Chapter 7: The Brother Who Held Her Hostage
Daniel called Lily again.
Straight to voicemail.
He tried a third time, then a fourth, gripping the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. Each unanswered call drove the same image deeper into his mind: Lily alone somewhere with Christopher, unaware that the man who had stolen her inheritance might be capable of far worse.
“Give me the address,” Daniel demanded, turning toward Martin Cole.
“Where would Christopher take her?””
Cole closed his briefcase.
“If I knew that, I would already be there.””
“You were investigating my father’s death. You know these people. You know how they operate!””
“I know how they hide evidence. That doesn't mean I know where your brother takes his victims.””
Evelyn stood near the staircase, one hand pressed against her mouth.
“Daniel, please don't go after him alone.””
He turned toward her.
“He has Lily.””
“And if you walk into whatever trap he's prepared, he'll have both of you.””
Daniel looked at the recorder in his hand. His father's final message was the only evidence linking Christopher to the financial fraud, but it wasn't enough to prove murder.
Michael Reed had warned him not to send it electronically.
Christopher knew that.
Which meant his brother was desperate to obtain the original.
“Why does he need the recording?”” Daniel asked Cole.
The former investigator rubbed his jaw.
“Because it might contain something beyond the accusation against Christopher. Your father mentioned a confrontation, but the recording ended before he explained what happened. If your brother believes the rest of the conversation exists somewhere, he may think the recorder can lead him to it.””
Daniel remembered the abrupt bang that had interrupted the recording.
His father had been alive at 11:47 p.m.
By morning, he was dead.
“What if there was another recording?”” Daniel asked.
Cole's expression changed.
“You found something?””
“Not yet. But Dad was careful. He left the recorder in a locked cabinet, inside an envelope addressed to me. Maybe he made a backup.””
“Where?””
Daniel stared toward the garage.
Then he remembered the inscription on the envelope.
Open this when you're old enough to understand.
His father had intended him to find it eventually. Perhaps the envelope contained more than the recording.
Daniel returned to the garage, with Cole following close behind.
He searched the cabinet again, removing every document, photograph, and folded paper. Behind the metal back panel, he discovered a narrow compartment that he hadn't noticed before.
Inside lay a small brass key and a slip of paper.
The paper contained an address.
*Whitmore Storage — Unit 114.*
Beneath it, his father had written:
If Christopher finds out, trust Lily.
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“Storage unit,” he said.
“Dad left something there.””
Cole studied the note.
“Then we don't go straight to it. If Christopher knows about the unit, he'll be waiting.””
Daniel's phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
**Midnight. The old Riverside warehouse. Bring the recorder.
Come alone. If you involve the police, Lily dies.**
A photograph followed.
Lily sat on a metal chair in a dimly lit room, her wrists tied in front of her. A strip of tape covered her mouth. Behind her stood a man wearing a black jacket.
Daniel enlarged the image.
He recognized the watch on the man's wrist.
It belonged to Christopher.
Daniel's chest tightened.
“He's not bluffing.””
Cole leaned over his shoulder.
“The Riverside warehouse has been abandoned for years. There are several entrances, but only one road in and out.””
“Then we'll use that.””
“No.”” Cole shook his head.
“We'll approach from the river. There's an old service tunnel beneath the east loading dock.””
Daniel looked at him.
“How do you know that?””
“Because I investigated a disappearance there fifteen years ago.””
Evelyn appeared in the doorway.
“I'm coming with you.””
“Absolutely not,” Daniel said.
She lifted her chin.
“Your father hid things from me for years. I'm done standing aside while other people decide what happens to this family.””
Daniel wanted to argue.
Instead, he handed her the recorder.
“Keep this somewhere safe. If we don't come back, give it to Michael.””
Evelyn stared at the device.
“Daniel, please—”
He touched her shoulder.
“I need you to trust me.””
She nodded, though her eyes were full of fear.
At 11:35 p.m., Daniel and Cole reached the Riverside warehouse.
Rain hammered the roof of their car. Beyond the windshield, the building stood like a dark skeleton against the river, its broken windows reflecting distant streetlights.
Cole killed the headlights.
“We wait until midnight.””
Daniel watched the clock.
At 11:58, his phone vibrated.
A message from Christopher.
*Come inside. No tricks.*
Daniel stepped out into the rain.
Cole caught his arm.
“If you hear three knocks, get down. That's my signal.””
Daniel nodded and approached the loading dock.
The side door opened before he reached it.
Christopher stood inside, holding a pistol.
“Right on time,” he said.
Daniel's stomach dropped.
“Where's Lily?””
Christopher gestured toward the far end of the warehouse.
Lily sat tied to a chair beneath a hanging work light. Her face was bruised, but her eyes were open.
When she saw Daniel, she shook her head violently.
“Let her go,” Daniel said.
Christopher laughed.
“That's why you're here, isn't it? Always the hero. Always convinced you can save everyone.””
“You stole her money. You framed Mom. You killed Dad.””
Christopher's smile disappeared.
“Careful.””
“You threatened him the night before he died. The recording proves it.””
“The recording proves nothing. It proves I argued with him about money. That's not murder.””
“Then why do you want it?””
Christopher stepped closer.
“Because your father left out the most important part of the story.””
Daniel's pulse quickened.
“What part?””
“The part where he admits he was going to destroy all of us.””
Christopher motioned toward Lily.
“Your father wasn't the saint you remember. He built his company using money that belonged to the Ashfords. He hid it in accounts under false names. When Richard found out, he demanded repayment.””
“That's a lie.””
“Is it? Ask your mother.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Let Lily go.””
“Give me the recorder.””
“First, she walks out.””
Christopher tilted his head.
“You haven't changed, Daniel. You still believe you can negotiate with people who are smarter than you.””
He pulled a small remote from his pocket.
A red light blinked on a device attached to a support column.
Daniel's blood ran cold.
“What is that?””
“An insurance policy.””
Christopher's eyes were empty.
“If anything happens to me, the warehouse burns.””
“You've lost your mind.””
“No. I've finally stopped pretending that our family deserves saving.””
Lily struggled against her restraints.
Christopher turned toward her.
“Quiet.””
He struck the chair with the remote, and she recoiled.
Daniel took a step forward.
“Don't touch her.””
“Then give me the recorder.””
Daniel reached into his coat.
He held up the device Evelyn had given him.
Christopher's face brightened.
“There it is.””
Daniel tossed it across the floor.
Christopher bent to retrieve it.
That was when three sharp knocks echoed from the eastern wall.
Cole's signal.
Daniel lunged toward Lily.
Christopher spun around and raised the pistol.
“STOP!””
A gunshot exploded through the warehouse.
Daniel felt a sharp impact against his shoulder and crashed into the chair beside Lily.
She screamed through the tape.
Christopher stood frozen, staring at the gun in his hand.
Blood spread across Daniel's shirt.
“Daniel?”” Lily gasped as he tore the tape from her mouth.
He pressed his uninjured hand against the wound.
“Run.””
But Lily didn't move.
Instead, she looked past him toward the doorway.
A second figure had entered the warehouse.
Someone Christopher hadn't expected.
Someone whose face made his expression collapse into naked terror.
“Hello, Christopher,” the newcomer said.
“It's been a long time since we finished what your father started.””
Daniel looked up through the pain.
And recognized the man from the hospital photograph.
May you like
The man who had supposedly died twenty years ago.
His father.
