Chapter 6: The House of Forgotten Names
Trevor didn't raise his weapon.
He didn't shout.
He simply stood beneath the streetlight, staring at me.
For the first time since I had entered Ashborne, I saw something in his expression that didn't look like anger.
It looked like recognition.
"Kendra," he said.
I kept my weapon trained on him.
"Stay where you are.""
He looked at Michael.
"You really brought her here?""
Michael stepped in front of me.
"Leave her alone.""
Trevor laughed bitterly.
"You're still playing the hero?""
"Someone has to.""
Trevor shook his head.
"You have no idea what she is.""
I felt my jaw tighten.
"Then tell me.""
He looked at me.
"You're the reason our mother disappeared.""
The words hit harder than I expected.
"Our mother?""
Trevor's eyes narrowed.
"Elizabeth.""
I stared at him.
"You called her that.""
"That's her name.""
"She's my mother.""
Trevor looked away.
"She was mine too.""
Michael stepped closer.
"Trevor, stop.""
Trevor ignored him.
"She had two children. One she kept. One she gave away.""
I couldn't breathe.
"You're saying she abandoned you?""
He gave a bitter smile.
"No. I'm saying she tried to save you from us.""
"From who?""
He pointed toward the burning building.
"From our father. From Brennan. From every man who believed Ashborne belonged to them.""
I lowered my weapon slightly.
"Then why are you protecting them?""
Trevor's expression hardened.
"Because you don't understand what happens when people start digging into the past.""
Michael opened the car door.
"Enough. We're leaving.""
Trevor reached for his radio.
"Units, block the east road.""
Daniel raised his weapon.
"Don't touch that radio.""
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Trevor slowly removed his hand.
"Fine.""
He looked at me one last time.
"Go to the house, Kendra. Find what you think you're looking for.""
I frowned.
"You're letting me go?""
He smiled.
"No.""
His gaze shifted toward Michael.
"I'm letting you see what your brother has been hiding.""
Michael's face changed.
Trevor stepped back toward his cruiser.
"Ask him about January 17, 1994.""
Then he climbed inside and drove away.
Daniel looked at Michael.
"What happened that day?""
Michael didn't answer.
He simply started the sedan.
We drove through the eastern part of Ashborne, past darkened storefronts and empty residential streets.
The town seemed different at night.
Less welcoming.
More watchful.
Curtains shifted as we passed. Porch lights flickered on. A dog barked behind a wooden fence.
I sat in the back seat with the photograph in my hands.
My father.
Robert Rock.
My brother.
Trevor.
My mother.
Twelve years of questions had become a thousand more.
Daniel turned toward Michael.
"Where exactly are we going?""
"Elizabeth's house.""
"Is it safe?""
Michael gave a humorless laugh.
"Nothing in Ashborne is safe.""
Twenty minutes later, we stopped in front of a small white house on the edge of town.
The paint was peeling.
The front porch sagged slightly.
A wooden swing hung from one chain.
I recognized it from the few childhood photographs my mother had kept.
"She lived here?""
Michael nodded.
"For six months before she disappeared.""
I looked through the window.
The curtains were drawn.
"Who owns it now?""
"No one.""
"How is that possible?""
"Your mother left the property in a trust. The county never managed to transfer the title.""
Daniel checked the perimeter.
"Stay behind me.""
Michael unlocked the front door.
The smell of dust and old wood greeted us.
Inside, everything looked as though someone had simply walked away.
A coat hung behind the door.
A coffee mug sat beside the kitchen sink.
On the mantelpiece was a photograph of my mother holding me as a baby.
I approached it.
Her smile was genuine.
Her eyes were tired.
I touched the glass.
"She was happy here.""
Michael stood behind me.
"For a while.""
I turned.
"What happened?""
He looked toward the hallway.
"Your father came to visit.""
"When?""
"January 17, 1994.""
The date Trevor had mentioned.
I swallowed.
"What happened that night?""
Michael walked to the fireplace.
He crouched and removed a loose wooden panel beneath the mantel.
Inside was a small envelope.
He handed it to me.
My name was written across the front.
Kendra.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
My darling girl,
If you're reading this, it means someone has finally told you the truth about your father.
I wanted to tell you myself. I wanted to explain everything when you were old enough to understand.
But there are people who believe blood gives them ownership over other human beings.
Your father was one of them.
I paused.
Daniel stood beside me.
I continued reading.
Robert was not the man I thought he was. He used his badge to build something terrible. He believed he could control everyone around him, including our children.
When I discovered what he had done to Rebecca, I knew I had to leave.
I took you away because I could not save both of you.
My hands began shaking.
I looked at Michael.
"What does she mean?""
He stared at the floor.
"Keep reading.""
The next paragraph was shorter.
Trevor was never supposed to become like his father. But Robert made sure he learned the wrong lessons.
Michael knows where the original records are hidden.
Trust him only if he tells you what happened on the night I was arrested.
I lowered the letter.
"Michael.""
He didn't move.
"Why were you there?""
He rubbed his face.
"Because I was the one who called the police.""
Silence filled the room.
I stared at him.
"You reported my mother?""
He nodded.
"Your father told me she was stealing government documents. He said she was dangerous.""
"And you believed him?""
"I was seventeen.""
"You were old enough to know what you were doing.""
"I know.""
His voice cracked.
"I've regretted it every day since.""
I looked at the letter again.
The final paragraph was written in a different ink.
One more thing, Kendra.
If Trevor tells you that he killed Robert, do not believe him.
I froze.
Daniel leaned closer.
"What?""
I turned the paper toward him.
He read the sentence twice.
Before either of us could speak, a noise came from upstairs.
A floorboard creaked.
Daniel immediately raised his weapon.
"Federal agents! Come downstairs!""
Nothing.
Then a woman's voice answered.
"Daniel?""
He went completely still.
I looked at him.
"Who is that?""
His face had lost all its color.
The voice came again.
"Daniel, sweetheart. It's Mom.""
Daniel lowered his weapon.
"No.""
He took one step toward the staircase.
Then another.
I grabbed his arm.
"Daniel, wait.""
He looked at me with tears forming in his eyes.
"My mother died eight years ago.""
A figure appeared at the top of the stairs.
An older woman.
Gray hair.
A pale face.
And a small scar beneath her right eye.
Daniel whispered her name.
"Margaret?""
The woman looked directly at him.
Then she looked at me.
And she said something that made the letter fall from my hands.
"Elizabeth is alive, Kendra.""
She took one step down.
"But she's not the only person your father kept hidden.""
Behind her, another figure emerged from the darkness.
A young woman.
Her face was familiar.
I had seen it in the photograph from the café.
Emily Carter.
The missing woman.
She looked at me with frightened eyes.
Then she whispered:
"Agent Hayes, your mother told me to give you something.""
She held up a small black recording device.
"Your father didn't die.""
And before I could ask another question, she pressed PLAY.
A man's voice filled the house.
May you like
Robert Rock.
"Begin the operation. The daughter must be brought home before she learns who really killed her mother.""
