Chapter 4: Two Tickets to Seattle
I read the message three times.
Two tickets.
One for Vanessa.
One for me.
I looked at Natalie.
“She plans to take Sophie somewhere.””
“Seattle,” Natalie whispered.
The same destination she had mentioned while Natalie was imprisoned.
Vanessa had been building an entire false story around our family.
A story in which Natalie had disappeared, I had become unstable, and Vanessa was the only responsible adult left to protect Sophie.
If she took our daughter across state lines, she could create an entirely different legal nightmare.
I called the unknown number.
No answer.
I sent a message.
Who is this?
Three dots appeared.
Then disappeared.
Then appeared again.
*Someone your father-in-law trusted. Check the old safe.*
I looked toward the steel cabinet.
There was a small locked compartment beneath the bottom drawer.
I hadn't noticed it before.
I pulled the drawer completely out.
Behind it was a circular dial.
A combination lock.
Natalie struggled to move closer.
“Robert's birthday,” she whispered.
I entered the date.
The lock clicked.
Inside was a sealed envelope, a USB drive, and a small black key card.
The envelope contained a photograph of Vanessa standing beside a man I had never seen.
On the back, Robert had written:
The real buyer.
I turned the photograph over.
The man was wearing a dark blue jacket with a silver pin.
A corporate logo.
I recognized it from the papers in the cabinet.
*Northstar Infrastructure Group.*
I searched the folder.
There were financial records showing that Vanguard Holdings had received several large payments from Northstar over the previous year.
But the payments weren't listed as real estate transactions.
They were labeled consulting fees.
And each payment corresponded with a date when someone had attempted to access Robert's property.
I opened the USB drive.
The computer in the workshop was old but functional.
I connected it.
A folder appeared.
Inside were dozens of files.
The first was a scanned document titled:
*PROJECT RIVER GATE — INTERNAL OPERATIONS.*
I opened it.
The document contained architectural drawings, photographs of underground access points, and a series of shipment schedules.
I recognized the riverfront property immediately.
It was the center of the map.
But the surrounding buildings belonged to several different companies.
One was owned by Northstar.
Another was registered under an offshore holding company.
A third belonged to Vanguard.
Then I found a list of names.
Martin Hale.
Vanessa Cole.
And a third name.
*Daniel Carter.*
My own name.
I felt the air leave my lungs.
“What is that?”” Natalie asked.
I stared at the screen.
“I don't know.””
My name appeared beside a payment authorization.
The date was six months earlier.
The amount was $185,000.
I had never received that money.
I had never authorized a payment.
But the signature was mine.
A convincing copy.
Someone had been using my identity to approve financial transactions.
Natalie leaned closer.
“They're framing you.””
“Not just for the property transfer.””
I scrolled further.
There were emails discussing how the underground corridor could be used after the distribution hub was constructed.
The emails referred to unauthorized shipments and falsified transport records.
One message contained a sentence that made me feel physically sick.
Once the property is transferred, all previous access records must be destroyed.
I looked at the map again.
This wasn't simply a corporate land grab.
It was a cover-up.
The company wanted control of the land because it concealed something beneath it.
Something Robert had discovered.
Something important enough to justify kidnapping his daughter and imprisoning her in her own home.
Then my phone rang.
The caller ID showed Vanessa.
I answered.
“Where's Sophie?””
“She's with me.””
“Put her on the phone.””
“She wants her mommy.””
“Put her on the phone, Vanessa!””
A small voice came through.
“Daddy?””
“Sophie! Sweetheart, are you okay?””
“Daddy, Auntie Vanessa says we're going on a trip.””
“Where?””
“Seattle.””
I closed my eyes.
“Listen to me, princess. I need you to stay with Grandma's neighbor, okay?””
Vanessa interrupted.
“That's enough.””
I heard a muffled struggle.
Then Vanessa returned.
“You shouldn't have opened Robert's cabinet.””
My grip tightened.
“You know what we found?””
“I know exactly what you found.””
“Then you know the police are going to see everything.””
She laughed.
“Which police, Owen?””
I didn't answer.
“Martin is already handling the local authorities. He has a statement from you admitting to the unauthorized transfer. He also has evidence suggesting you attacked Natalie.””
“None of it is real.””
“Reality is whatever people can prove.””
I heard a door open.
Then a man's voice in the background.
“Vanessa, the driver is here.””
She lowered her voice.
“I'm giving you one last chance. Bring me the USB drive and sign the transfer papers. I'll leave you and Sophie alone.””
“And Natalie?””
A pause.
“I'm afraid Natalie has made things unnecessarily complicated.””
I looked at my wife.
Her face was pale.
“She's not going anywhere.””
Vanessa sighed.
“You always were sentimental, Owen.””
Then she said something that made my blood freeze.
“Ask Natalie what happened to her father.””
The call ended.
I turned toward Natalie.
“What did she mean?””
Natalie began shaking her head.
“No.””
“What happened to Robert?””
“Owen, please.””
“Tell me.””
She covered her mouth.
Then the words came out.
“My father didn't die from a heart attack.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He was poisoned.””
The basement seemed to tilt.
Natalie looked directly into my eyes.
“Before he died, he told me someone had been entering his house. Someone he trusted. Someone who knew his medication schedule.””
I thought of Vanessa.
Her flowers.
Her visits.
Her gentle voice at the funeral.
“Did he know who?””
Natalie nodded.
“He left me a letter.””
“Where?””
She pointed toward the steel cabinet.
“Inside the vault. The original letter.””
I rushed back to the cabinet.
There was another compartment behind the false bottom.
Inside was a small envelope marked with Natalie's name.
I opened it.
The first line was written in Robert's shaky handwriting.
My dearest Natalie, if Vanessa Cole is still in your life when you read this, then I failed to protect you.
I continued.
She was the last person I saw before I became ill.
But she wasn't working alone.
Beneath the letter was a photograph.
Vanessa stood beside Robert's hospital bed.
And beside her stood someone else.
May you like
Someone whose face I recognized.
My mother.
