Chapter 13: The Father Who Never Died
I read the photograph's details three times.
My father.
Standing outside St. Vincent's hospital on the night Patricia died.
The same father whose funeral I had attended twenty-two years earlier.
The same father whose coffin I had watched lowered into the ground.
The same father whose death had supposedly brought our family together.
I looked at Detective Mitchell.
“Are you telling me my father is alive?””
She didn't answer immediately.
“We're telling you that the death certificate issued under his name contains inconsistencies. The attending physician's signature doesn't match the hospital's records. The funeral home also has no independent identification report.””
I shook my head.
“I saw the coffin.””
“Was it open?””
“No.””
“Did you personally identify the body?””
I couldn't answer.
I remembered that day.
The funeral had been arranged quickly. My mother had been devastated. Andrew had barely spoken. Richard Hale had handled the legal paperwork.
And I had been too heartbroken to question anything.
Detective Mitchell continued.
“Your father's estate was transferred into probate within forty-eight hours of his reported death. That's unusually fast under the circumstances.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Dad, what if Grandpa didn't die?””
I stared at the photograph.
“Then where has he been for twenty-two years?””
Detective Mitchell placed another photograph on the table.
This one showed a man entering a private medical facility in North Carolina.
His hair was white.
His shoulders were bent.
But I recognized the face.
My father.
The date was three months earlier.
I stepped backward.
“Where did you get this?””
“It came from a confidential source connected to the investigation.””
I studied the photograph.
My father had been alive.
All this time.
While Andrew stole from the company.
While my mother died.
While Patricia died.
While I built a business and raised my son.
And while someone nearly killed me.
I felt an anger unlike anything I had experienced before.
“Where is he?””
Detective Mitchell looked at me.
“We're trying to locate him.””
“No. I want to know where he is now.””
“Mr. Carter, we need to be careful. If he's been living under another identity, there may be legal and medical complications.””
I slammed my palm against the table.
“That's my father!””
The detective remained calm.
“I understand.””
I turned toward Thomas.
“Call Evelyn. Tell her we're coming.””
Thomas nodded.
Daniel approached me.
“Dad, wait.””
“What?””
“There's something I need to ask.””
He looked at the photograph.
“If Grandpa was alive, did Grandma know?””
I thought about my mother's final months.
Her quiet evenings.
The way she used to sit by the window, staring at the road.
The way she would sometimes tell me that people could disappear without ever leaving a room.
Perhaps she had known.
Perhaps she had spent years protecting a secret that had destroyed her.
“I don't know,” I said.
Daniel looked away.
We left the apartment building with Detective Mitchell's promise that officers would continue searching for Brielle.
But as we reached the car, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
An elderly male voice spoke.
“Marcus.””
My entire body went still.
I knew that voice.
I had heard it in childhood memories, old recordings, and dreams.
“Dad?””
There was a long silence.
Then the voice answered.
“Yes, son.””
I couldn't breathe.
“Where are you?””
“Somewhere you need to come alone.””
I looked at Thomas.
He immediately shook his head.
“I'm not coming alone,” I said.
My father's voice became tired.
“Thomas is there, isn't he?””
I looked at my former security chief.
“How do you know that?””
“Because Thomas has always been a loyal man.””
I gripped the phone.
“Why did you fake your death?””
Another silence.
Then he said:
“Because your brother was going to kill me.””
My stomach tightened.
“Andrew?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I discovered what he had done to Patricia.””
I closed my eyes.
“Did Andrew kill her?””
“I don't know whether he intended to kill her. But he arranged for the medication to be tampered with. Richard helped him cover it up.””
“And my mother?””
My father's breathing became uneven.
“Your mother discovered everything.””
“Did she die because of Andrew?””
“I believe so.””
I felt my knees weaken.
Thomas grabbed my arm.
“Where are you, Dad?””
He gave me an address.
An old medical facility outside Charlotte.
Then he added:
“There's something you must understand before you come. Brielle is not the only person Andrew has been looking for.””
“What does that mean?””
My father lowered his voice.
“He knows I kept the original account records.””
The call ended.
I stood motionless.
Daniel stared at me.
“That was Grandpa?””
I nodded.
“He's alive.””
Thomas immediately called Detective Mitchell.
Within minutes, we had arranged for officers to accompany us to North Carolina.
But before we left, I received another message.
This time, it came from Brielle.
*BRIELLE:* I'm alive. I'm at an old storage facility near the hospital. I found the original diary. Don't trust anyone who arrives before you.
A second message appeared.
*BRIELLE:* Marcus, there's a page in the diary about your father. He didn't fake his death to escape Andrew.
I read the message twice.
May you like
Then the final line appeared.
*BRIELLE:* He faked his death because he was protecting YOU.
