Chapter 5 - THE SECRET BEHIND THE SILVER ROSE
The pendant around my neck had never been worth much money.
At least, that's what my mother had told me.
Now Roman Gallagher was staring at it as though it might hold the answer to a six-year mystery.
"May I see it?" he asked.
I hesitated.
Then I unclasped the chain.
Roman placed the pendant on Detective Hart's desk.
It was shaped like a small silver rose.
The petals were slightly uneven, as though someone had made it by hand.
"My mother gave it to me when I turned eighteen," I said.
Roman turned it over.
There was a tiny engraving.
E.B.
My mother's initials.
He pressed the center of the rose.
Nothing happened.
Olivia leaned closer.
"Look at the stem."
A barely visible seam ran along the edge.
With my permission, a forensic technician examined it.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a tiny memory card.
I stared.
"My mother never told me."
Olivia immediately documented the discovery.
The card was copied and examined on a secure computer.
A folder appeared.
SILVER ROSE - CONFIDENTIAL.
Inside were scanned financial records, photographs, and audio files.
Roman's expression hardened as he read the first document.
"What is it?" I asked.
"My father's private shipping accounts."
"Why would Mom have those?"
"Because she was investigating them."
Olivia opened another file.
A photograph appeared.
Arthur Whitlock stood beside Roman's father, Patrick Gallagher.
Between them sat a woman with dark hair.
My mother.
The date was six months before her disappearance.
Then we opened an audio recording.
My mother's voice filled the room.
"If anything happens to me, the accounts will prove Whitlock and Gallagher were moving money through medical charities."
I felt tears sting my eyes.
Mom sounded exactly as I remembered.
Calm.
Careful.
Brave.
Another man's voice interrupted.
"You're making a mistake, Evelyn."
I recognized Arthur Whitlock immediately.
My mother replied, "No. My mistake was trusting you."
A chair scraped.
Then Arthur said something that made Roman go perfectly still.
"If you release those records, Claire will pay for it."
The recording ended.
I covered my mouth.
Roman looked devastated.
Olivia opened the final document.
It was a handwritten letter.
Claire, if you find this, please understand that everything I did was to keep you safe. There is one person you must find before Whitlock does.
Beneath the words was a name.
Samuel Gallagher.
I turned toward Roman.
"Who is Samuel?"
His face drained of color.
"My younger brother."
I stared at him.
"Where is he?"
May you like
Roman swallowed.
"Samuel died ten years ago."
