Chapter 15 - The Letter
The crash was minor.
A pickup had swerved into Claire’s lane and clipped her mirror. She pulled into a gas station, shaken but unhurt. Noah, thankfully, had stayed with Lena at the hotel after Claire left.
Ethan didn’t speak for thirty seconds after hearing her voice again.
Then he said, “I’m coming to you.”
“No. I’m coming to the station. You promised not to go rogue.”
He hated that she was right.
Forty minutes later, they sat in a police interview room with Mara, the detective, and Ethan’s mother, Carol.
Carol looked older than she had the day before.
“I should’ve told you,” she said.
“Yes,” Ethan replied.
She flinched.
Claire opened the sealed letter.
The handwriting belonged to Ethan’s father.
Son,
If Ryan gives you this, it means the Dane problem came back. I made mistakes I never wanted either of you to inherit. Victor taught me that debt can become a leash if fear keeps you quiet. I paid what I owed. But Ryan saw how fast money moved and thought he could beat men who have spent their lives making sure people like us never do.
There is one thing Victor does not know I kept.
The memory card contains a recording from the night he tried to force me into signing over the company. He admitted how he created false fees, used threats, and forged default notices. I copied everything before I walked away.
Do not use it to get even.
Use it to get free.
Ethan stopped reading.
His eyes burned.
Claire took his hand.
The detective inserted the memory card into a secured laptop.
A grainy video opened.
Victor Dane appeared twelve years younger, sitting across from Ethan’s father.
The audio was clear.
So were Victor’s words.
Mara leaned forward.
“This supports a pattern,” she said. “Combined with the current records, it’s powerful.”
Then the detective’s phone buzzed.
He read the message.
His face hardened.
“They found Victor.”
Ethan stood.
“Where?”
May you like
The detective looked at him.
“At your house.”\n\nCarol covered her mouth while the recording played. Ethan watched his father's younger face on the screen and felt two emotions collide: anger that Tom had hidden so much, and compassion for a man who had clearly been afraid. Loving someone after they were gone did not require turning them into a saint.
