Chapter 13 - Henry Mercer’s Last Instructions
Daniel had spent his entire adult life believing his father died with every family secret still buried inside him.
Henry Mercer had been brilliant, controlling, and obsessed with protecting the company from what he called “emotional weakness.”
He had never liked Emily.
“She has too much influence over you,” he once told Daniel.
Daniel had dismissed it as another cruel opinion.
Now Victor claimed Henry had built a plan around her.
Detective Ortiz questioned Victor for six hours.
At first he said nothing.
Then prosecutors offered to consider a reduced charge if he helped recover the children’s kidnapping plan and locate Vanessa.
Victor talked.
Henry Mercer had created a private “continuity file” before his death. It named Charles as emergency trustee if Daniel became “compromised by domestic influence.”
The document had no legal power.
But it gave Charles an idea.
After Henry died, Charles began building a real version using forged signatures, cooperative doctors, and shell companies.
Vanessa entered the picture because she had worked for one of those shell companies.
The crash was supposed to frighten Emily, not kill her.
“The truck forced her car off the road,” Victor said. “She survived. Charles changed the plan.”
Daniel looked sick.
“He ordered the crash?”
Victor nodded.
“And when she lived, he paid the hospital administrator to list her as unidentified until Vanessa moved her.”
Sarah’s hands turned cold.
One betrayal had become a system.
“Where is Charles?” Ortiz asked.
Victor looked at Daniel.
“He’ll go where your father kept the original continuity file.”
Daniel knew immediately.
The Mercer lake house.
A property two hours north, closed since Henry’s death.
Ortiz began organizing a warrant team.
Emily grabbed Daniel’s sleeve.
“There’s something else.”
She looked at Sarah.
“The night I escaped the facility, I heard Charles say Vanessa had copied the whole file.”
Daniel frowned. “Why?”
“To protect herself.”
Sarah understood.
“If Vanessa has it, Charles needs her alive.”
“Or dead,” Emily said.
Daniel’s phone buzzed.
A video came through from Vanessa.
Her face filled the screen, bruised and terrified.
Behind her was a stone fireplace Sarah recognized from old family photos.
The lake house.
Vanessa whispered, “Daniel, if you want the truth about your father, come alone.”
May you like
Then someone behind the camera said, “Time’s up.”
The video cut to black.
