Chapter 4 - THE MAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
The emergency lights flickered on.
My daughter's crying filled the dark hallway.
Nathan immediately told everyone to stay together.
Then we heard footsteps.
Not outside.
Inside the house.
Someone was moving through the basement.
Colin grabbed a fireplace poker.
Nathan looked at him.
“Put it down.”
“Why?”
“Because if you're not trained, you'll make yourself the first target.”
Raymond quietly pulled his phone from his pocket.
“I'll check the cameras.”
“There are cameras?” I asked.
Nathan nodded.
“Your grandmother installed them years ago.”
My stomach dropped.
“Then whoever is inside knows they're here.”
A second later, Raymond looked at his screen.
His face changed.
“What?”
He turned the phone toward us.
The basement camera showed a man walking through the storage room.
His face was hidden.
But he was carrying something.
A black briefcase.
Nathan whispered, “That's impossible.”
The man stopped beneath the camera.
Slowly, he looked directly into the lens.
Then he smiled.
The screen went black.
Diane covered her mouth.
I whispered, “Who is he?”
She didn't answer.
Raymond did.
“Victor Hale.”
The name meant nothing to me.
But it clearly meant something to Nathan.
“Your grandfather's former chief financial officer,” he said.
“He was accused of stealing millions.”
“And presumed dead after his boat exploded,” Raymond added.
I looked at my mother.
“You knew he survived?”
She nodded.
“I found out twelve years ago.”
“And you never told Grandma?”
“She threatened me.”
“Who?”
“Victor.”
My baby cried harder.
I carried her upstairs with Nathan following closely.
Then he stopped outside the nursery.
“Nora.”
I turned.
“There is something you need to know about your daughter's birth.”
My heart tightened.
“What does this have to do with my baby?”
Nathan looked uncomfortable.
“Your grandmother changed the trust three days before she died.”
“Why?”
“Because she discovered someone had attempted to access your medical records.”
I froze.
“Why would anyone care about my medical records?”
Nathan looked at my daughter.
“Because your baby is connected to the trust.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“She may inherit more than the house.”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
No one spoke.
Then a man's voice whispered:
“Your grandmother didn't leave you a house.”
My blood ran cold.
“She left you a weapon.”
The call ended.
Nathan immediately took the phone from my hand.
“Do you recognize that voice?”
I shook my head.
But Diane did.
She whispered from the staircase:
“Victor.”
Then another sound came from downstairs.
Glass breaking.
Someone screamed.
Colin.
We rushed toward the hallway.
But Colin wasn't there.
His shoes were lying beside the staircase.
And on the wall, written in red marker, were four words:
May you like
ONE FAMILY. ONE BETRAYAL.
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