Chapter 13: The Last Person They Suspected
Darkness swallowed the room.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
The only sound was the faint crackling of dying flames inside the fireplace.
Then Noah screamed from upstairs.
“Grandma!””
Evelyn reacted instantly.
She moved toward the staircase, but Marcus grabbed the flashlight from the table and rushed ahead.
“I’m going.””
The beam of light cut through the darkness as he climbed the stairs.
“Dad!””
Noah’s voice trembled.
“I’m here.””
Marcus reached him within seconds.
The boy stood near his bedroom door, holding his blanket tightly.
“The power went out.””
Marcus knelt.
“It’s okay.””
But Noah wasn’t looking at the darkness.
He was looking past Marcus.
Toward the hallway.
“There was someone here.””
Marcus froze.
“What?””
“I heard footsteps.””
The words sent a chill through him.
Because the house was supposed to be locked.
Everyone was supposed to be downstairs.
Marcus looked down the hallway.
Empty.
But then he noticed something.
The door to Daniel’s old office was open.
Slowly, he walked toward it.
“Stay here.””
Noah nodded.
Marcus entered the office.
The room smelled like old books and cedar wood.
Nothing appeared disturbed.
Until he saw the desk.
The drawers were open.
Someone had searched through them.
He turned immediately.
“Mom!””
A moment later, Evelyn, Vanessa, Robert, Thomas, Adrian, and Charles gathered in the hallway.
Marcus pointed inside.
“Someone was looking for something.””
Charles’s expression changed.
“What?””
Marcus looked at him.
“You tell me.””
The accusation was sharp.
Charles didn’t respond.
Vanessa stepped closer.
“We need to find out what they took.””
Marcus looked at her.
“You mean what they’re still looking for.””
Nobody answered.
Because everyone knew.
The hidden evidence.
The truth Daniel died protecting.
Evelyn walked into the office.
Her eyes moved across the room.
Daniel’s books.
His chair.
His old writing desk.
She touched the surface gently.
“He spent months in here.””
Robert looked at her.
“He knew someone was watching him.””
Evelyn turned.
“You knew?””
Robert nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
Robert looked away.
“Because Daniel asked me not to.””
The sentence almost made her laugh.
Almost.
“Everyone keeps saying his name like that explains everything.””
Her voice cracked.
“Daniel asked me not to.””
She looked around.
“And somehow that became permission to let me live inside a lie.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Marcus found something.
A small piece of paper under the desk.
He picked it up.
A handwritten note.
Not Daniel’s handwriting.
Someone else’s.
He read it.
His face changed.
“What?””
Evelyn asked.
Marcus handed it to her.
The note said:
You were always too trusting, Evelyn.
Her blood ran cold.
Because only one person had called her by that name in that exact way.
Thomas.
She looked at her brother.
Everyone turned.
Thomas immediately shook his head.
“No.””
Marcus stared.
“You wrote this?””
“No.””
“But you know the handwriting.””
Thomas went silent.
That was enough.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Thomas.””
He closed his eyes.
“I know who wrote it.””
“Who?””
Thomas didn’t answer.
Charles suddenly spoke.
“Me.””
The room froze.
Marcus turned.
“You?””
Charles stepped forward.
“Yes.””
Evelyn stared.
“Why?””
Charles looked ashamed for the first time.
“Because Daniel asked me to.””
Everyone looked confused.
“What?””
Charles nodded.
“Twenty years ago, Daniel believed someone inside the family was being manipulated.””
He looked at Vanessa.
“She wasn’t the enemy.””
Then Thomas.
“He wasn’t either.””
Finally, Charles looked at Robert.
“And neither was he.””
Marcus frowned.
“Then who?””
Charles looked toward the dark hallway.
“The person Daniel feared most was the person nobody would suspect.””
The silence returned.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Who?””
Charles swallowed.
“Your brother.””
Everyone turned to Thomas.
Thomas’s face changed.
Not shock.
Pain.
Because he knew the moment had arrived.
Marcus stepped forward.
“Thomas?””
Thomas looked at Evelyn.
“I can explain.””
Evelyn shook her head slowly.
“No.””
Her voice was quiet.
“Not another explanation.””
Thomas looked broken.
“Evelyn…”
“Tell me the truth.””
A long pause.
Then Thomas whispered:
“I was the reason Daniel started investigating.””
The room went still.
Evelyn felt her heart sink.
“Why?””
Thomas looked down.
“Because I asked him for help.””
“With what?””
Thomas’s eyes filled.
“My mistakes.””
Robert looked away.
Charles continued.
“Thomas got involved with the people Daniel was investigating.””
Marcus stared.
“My uncle?””
Thomas nodded.
“I thought I could fix it.””
“And you couldn’t.””
“No.””
Thomas looked at Evelyn.
“I made it worse.””
Evelyn’s voice trembled.
“You almost destroyed my family.””
Thomas looked like the words physically hurt.
“I know.””
The confession was worse than denial.
Because it was real.
Marcus stepped back.
“So Dad wasn’t hiding from Vanessa.””
Thomas shook his head.
“No.””
“Or Robert.””
“No.””
“Or Charles.””
Thomas looked down.
“No.””
Marcus looked around the room.
“Then what was he hiding?””
Thomas answered quietly.
“Me.””
A phone suddenly rang.
Everyone jumped.
It came from the desk.
Daniel’s old phone.
The screen lit up.
One new message.
Marcus picked it up.
The message appeared.
Not from an unknown number.
From Daniel.
If Thomas finally told the truth, check the fireplace again.
Evelyn looked toward the fireplace.
Marcus frowned.
“We already opened it.””
Thomas whispered:
“No.””
May you like
Everyone looked at him.
“There was another compartment.””
