Chapter 6 - THE BROTHER WHO NEVER CAME HOME
Alexander Vale had spent six years believing his younger brother died because of a warehouse fire.
Now Aunt Celia was saying Victor Kane had murdered him.
His brother's name was Julian.
He'd been twenty-nine.
Funny.
Stubborn.
Always questioning the family business.
Julian believed Alexander's criminal connections were destroying everything their father had built.
They argued constantly.
Then Julian died in a warehouse fire.
Alexander had never forgiven himself for their last conversation.
"You can't keep pretending this is business," Julian had shouted.
Alexander had answered:
"Then stay out of it."
Those were the last words he ever said to his brother.
Now Leah's aunt was telling him Julian had been murdered.
Alexander sat beside the phone.
"Miss Celia, my name is Alexander Vale."
A pause.
"I know who you are."
"How did Elena obtain evidence about Julian?"
Celia hesitated.
"She worked for your shipping company."
Alexander closed his eyes.
He remembered Elena Bennett.
Young.
Quiet.
Brilliant with numbers.
She'd worked in the logistics department.
Then vanished after the fire.
Victor told him she'd stolen company funds.
Alexander had believed him.
"What did she find?" he asked.
Celia took a breath.
"Financial records. Security footage. Evidence that the warehouse fire was deliberately set."
Alexander's jaw tightened.
"Why didn't she come to me?"
"Because Victor told her you'd ordered it."
Silence.
Alexander felt sick.
Victor had poisoned everything.
His trust.
His grief.
His family.
"Did she believe him?"
"At first."
Celia continued.
"Then she discovered you were being manipulated too."
Alexander looked toward Leah.
The little girl sat quietly, holding Maya's hand.
She looked exhausted.
But she was listening.
Celia's voice softened.
"Elena spent years gathering evidence."
"Where is it?"
"I don't know."
Alexander closed his eyes.
"But she left Leah something."
He looked up.
"What?"
"A small metal key."
Leah immediately touched the necklace beneath her sweatshirt.
Alexander stared.
The key.
He'd seen it earlier.
"Do you know what it opens?"
Celia hesitated.
"Elena said it belonged to Julian."
Alexander stopped breathing.
His brother.
The key had belonged to Julian.
He remembered a small private safe his brother kept at the shipping company's old headquarters.
Julian used to joke that nobody would ever guess the combination.
But the safe wasn't opened with a combination alone.
It required a metal key.
Alexander looked at Leah.
"May I see your necklace?"
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
He examined the key carefully.
A tiny letter J was engraved near the base.
His eyes filled.
Julian.
He had given that key to his brother for his twenty-fifth birthday.
Alexander covered his face.
For six years, he'd believed everything connected to Julian was gone.
Now a ten-year-old girl was holding a piece of his brother's life.
Then Daniel entered.
His expression was tense.
"Alexander, we have news about the flight."
Alexander looked up.
"What?"
"The tracking device was linked to a private account."
"Whose account?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Victor Kane."
Alexander's jaw tightened.
"And?"
"The account also received location data from another device."
His stomach tightened.
"Where?"
Daniel looked toward Leah.
May you like
Then answered:
"From Maya Bennett's stuffed rabbit."
