Henry locked the front door.
Then he checked every window.
His hands were shaking.
Mara had never seen her father afraid.
Angry, yes.
Stubborn, often.
But never afraid.
“Tell me what you know,” she said.
Henry looked at Daniel.
“You first.”
Daniel remained silent.
Henry's voice hardened.
“Who are you really?”
Mara stepped between them.
“You already know.”
“I know who you claim to be.”
Daniel looked at him.
“Then ask better questions.”
Henry's jaw tightened.
“You were there that night.”
“Yes.”
“You saw Richard.”
“Yes.”
“You helped him escape.”
“No.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
Daniel took a breath.
“I saw Richard leave the warehouse. He was carrying a folder. I tried to follow him. Arthur stopped me.”
Henry stared.
“Why?”
“Because Arthur knew Richard was going to lead us to someone else.”
“Who?”
Daniel shook his head.
“I never found out.”
Henry looked at Mara.
“He's telling the truth about that part.”
She blinked.
“How do you know?”
“Because Arthur told me.”
Mara stared at him.
“You spoke to Arthur after the warehouse?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night before he disappeared.”
Her mother looked at him.
“You never told me.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
Mara shook her head.
“Everyone keeps using those words.”
Henry lowered his eyes.
“You're right.”
For the first time, her father looked genuinely ashamed.
He sat at the kitchen table.
“Arthur believed Richard wasn't the mastermind.”
“Who was?”
“He didn't know.”
“What did he know?”
Henry looked at the photograph.
“Someone had created duplicate records for the trust.”
Mara leaned forward.
“Years ago?”
“No. Recently.”
“When?”
“About eight months ago.”
Daniel asked, “Who had access?”
Henry hesitated.
“Me.”
Mara stared.
“Anyone else?”
“Jason.”
Her heart sank.
“Why?”
“Because I gave him temporary access to help with an audit.”
Evelyn spoke.
“Did you record the access?”
“Yes.”
“Then we can identify what was copied.”
Henry shook his head.
“The audit logs were erased.”
Daniel looked at him.
“By whom?”
“I don't know.”
Mara picked up the forged photograph.
“Someone made this look like I was meeting Richard.”
Henry nodded.
“They also created messages from your phone.”
“Who had my phone?”
“No one.”
Daniel examined the photograph.
“This wasn't taken by someone standing nearby.”
“What do you mean?”
“Look at the reflection.”
Mara leaned closer.
In the window behind her supposed image was a distorted reflection.
Daniel pointed.
“The person who made this used a composite.”
Evelyn frowned.
“A digital fake.”
“Yes.”
Henry stared at the image.
“So they can manipulate photographs.”
“And identities,” Mara said.
Daniel nodded.
“Which means every piece of evidence we've seen has to be reconsidered.”
Mara looked at the documents on the table.
“Even the account in my name.”
Henry looked at her.
“What account?”
Mara's blood ran cold.
“You don't know?”
“No.”
She pulled out the document from the station.
Someone had opened a trust-related account under her identity.
Henry read it.
His face changed.
“This account was created yesterday.”
Mara stared.
“Yesterday?”
“Yes.”
Daniel looked at Evelyn.
“That means the person behind this is still operating.”
A phone rang upstairs.
Everyone froze.
Henry looked toward the ceiling.
“My phone is here.”
“So is mine,” Mara said.
Daniel checked his.
“Not mine.”
Evelyn looked at hers.
“Not mine.”
The ringing continued.
Mara followed the sound.
It came from Jason's old room.
The door was open.
Inside, an unfamiliar phone sat on the desk.
It stopped ringing when she entered.
A message appeared.
*You have five minutes.**
Mara picked it up.
Another message arrived.
*Ask your father about the blue ledger.**
She looked at Henry.
“What is the blue ledger?”
His face went white.
Evelyn noticed.
“You know.”
Henry slowly sat on the bed.
“Yes.”
“What is it?”
“The original accounting record.”
“Where?”
“I destroyed it.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You wouldn't.”
“I had no choice.”
Mara stared at him.
“What did it contain?”
“Every payment Richard made.”
“And?”
“Every payment made to him.”
Mara understood.
“It would show who funded him.”
Henry nodded.
“Arthur believed that was the key.”
“Did you give it to Arthur?”
“No.”
“Then where is it?”
Henry looked toward Jason's desk.
“Jason took it.”
Mara's heart dropped.
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
“The same time he met Arthur.”
“Yes.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“That changes everything.”
Mara looked at him.
“How?”
“Jason may not have been helping Arthur.”
“Then who?”
Daniel pointed to the phone.
“The person controlling him.”
Mara picked up the device.
A final message appeared.
*He is not your enemy. He is your brother.**
She stared at the words.
Then another arrived.
*But your father is.**
Mara looked at Henry.
He stood slowly.
“Don't believe that.”
“I don't know what to believe.”
Her father stepped toward her.
“You need to listen to me.”
A crash came from downstairs.
Everyone turned.
The front door had been forced open.
Daniel moved toward the hall.
“Stay here.”
Mara followed.
A man stood inside the house.
He was holding Jason by the collar.
Jason's face was bruised.
The man shoved him forward.
Then removed his hood.
Mara recognized him.
Caleb.
He looked at Daniel.
“I'm sorry.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“Why?”
Caleb released Jason.
“Because Arthur never died.”
Mara stared.
Caleb looked toward Henry.
“He was the one who died six months ago.”
Henry's face went blank.
Mara whispered, “Then who have we been talking to?”
Caleb answered.
“The man pretending to be Arthur.”
Jason looked at Mara.
“And he's coming here.”
Click here to continue reading: PART 12: Caleb Finally Named the Man Behind the False Arthur Messages, but His Revelation Forced Mara to Choose Between Family and the Truth
She Married the Man Everyone Dismissed, Then One Phone Call Made Her Family Question Everything They Knew
Part 11 of 20
