Chapter 5 - THE FOURTH SON OF CAIN
Ronan did not believe her.
For exactly eleven minutes.
Then Sterling Cain’s old personal attorney arrived with a sealed family file.
Evelyn had hidden the attorney’s name inside her Bible.
A man named Francis Lowe.
Eighty-two.
Still sharp.
He looked at Ronan.
Then Marsh’s photograph.
“I wondered how long Evelyn would keep protecting Sterling.”
Ronan’s expression went hard.
“Protecting him from what?”
“His own history.”
Edwin Marsh was Sterling Cain’s biological son.
Born two years before Sterling married Evelyn.
His mother worked as a nurse.
Sterling paid for Edwin’s education privately.
Eventually brought him close to the family.
Never publicly acknowledged him.
But Evelyn knew.
Worse—
Declan knew.
Ronan knew Edwin had been treated like an honorary brother when they were young.
He never knew why.
“What does this have to do with Declan?” Sadie asked.
Francis opened another file.
Years earlier, Sterling created a private trust.
Equal shares for Ronan and Declan.
Smaller confidential share for Edwin.
After Sterling died, Ronan controlled Cain businesses.
Declan controlled several offshore security assets.
Edwin received nothing immediately because his branch activated only if his parentage became public.
Meaning exposure carried money.
Power.
Recognition.
But Francis shook his head.
“Edwin never cared about the money.”
Ronan laughed bitterly.
“Everybody says that before the money.”
“He cared about the name.”
That made more sense.
Marsh spent his life close enough to the family to protect them.
Never allowed to be one of them.
Then Declan discovered something during Night Falcon.
A private military security contract tied to Cain shipping routes.
Mercenaries.
Weapons.
Smuggling disguised as stabilization work.
Ronan looked stunned.
“I shut those contracts down.”
“You shut down what you knew about,” Francis said.
Declan discovered somebody had kept them running.
Under old Sterling Cain authorization codes.
Who had access?
Declan.
Ronan.
Edwin Marsh.
Then Francis said:
“Declan believed Edwin was involved.”
Sadie’s stomach tightened.
“But the video said Marsh knew he survived.”
“Yes.”
“Could he have saved him?”
Nobody answered.
Then Ronan’s phone rang.
Security.
Marsh had not arrived for Evelyn’s morning examination.
His house was empty.
His clinic office cleared.
And the flash drive from Sadie’s music box had been inserted into a computer at Ashport International Airport forty minutes earlier.
Marsh was leaving.
Ronan reached for his coat.
Sadie stopped him.
“No.”
His eyes flashed.
“He has my brother’s evidence.”
“And maybe Declan’s location.”
“That’s why I’m going.”
“With how many guns?”
Silence.
“Ronan.”
He looked at her.
“We call airport police.”
He hated it.
Good.
“We flag the drive.”
He hated that too.
“We preserve evidence.”
Evelyn slapped her wheelchair arm.
Then signed.
Sadie stared.
“What?” Ronan demanded.
She translated:
Let Edwin go.
Ronan looked shocked.
Evelyn continued.
He is not running from Declan.
He is running from the man who killed Aaron Cole.
Sadie’s breath stopped.
Poppy’s father.
Then Evelyn signed a name.
June Callaway.
The housekeeper downstairs.
May you like
The woman who had pushed Sadie into Evelyn’s room as a joke.
And the woman who apparently shared Sadie’s own surname for a reason.
