Chapter 8: The Truth About Elena
I pulled Ava behind me.
“Stay close, sweetheart.””
She clutched my jacket.
“Daddy, I'm scared.””
“I know. I've got you.””
The emergency lights flickered on.
My mother was gone.
The door stood open.
Outside, Detective Miller shouted instructions.
“Secure the north entrance! Nobody leaves!””
I rushed into the hallway.
“Where's Margaret?””
Miller turned.
“She disappeared through the back entrance.””
“Did you see who fired?””
“Not yet.””
I looked toward the office.
“Get my daughter somewhere safe.””
Officer Lewis took Ava.
I ran toward the rear exit.
The rain had become heavier.
A dark vehicle was speeding away from the marina.
I could barely see the license plate.
Then my phone rang.
Elena.
I answered immediately.
“Where are you?””
“Marcus, listen carefully.””
Her voice sounded strained.
“What's happening?””
“Your mother came to the hospital.””
I stopped.
“What?””
“She brought something.””
“What did she bring?””
“A photograph of Daniel.””
My chest tightened.
“Did she tell you where he is?””
Elena hesitated.
Then she said something that made my stomach drop.
“Marcus, your father is alive.””
I closed my eyes.
“Which father?””
Silence.
“Marcus?””
“Tell me.””
“Daniel.””
I leaned against the wall.
“Where is he?””
“I don't know. But Margaret said he has been living under another name.””
I rubbed my face.
“Why would he leave me?””
“He didn't.””
I looked up.
“What?””
Elena began crying.
“He tried to reach you.””
“When?””
“Several times. Richard stopped him.””
I swallowed.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was afraid you would go looking for him before we had proof.””
I paced the hallway.
“Then tell me the truth about the agreement.””
Elena fell silent.
I looked toward the rain.
“Margaret showed me the document.””
“Which document?””
“The one with your signature.””
A long pause followed.
Then Elena whispered:
“It's real.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“I signed it.””
I felt as though someone had punched me.
“You signed an agreement with Richard?””
“Yes.””
“You gave him the records?””
“No. I signed because he promised to leave you and Ava alone.””
I shook my head.
“You could have told me.””
“I couldn't.””
“Why?””
“Because Richard had threatened to release information that would destroy your company. He told me he would frame you for the financial crimes.””
I closed my eyes.
Elena continued.
“I believed I could protect you by handling it myself.””
“And Daniel?””
“He helped me.””
I stared at the floor.
“Why?””
“Because he was your father. He wanted to protect you too.””
I swallowed.
“Where is he?””
Elena whispered:
“He was supposed to meet me at the marina the night I disappeared.””
My mind raced.
“What happened?””
“Richard arrived first.””
“And?””
“He took me. Daniel fought him. I heard a gunshot.””
I gripped the phone.
“You never told me that.””
“Because I didn't know whether Daniel survived.””
I looked toward the office.
The photograph Margaret had shown me.
The agreement.
The hidden recordings.
Nothing made sense anymore.
Then Elena said:
“Marcus, there's something you need to understand about the night I disappeared.””
“What?””
“I wasn't the one driving the boat.””
I frowned.
“What are you saying?””
“Richard had arranged everything. But Vanessa wasn't there alone.””
“Who was with her?””
Elena took a breath.
“Your father.””
I closed my eyes.
“Richard?””
“No.””
She whispered:
“Daniel.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
“He was working with Richard at first.””
I stared at the rain.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“He thought Richard would let you go. He believed he could bargain with him.””
“And you?””
“I found out the truth too late.””
My voice cracked.
“So Daniel helped them take you?””
“He helped arrange the meeting. But when he realized Richard planned to kill you too, he turned against him.””
I felt sick.
My biological father had helped create the nightmare that destroyed my family.
But he had also tried to stop it.
“Where is he now?””
“I don't know.””
A loud crash interrupted her.
“Marcus?””
“Elena?””
“Someone's outside the room.””
I straightened.
“Get away from the door.””
“I can't. The nurse is gone.””
“Lock yourself in the bathroom.””
“Marcus, I think—”
The call ended.
I immediately called back.
No answer.
I ran toward the entrance.
Detective Miller intercepted me.
“Where are you going?””
“Someone is at the hospital.””
He grabbed his radio.
“Get units to the hospital. Now.””
I looked at him.
“My wife is alone.””
“We'll get there.””
I didn't wait.
I drove through the rain with my phone on speaker.
Every red light seemed to last an eternity.
When I reached the hospital, two officers were standing outside Elena's room.
One of them turned toward me.
“Mr. Hayes, she's gone.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“The bed is empty.””
I rushed inside.
The oxygen mask lay on the floor.
The blankets were scattered.
A small bloodstain marked the edge of the mattress.
Then I saw something on the pillow.
A folded piece of paper.
My name was written across it.
I opened it with shaking fingers.
Inside was a single sentence.
*If you want your wife back, bring the original birth certificate to the church where your mother was buried.*
Beneath it was another line.
*And come without the police.*
I stared at the paper.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Elena sitting in a wooden chair.
Her hands were tied.
Standing behind her was a man.
A man with dark hair and a scar above his left eyebrow.
Daniel Carter.
My biological father.
May you like
But the words beneath the photograph were even worse.
*Your father wants to meet his son. And he has something to confess.*
