Chapter 17 - The Name Charles Gave Them
“Marcus Hale,” Detective Ortiz said.
Daniel stared at her.
“No.”
Marcus had protected him for eleven years.
He had been at the twins’ christening. He had carried Daniel out of the hospital room after Emily was declared dead. He had been the first person Daniel trusted after the crash.
Ortiz placed phone records on the table.
Marcus had called Charles seventeen times in the month before Emily’s accident.
Sarah remembered the security gaps.
“Marcus controlled the cameras.”
“He also controlled access logs,” Ortiz said.
Daniel stood abruptly.
“Where is he now?”
Nobody knew.
Marcus had left the lake house scene before Charles was transported.
Daniel called him.
Voicemail.
Sarah’s phone buzzed.
A nursery camera alert appeared.
Motion detected.
But the twins were with them at the secure residence.
Sarah opened the feed.
The Mercer nursery was dark and smoke-stained.
A man stood beside the burned crib.
Marcus.
He looked directly into the camera.
Then he held up a flash drive.
“Daniel,” he said, knowing the microphone was live, “Charles is lying about why I called him.”
Daniel moved beside Sarah.
Marcus continued.
“I worked for your father before I worked for you. Henry asked me to watch Charles. Those calls were part of that.”
Ortiz frowned. “Convenient explanation.”
Marcus lifted the drive.
“This contains every report I sent Henry. It also contains the original security backup from the night Emily’s car crashed.”
Daniel leaned toward the screen.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Marcus could not hear him.
But he seemed to answer anyway.
“Because Henry made me promise to wait until I could prove Charles had crossed from financial crimes into violence. I waited too long.”
Marcus lowered his eyes.
“And Emily paid for it.”
A shadow moved behind him.
Sarah saw it first.
“Marcus!”
Too late.
Someone struck him from behind.
He fell out of frame.
A gloved hand reached toward the camera.
May you like
Before the feed went black, Sarah saw the attacker’s face reflected in the nursery mirror.
Vanessa.
