.
“Andrew,” Daniel called, “you've caused enough trouble.””
Then another voice joined him.
“Open the door, Sophia.””
I recognized it immediately.
Renee.
I felt as if someone had poured ice water down my back.
Andrew stepped in front of me.
“Stay behind me.””
I couldn't speak.
The woman who had helped me investigate Daniel was standing outside with him.
The woman who had sat beside me through my father's funeral.
The woman who had promised to protect me.
Daniel knocked again.
“Come on, Sophia. Don't make this difficult.””
Andrew leaned close.
“There's a trapdoor under the storage cabinet.””
I stared at him.
“You knew they were coming?””
“I suspected.””
He pushed the cabinet aside.
Beneath it was a narrow wooden hatch.
“Go.””
“What about you?””
“I'm right behind you.””
I hesitated.
Andrew grabbed my shoulders.
“Listen to me. If they get you, they get the company. If they get me, they get the evidence. We cannot let them have both.””
A heavy blow struck the front door.
I climbed through the hatch.
Andrew followed, closing it above us.
We crawled through a narrow passage beneath the boathouse.
The air smelled of damp earth and gasoline.
Behind us, the front door crashed open.
Daniel shouted.
“Find them!””
A second voice answered.
“Check the back!””
Andrew pulled me forward.
We emerged near the lake, behind a row of old trees.
Rain had begun falling.
A black SUV was parked beside the service road.
Andrew unlocked it.
“Get in.””
I climbed into the passenger seat.
He started the engine.
As we pulled away, I looked through the rear window.
Daniel stood outside the boathouse.
He wasn't shouting anymore.
He was smiling.
Then he raised his phone and held it against his ear.
Mine rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
Daniel's voice came through.
“You really should have listened to me at the restaurant.””
I stared at the road ahead.
“What do you want?””
“The same thing I've always wanted.””
“Money?””
He chuckled.
“No, Sophia. Money is just the tool.””
“Then what?””
“Control.””
I looked at Andrew.
He was watching the road, his hands tight around the steering wheel.
Daniel continued.
“Your father understood something you never did. People don't inherit power because they deserve it. They inherit it because someone lets them.””
“What does that have to do with me?””
“Everything.””
He paused.
“Ask your brother why he was willing to disappear.””
I felt Andrew stiffen.
“What are you talking about?””
“Ask him what he promised me before the accident.””
The call ended.
I turned toward Andrew.
“What did you promise Daniel?””
He didn't answer.
“Andrew.””
He kept driving.
Finally, he said, “I agreed to give him access to one of Dad's dormant investment accounts.””
“Why?””
“Because he threatened you.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“He had photographs. Information about your movements. He knew where you went, who you met, when you were alone.””
My throat tightened.
“You never told me.””
“I thought I could control the situation.””
“You couldn't.””
“I know.””
I looked out the window.
For years, I had believed the people around me were protecting me.
Now I was beginning to understand that they had been making deals with the people who wanted to destroy me.
We reached a small roadside motel just before midnight.
Andrew parked behind the building.
“Stay here. I'll check us in.””
I grabbed his sleeve.
“No more secrets.””
He looked at me.
“I promise.””
We entered through a side door.
The receptionist barely looked up.
Andrew paid cash and requested two rooms.
Once inside, he locked the door and placed his metal case on the bed.
“There's something you need to see.””
He removed a laptop and inserted the memory card.
A series of folders appeared.
Financial records.
Emails.
Photographs.
Audio files.
One folder was labeled:
*THE ORIGINAL AGREEMENT.*
Andrew opened it.
A scanned document appeared.
It was a contract signed by my father, Martin, and Daniel.
The date was eight years earlier.
Three weeks before my wedding.
I leaned closer.
“What is this?””
Andrew looked at me.
“Your marriage was part of the agreement.””
I felt my stomach turn.
“No.””
“I'm sorry.””
“Daniel married me because of a contract?””
“Not exactly. But he knew what he stood to gain.””
I read the document.
There was a clause concerning the transfer of certain trust assets upon my marriage.
Another clause involved Daniel receiving executive authority after five years.
Then I reached the final page.
A handwritten note was attached.
It read:
*If Sophia discovers the arrangement, activate contingency plan.*
I looked at Andrew.
“Who wrote this?””
He pointed to the signature.
My father's name.
I shook my head.
“Dad wouldn't do this to me.””
Andrew closed the laptop.
“Sophia, there's something else.””
He removed a small envelope from the metal case.
Inside was a photograph of my father standing beside a woman.
A woman I had never seen before.
On the back, in my father's handwriting, were five words.
*Your mother knows the truth.*
I stared at the photograph.
May you like
My mother had died when I was twelve.
And suddenly, I wasn't sure I had ever known my family at all.
