PART 4 \u2014 THE MAN BARLOW PAID TO MAKE WESLEY DISAPPEAR
\n\u201cGet in the car.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s voice was barely above a whisper.
\nI didn\u2019t move.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cAudrey, get Nolan in the car.\u201d
\nThe two men across the street were walking toward us now.
\nNot running.
\nThat somehow made it worse.
\nPeople who run are afraid they\u2019ll lose you.
\nThese men looked certain we weren\u2019t going anywhere.
\nDerek backed toward his truck.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cI know the bigger one.\u201d
\nWesley looked at him.
\n\u201cWho is he?\u201d
\n\u201cName\u2019s Vincent Hale.\u201d
\n\u201cWorks for Barlow?\u201d
\n\u201cSometimes.\u201d
\n\u201cDoing what?\u201d
\nDerek swallowed.
\n\u201cThings Barlow doesn\u2019t want employees asking about.\u201d
\nThat was enough for me.
\nI opened the back door.
\n\u201cNolan, inside.\u201d
\nHe climbed in with the solar system hugged against his chest.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cMom\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cSeat belt.\u201d
\n\u201cBut Wesley\u2014\u201d
\n\u201cNow.\u201d
\nI slammed the door.
\nThe men were halfway across the street.
\nWesley\u2019s phone was still connected to Elaine.
\n\u201cElaine, call the police.\u201d
\n\u201cI already am.\u201d
\nMy heart jumped.
\n\u201cYou are?\u201d
\n\u201cThe moment you said Barlow found you.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Wesley looked around.
\n\u201cHow long?\u201d
\n\u201cThey\u2019re dispatching someone.\u201d
\nVincent Hale called from the darkness.
\n\u201cWesley Grant.\u201d
\nWesley went still.
\nVincent smiled.
\n\u201cBeen a long time.\u201d
\nThe second man moved slightly to the side.
\nBlocking the driveway.
\nDerek whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s not good.\u201d
\nI grabbed Wesley\u2019s sleeve.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cGet in.\u201d
\nVincent raised both hands.
\n\u201cWe just want to talk.\u201d
\nWesley laughed once.
\n\u201cYou cut power to an entire building to talk?\u201d
\nVincent glanced toward the dark windows.
\n\u201cOld building. Electrical problems happen.\u201d
\n\u201cFunny timing.\u201d
\nThe other man reached into his jacket.
\nI froze.
\nDerek stepped in front of us.
\n\u201cHey.\u201d
\nThe man stopped.
\nDerek pointed.
\n\u201cKeep your hands where I can see them.\u201d
\nVincent looked almost amused.
\n\u201cDerek, right?\u201d
\nDerek didn\u2019t answer.
\n\u201cYou still work for Tom?\u201d
\n\u201cNot anymore.\u201d
\n\u201cThen this really isn\u2019t your problem.\u201d
\nDerek glanced at Wesley.
\n\u201cI think I just made it my problem.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s smile disappeared.
\nBehind us, Nolan began pounding on the window.
\n\u201cMom!\u201d
\nI turned.
\nHis face was terrified.
\nThat decided everything.
\nI yanked open the driver\u2019s door.
\n\u201cWesley!\u201d
\nHe moved toward the passenger side.
\nThen Vincent said, \u201cMarcus Cole died because he couldn\u2019t leave the past alone.\u201d
\nWesley stopped.
\nI wanted to scream.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t listen to him.\u201d
\nBut Wesley turned.
\nVincent continued.
\n\u201cYou want to make the same mistake?\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew Marcus?\u201d
\n\u201cI knew enough.\u201d
\n\u201cYou were the payment.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s expression barely changed.
\nBut barely was enough.
\nWesley stepped away from the car.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re the \u2018Cole problem.\u2019\u201d
\nVincent shook his head.
\n\u201cYou have no idea what you found.\u201d
\n\u201cThen explain it.\u201d
\n\u201cThere\u2019s nothing to explain.\u201d
\n\u201cYou were paid after River Street.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s jaw tightened.
\nThe second man said, \u201cVince.\u201d
\nVincent ignored him.
\nWesley took another step.
\n\u201cWere you supposed to kill me?\u201d
\nI grabbed his arm.
\n\u201cWesley.\u201d
\nHe didn\u2019t look at me.
\nVincent sighed.
\n\u201cYou really think Tom Barlow paid me to kill a construction worker?\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\n\u201cDid he?\u201d
\nVincent stepped closer.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nFor one second, relief flashed across Wesley\u2019s face.
\nThen Vincent added, \u201cHe paid me to scare Marcus.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cWhat did you do to him?\u201d Wesley asked.
\n\u201cNothing.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t lie.\u201d
\n\u201cI followed him.\u201d
\n\u201cFor how long?\u201d
\n\u201cTwo days.\u201d
\n\u201cThen?\u201d
\n\u201cHe disappeared.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cBecause he thought you were going to kill him.\u201d
\n\u201cThat was probably the idea.\u201d
\nI stared at Vincent.
\n\u201cYou terrorized a man until he abandoned his life.\u201d
\nHe looked at me.
\n\u201cI followed instructions.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s your defense?\u201d
\n\u201cIt\u2019s not a defense. It\u2019s a fact.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s hands curled into fists.
\n\u201cAnd me?\u201d
\nVincent looked at him.
\n\u201cYou weren\u2019t part of my job.\u201d
\nElaine\u2019s voice came through the phone.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s lying.\u201d
\nEveryone froze.
\nVincent looked at the phone.
\n\u201cWho\u2019s that?\u201d
\nElaine raised her voice.
\n\u201cMy son kept your photograph, Vincent.\u201d
\nHis face changed.
\nOnly slightly.
\nBut this time I saw fear.
\nElaine continued.
\n\u201cHe wrote down your license plate. Your address. Your employer. Everything.\u201d
\nVincent took a step toward Wesley.
\n\u201cGive me the phone.\u201d
\nWesley backed away.
\n\u201cYou knew Marcus was alive.\u201d
\nVincent said nothing.
\n\u201cYou knew.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYou followed him after he left town.\u201d
\n\u201cI said give me the phone.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s eyes widened.
\n\u201cYou did.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s calm finally cracked.
\nThe second man looked at him.
\n\u201cVince, we should go.\u201d
\nBut Vincent wasn\u2019t listening.
\n\u201cHe should have stayed gone.\u201d
\nWesley stared at him.
\nThere it was.
\nA confession hiding inside a sentence.
\nElaine heard it too.
\n\u201cYou found him,\u201d she whispered.
\nVincent\u2019s face hardened.
\nWesley raised the phone.
\n\u201cWhat happened to Marcus?\u201d
\n\u201cNothing.\u201d
\n\u201cHe died four months ago.\u201d
\n\u201cCancer.\u201d
\nMy head snapped toward the phone.
\nElaine had said Marcus died.
\nShe had never said how.
\nThere was a pause.
\nThen Elaine whispered, \u201cHow do you know that?\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s entire body stiffened.
\nThe second man cursed.
\n\u201cVince.\u201d
\nWesley stepped closer.
\n\u201cYou knew he had cancer?\u201d
\nVincent said nothing.
\nElaine\u2019s voice shook.
\n\u201cMarcus told almost nobody.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s expression changed.
\n\u201cHe contacted you.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHe must have.\u201d
\nVincent looked toward the street.
\nThen toward our apartment building.
\nHe was calculating.
\nThinking.
\nSuddenly I understood.
\n\u201cBarlow doesn\u2019t know Marcus is dead.\u201d
\nVincent looked at me.
\nI continued.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s why he started searching the walls.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s eyes widened.
\n\u201cBecause somebody told him Marcus was coming back.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s face gave us the answer.
\nElaine inhaled sharply over the phone.
\n\u201cI told Barlow I wanted my son\u2019s property.\u201d
\nWesley looked at me.
\n\u201cThat started it.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\n\u201cBarlow thought Marcus had told Elaine where the evidence was.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s shoulders dropped slightly.
\nLike he knew the secret was already coming apart.
\nThen he said, \u201cYou people need to stop.\u201d
\nWesley laughed bitterly.
\n\u201cStop?\u201d
\n\u201cYou found documents you don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\n\u201cI understand an unsafe scaffold killed Calvin Mercer.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s not what I mean.\u201d
\n\u201cThen what do you mean?\u201d
\nVincent looked at the cardboard solar system through the car window.
\nMy blood turned cold.
\nHe knew.
\nI stepped between him and the car.
\n\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d
\nVincent\u2019s eyes stayed on the project.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s in there?\u201d
\n\u201cNothing.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s an odd thing to carry during an emergency.\u201d
\nNolan hugged it tighter.
\nVincent stepped forward.
\nI didn\u2019t think.
\nI shoved him.
\nHard.
\nHe stumbled.
\nThen grabbed my wrist.
\nWesley lunged.
\nHis bad leg gave out.
\nDerek caught him before he hit the ground.
\nI twisted free and slammed my car door shut.
\nVincent shouted, \u201cOpen it!\u201d
\nNolan screamed.
\nThe second man grabbed Vincent\u2019s shoulder.
\n\u201cPolice.\u201d
\nFar away, sirens.
\nFaint.
\nBut coming closer.
\nVincent spun toward the sound.
\nThen looked at us.
\nFor the first time, he seemed afraid.
\nHe pointed at Wesley.
\n\u201cYou have no idea what Barlow will do if that notebook comes out.\u201d
\nWesley stared at him.
\n\u201cWhat notebook?\u201d
\nVincent froze.
\nI stopped breathing.
\nElaine said quietly through the phone, \u201cThere. He knows.\u201d
\nVincent turned and ran.
\nThe second man followed.
\nThey sprinted toward the sedan.
\nDerek rushed to his pickup.
\n\u201cI\u2019m blocking them.\u201d
\n\u201cNo!\u201d I shouted.
\nToo late.
\nHe drove his truck sideways into the street.
\nThe sedan roared forward.
\nBrakes screamed.
\nFor one terrifying moment, I thought they would ram him.
\nInstead the sedan jumped the curb.
\nIts front tire struck a trash bin.
\nPlastic exploded across the sidewalk.
\nThen the car tore down the street.
\nDerek leaned on his horn.
\nThirty seconds later, two police cruisers arrived.
\nEverything after that happened in fragments.
\nQuestions.
\nNames.
\nStatements.
\nA flashlight sweeping over the exposed kitchen wall.
\nAn officer photographing the broken trash bin.
\nAnother officer taking Vincent Hale\u2019s description.
\nA third calling someone about the building\u2019s power.
\nMr. Barlow did not return.
\nNeither did Vincent.
\nAnd suddenly I realized that frightened me more than if they had.
\nAround midnight, the officer finally told us we could leave.
\n\u201cDo not return here tonight,\u201d she said.
\nI looked toward my apartment.
\n\u201cMy clothes are inside.\u201d
\n\u201cTake what you need. Quickly.\u201d
\nWesley was leaning against my car.
\nHis knee had swollen badly.
\n\u201cYou need a hospital.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019m fine.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can barely stand.\u201d
\n\u201cI\u2019ve been worse.\u201d
\n\u201cThat isn\u2019t comforting.\u201d
\nHe smiled faintly.
\nNolan came out carrying his science project.
\n\u201cMom.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cI think Saturn broke.\u201d
\nI looked down.
\nOne of the foam rings had snapped.
\nAfter everything that happened, that tiny broken planet nearly made me cry.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll fix it.\u201d
\n\u201cYou always say that.\u201d
\n\u201cI mean it this time.\u201d
\nHe looked toward Wesley.
\n\u201cCan Wesley fix it?\u201d
\nWesley smiled.
\n\u201cProbably.\u201d
\nNolan seemed satisfied.
\nWe drove to my sister Melissa\u2019s house.
\nI called before leaving.
\nShe asked no questions.
\nShe only said, \u201cDoor\u2019s open.\u201d
\nThat was my sister.
\nShe could interrogate me tomorrow.
\nTonight, she made space.
\nBy one in the morning, Nolan was asleep downstairs.
\nWesley sat at Melissa\u2019s kitchen table with an ice pack around his knee.
\nDerek had gone to his girlfriend\u2019s apartment.
\nElaine remained on speakerphone.
\nAnd between us sat the contents of Nolan\u2019s solar system.
\nThe folder.
\nOld inspection reports.
\nThree photographs.
\nTwo maintenance records.
\nA handwritten list of equipment defects.
\nAnd one sealed envelope we had somehow missed before.
\nWesley stared at it.
\n\u201cThat wasn\u2019t there earlier.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, it was,\u201d I said.
\n\u201cIt was stuck between two reports.\u201d
\nElaine spoke.
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s written on it?\u201d
\nI turned it over.
\nOne word.
\nWesley.
\nHe stopped breathing.
\n\u201cIt has my name?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nHis fingers hovered over the envelope.
\nThen pulled back.
\n\u201cI can\u2019t.\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cWhat if it\u2019s from Marcus?\u201d
\n\u201cThen he wanted you to read it.\u201d
\nWesley swallowed.
\n\u201cYou open it.\u201d
\n\u201cMe?\u201d
\n\u201cPlease.\u201d
\nSo I did.
\nInside was a single folded page.
\nThe handwriting was messy.
\nUneven.
\nI handed it to Wesley.
\nHe stared at the first line.
\nThen covered his mouth.
\n\u201cWhat does it say?\u201d Elaine asked.
\nWesley tried to speak.
\nNothing came out.
\nFinally, he handed the letter to me.
\n\u201cRead it.\u201d
\nI hesitated.
\nThen began.
\n\u201cWes,
\nIf you\u2019re reading this, then either I finally found the courage to come back, or I didn\u2019t live long enough to do it myself.\u201d
\nElaine made a sound through the phone.
\nSmall.
\nBroken.
\nI continued.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry I disappeared.
\nI thought leaving would protect everyone.
\nI was wrong.\u201d
\nWesley lowered his head.
\n\u201cI took copies of the inspection reports because Tom ordered me to destroy the originals.\u201d
\nMy hands started shaking.
\n\u201cHe knew the north scaffold was unsafe seven weeks before it collapsed.\u201d
\nWesley closed his eyes.
\n\u201cHe knew the anchor bolts were defective.
\nHe knew workers had complained.
\nHe knew because I told him.\u201d
\nElaine was crying now.
\nI kept reading.
\n\u201cThe morning Calvin died, Tom told me we could not stop work because inspectors were coming Monday and delays would expose another problem.\u201d
\nI stopped.
\nWesley looked up.
\n\u201cWhat other problem?\u201d
\nI continued.
\n\u201cThe building project was being used to hide payments.\u201d
\nWesley frowned.
\n\u201cPayments?\u201d
\nI read faster.
\n\u201cTom was billing clients for materials that were never purchased, paying subcontractors through fake companies, and sending money through properties he owned under other names.\u201d
\nMelissa had entered the kitchen sometime during the letter.
\nShe stood in the doorway wearing a robe.
\n\u201cWhat the hell did you bring into my house?\u201d
\n\u201cLater,\u201d I whispered.
\nI kept reading.
\n\u201cOne property mattered more than the others.
\nThe apartment building on Greenway Street.\u201d
\nMy hand froze.
\nMy building.
\nWesley leaned forward.
\n\u201cKeep going.\u201d
\n\u201cThe building was used as storage because Tom believed nobody would ever search tenant apartments.\u201d
\nMelissa whispered, \u201cOh my God.\u201d
\n\u201cThe River Street files are hidden there.
\nBut those are not the most dangerous records.\u201d
\nMy heart started pounding.
\n\u201cThe notebook is.\u201d
\nElaine whispered, \u201cMarcus\u2019s notebook.\u201d
\nI nodded.
\nThe next line made my mouth go dry.
\n\u201cThe notebook contains names, dates, payments, and account numbers.
\nIt also contains the name of the city inspector who changed the River Street safety report.\u201d
\nWesley gripped the table.
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nI read the next line.
\nThen stopped.
\n\u201cAudrey?\u201d
\nI looked at him.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI read it again.
\nI thought I had misunderstood.
\nI hadn\u2019t.
\n\u201cThe inspector\u2019s name was Daniel Cross.\u201d
\nMelissa dropped her coffee mug.
\nIt shattered on the floor.
\nI jumped.
\nShe stared at the letter.
\n\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d
\n\u201cDaniel Cross.\u201d
\nHer face went white.
\nWesley looked between us.
\n\u201cYou know him?\u201d
\nMelissa sat down slowly.
\n\u201cAudrey knows him.\u201d
\nI frowned.
\n\u201cWhat are you talking about?\u201d
\nMy sister stared at me.
\n\u201cYou really don\u2019t remember?\u201d
\n\u201cRemember what?\u201d
\n\u201cDaniel Cross.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nShe looked frightened.
\n\u201cAudrey.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cHe was Dad\u2019s best friend.\u201d
\nThe kitchen went silent.
\nI felt as though someone had pulled the floor from beneath me.
\n\u201cOur father?\u201d
\nMelissa nodded.
\n\u201cHe came to every barbecue when we were kids.\u201d
\nMemories flickered.
\nA tall man with silver glasses.
\nA loud laugh.
\nA green pickup truck.
\nUncle Danny.
\nNot actually our uncle.
\nJust the man we were told to call that.
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cHe died.\u201d
\nMelissa\u2019s expression became strange.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s what Mom told us.\u201d
\nWesley leaned forward.
\n\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d
\nMelissa looked at me.
\n\u201cAfter Dad died, I found a box in Mom\u2019s attic.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat box?\u201d
\n\u201cLetters.\u201d
\n\u201cFrom Daniel?\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\n\u201cI thought they were personal.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat did they say?\u201d
\n\u201cShe begged him to stop visiting.\u201d
\nMy stomach tightened.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\nMelissa hesitated.
\n\u201cShe wrote that Dad had discovered something.\u201d
\nWesley\u2019s voice became quiet.
\n\u201cAbout Barlow?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nMelissa looked at the documents.
\n\u201cBut one letter mentioned River Street.\u201d
\nI stared at her.
\n\u201cOur father died before the River Street accident.\u201d
\n\u201cI know.\u201d
\nThree years before.
\nHeart attack.
\nAt least that was what I had always been told.
\nSuddenly the room felt too warm.
\n\u201cWhat exactly did Mom write?\u201d
\nMelissa swallowed.
\n\u201cShe wrote, \u2018You promised Henry nobody would get hurt.\u2019\u201d
\nMy father\u2019s name.
\nHenry.
\nWesley sat back.
\n\u201cWhat did Audrey\u2019s father do?\u201d
\n\u201cAccountant,\u201d Melissa said.
\n\u201cMostly small businesses.\u201d
\nMy stomach dropped.
\n\u201cBarlow Property Renovations.\u201d
\nMelissa looked at me.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nI whispered the words again.
\n\u201cDad did accounting work for construction companies.\u201d
\nI remembered stacks of folders on our dining table.
\nInvoices.
\nPayroll books.
\nCompany checks.
\nNames I had forgotten.
\nWesley stared at me.
\n\u201cYou think your father worked for Barlow?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nElaine spoke from the phone.
\n\u201cFind the notebook.\u201d
\nWesley looked toward the papers.
\n\u201cIt wasn\u2019t in the wall.\u201d
\n\u201cThen Marcus hid it somewhere else.\u201d
\nI returned to the letter.
\nThere were only a few lines left.
\n\u201cIf I fail to recover the notebook, there is one person who can find it.
\nHenry Avery.\u201d
\nMy breath stopped.
\nMelissa grabbed my arm.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s Dad.\u201d
\nWesley stared at me.
\n\u201cBut your father died before Marcus wrote this.\u201d
\nI shook my head.
\n\u201cRead the date.\u201d
\nAt the bottom of Marcus\u2019s letter was a date.
\nSix years ago.
\nAfter the River Street accident.
\nThree years after our father supposedly died.
\nNobody spoke.
\nMelissa whispered, \u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\nWesley looked at me.
\n\u201cAre you sure about when your father died?\u201d
\n\u201cI went to his funeral.\u201d
\nMelissa nodded quickly.
\n\u201cSo did I.\u201d
\nElaine\u2019s voice was careful.
\n\u201cDid you see him?\u201d
\nI opened my mouth.
\nThen stopped.
\nMy father\u2019s funeral had been closed-casket.
\nMom said the heart attack had happened while he was traveling for work.
\nHis body had been returned two days later.
\nShe said seeing him would only make things harder.
\nI had never questioned it.
\nNot once.
\nMelissa\u2019s face told me she was remembering the same thing.
\n\u201cNo,\u201d she whispered.
\nWesley leaned back.
\n\u201cOh my God.\u201d
\nI looked again at Marcus\u2019s letter.
\nThere was one final sentence beneath the signature.
\nI almost missed it because it had been written in the margin.
\n\u201cIf Henry is gone, ask Audrey.\u201d
\nMy blood went cold.
\nWesley looked at me.
\n\u201cWhy would Marcus know your name?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d
\nI turned the page over.
\nNothing.
\nThen Melissa pointed.
\n\u201cThere.\u201d
\nFaint writing showed through the paper.
\nIndented marks.
\nSomething had been written on another sheet placed over this one.
\nWesley grabbed a pencil from the counter.
\n\u201cWhat are you doing?\u201d
\n\u201cOld trick.\u201d
\nHe lightly shaded the side of the graphite across the page.
\nLetters slowly appeared.
\nNumbers first.
\nThen words.
\nA street.
\nAn address.
\nMelissa leaned closer.
\n\u201cThat\u2019s Mom\u2019s old house.\u201d
\nMy childhood home.
\nThe house we sold after our mother died.
\nUnder the address, another message appeared.
\nThree words.
\nBEHIND THE CLOCK.
\nI stared at Melissa.
\n\u201cThe grandfather clock.\u201d
\nShe nodded.
\nDad\u2019s enormous oak clock had stood in the hallway for my entire childhood.
\nAfter Mom died, neither of us wanted it.
\nToo big.
\nToo heavy.
\nToo many memories.
\nThe new owner had insisted we leave it because it matched the house.
\nI stood.
\n\u201cWe\u2019re going there.\u201d
\nMelissa stared at me.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s two in the morning.\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t care.\u201d
\nWesley stood too.
\nThen nearly collapsed from his knee.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re not going anywhere.\u201d
\n\u201cYes, I am.\u201d
\n\u201cYou need a doctor.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd you need someone who knows what that clock looks like.\u201d
\nBefore I could argue, his phone rang.
\nThis time the number was blocked.
\nEveryone stared at it.
\nWesley answered on speaker.
\n\u201cHello?\u201d
\nA man\u2019s voice.
\nOld.
\nWeak.
\n\u201cIs Audrey Avery with you?\u201d
\nEvery hair on my arms rose.
\nNobody answered.
\nThe man continued.
\n\u201cAudrey?\u201d
\nMy throat closed.
\nI knew that voice.
\nOlder.
\nRougher.
\nBut I knew it.
\nI had heard it every night of my childhood telling me stories before bed.
\nI grabbed the phone.
\n\u201cWho is this?\u201d
\nThe man began crying.
\n\u201cAudrey.\u201d
\nMy knees nearly gave out.
\nMelissa covered her mouth.
\nI whispered, \u201cDad?\u201d
\nSilence.
\nThen the dead man I had buried nine years earlier said,
\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry.\u201d
\nI couldn\u2019t breathe.
\n\u201cDad?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\nMelissa collapsed into a chair.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI gripped the phone with both hands.
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cThere isn\u2019t much time.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere are you?\u201d
\n\u201cYou found Marcus\u2019s letter.\u201d
\nIt wasn\u2019t a question.
\nI stared at Wesley.
\n\u201cHow do you know?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause Thomas called me.\u201d
\n\u201cBarlow knows you\u2019re alive?\u201d
\n\u201cHe always has.\u201d
\nMy stomach twisted.
\n\u201cWhat happened nine years ago?\u201d
\n\u201cI tried to leave.\u201d
\n\u201cLeave what?\u201d
\n\u201cTom.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy did we bury you?\u201d
\nHis voice broke.
\n\u201cBecause the coffin was never meant to contain me.\u201d
\nMelissa began crying.
\nI felt sick.
\n\u201cDad, where are you?\u201d
\nBefore he answered, another sound came through the phone.
\nA door opening.
\nThen my father whispered,
\n\u201cOh no.\u201d
\nA man spoke in the background.
\nNot Dad.
\nNot Vincent.
\nA voice I recognized immediately.
\nThomas Barlow.
\n\u201cYou really should have stopped calling your daughters, Henry.\u201d
\nI screamed into the phone.
\n\u201cDad!\u201d
\nA crash.
\nMy father cried out.
\nThen Barlow came on the line.
\n\u201cHello, Audrey.\u201d
\nI could barely speak.
\n\u201cWhere is my father?\u201d
\n\u201cAlive.\u201d
\n\u201cDon\u2019t touch him.\u201d
\n\u201cThat depends on you.\u201d
\nWesley stepped closer to the phone.
\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d
\nBarlow laughed softly.
\n\u201cYou again.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere is Henry?\u201d
\n\u201cSomewhere he\u2019s been safe for nine years.\u201d
\nMy hands shook.
\n\u201cYou held him prisoner?\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nMy father shouted something in the background.
\nBarlow ignored him.
\n\u201cHenry chose hiding over prison.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat prison?\u201d
\n\u201cAsk him what he did with the money.\u201d
\nI looked at Melissa.
\n\u201cWhat money?\u201d
\nBarlow continued.
\n\u201cYour father wasn\u2019t a victim, Audrey.\u201d
\nI stopped breathing.
\n\u201cHe helped build everything.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHe created the shell companies.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cHe moved the money.\u201d
\n\u201cStop.\u201d
\n\u201cHe paid the inspectors.\u201d
\n\u201cSTOP!\u201d
\n\u201cAnd when people died, Henry decided he suddenly had a conscience.\u201d
\nMy father shouted, \u201cDon\u2019t listen to him!\u201d
\nBarlow laughed.
\n\u201cSee? Still dramatic.\u201d
\nI squeezed the phone.
\n\u201cWhat do you want?\u201d
\n\u201cThe River Street files.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd the notebook?\u201d
\nA pause.
\nThen Barlow\u2019s voice became cold.
\n\u201cSo you know about it.\u201d
\n\u201cWe don\u2019t have it.\u201d
\n\u201cI think you\u2019re about to.\u201d
\nI looked at the shaded address.
\nHe knew.
\n\u201cDo not go to that house,\u201d Barlow said.
\nWesley\u2019s eyes narrowed.
\n\u201cWhy?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause if Audrey opens that clock, her father dies.\u201d
\nThe call ended.
\nFor several seconds, none of us moved.
\nThen Nolan appeared at the kitchen doorway.
\nHe was holding the broken Saturn.
\nHis face was pale.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\nI rushed toward him.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re supposed to be asleep.\u201d
\n\u201cI heard Grandpa\u2019s name.\u201d
\nI hugged him tightly.
\nHis little arms wrapped around my neck.
\n\u201cIs Grandpa alive?\u201d
\nI closed my eyes.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThen why did you tell me he died?\u201d
\nBecause I believed it.
\nBecause adults could spend decades living inside lies built by people they trusted.
\nI pulled back.
\n\u201cNolan, listen to me. You are staying here with Aunt Melissa.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cAre you going somewhere?\u201d
\n\u201cI have to.\u201d
\n\u201cTo the clock?\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\nOf course he had heard everything.
\n\u201cNolan\u2014\u201d
\nHe held out Saturn.
\n\u201cWhen it broke, something fell out.\u201d
\nMy heart stopped.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\nHe reached into his pocket.
\nAnd placed a tiny brass key in my palm.
\nI stared at it.
\n\u201cWhere did you get this?\u201d
\n\u201cIt was inside Saturn.\u201d
\n\u201cThat\u2019s impossible.\u201d
\nNolan shook his head.
\n\u201cNot my Saturn.\u201d
\nHe pointed toward the battered solar system.
\n\u201cThe old metal piece Wesley put under the base to make it stand better.\u201d
\nWesley frowned.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t put metal under it.\u201d
\nWe all turned toward the project.
\nI carried it to the table.
\nRemoved the folder.
\nLifted the battery pack.
\nBeneath it was a thin brass plate I had assumed belonged to the project.
\nIt didn\u2019t.
\nThere were words engraved into it.
\nH. AVERY.
\nMy father\u2019s name.
\nMelissa gasped.
\n\u201cHow did that get there?\u201d
\nI suddenly remembered.
\n\u201cThe project board.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat about it?\u201d
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t buy it.\u201d
\nNolan looked at me.
\n\u201cMr. Barlow gave it to us.\u201d
\nMonths ago, my landlord had been cleaning storage in the basement.
\nHe saw Nolan struggling to carry cardboard upstairs.
\nHe told us there were old craft supplies in storage.
\nA piece of black foam board.
\nMetal brackets.
\nBoxes.
\nI had thanked him.
\nI had never thought about it again.
\nWesley turned the brass plate over.
\nOn the back was a tiny keyhole diagram.
\nThen three numbers.
\n4-1-7.
\nMelissa whispered, \u201cThe clock.\u201d
\nI looked at her.
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cThe grandfather clock had a hidden compartment.\u201d
\n\u201cYou knew?\u201d
\n\u201cDad showed me once when we were kids.\u201d
\nI stared.
\n\u201cYou never told me?\u201d
\n\u201cYou were seven. You told Mom everything.\u201d
\nUnder any other circumstance, I might have been offended.
\nInstead I grabbed my coat.
\nWesley stood.
\n\u201cWe go now.\u201d
\n\u201cYou can barely walk.\u201d
\n\u201cThen you drive.\u201d
\nMelissa stepped forward.
\n\u201cI\u2019m coming.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cThat is my father too.\u201d
\n\u201cNolan needs you.\u201d
\nShe looked at him.
\nThen me.
\nShe hated that I was right.
\nI crouched in front of my son.
\n\u201cI need you to stay here.\u201d
\nHe nodded reluctantly.
\n\u201cBring Grandpa back.\u201d
\nMy chest tightened.
\n\u201cI\u2019ll try.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHe looked directly into my eyes.
\n\u201cBring him back.\u201d
\nI kissed his forehead.
\nThen Wesley and I left.
\nAt 2:37 in the morning, we parked across from the house where Melissa and I had grown up.
\nThe porch light was on.
\nSomeone lived there now.
\nA young couple.
\nI had met them once during the sale.
\nWe couldn\u2019t simply break in.
\nThen Wesley pointed.
\nThe front door was open.
\nNot unlocked.
\nOpen.
\nThree inches.
\nMy skin prickled.
\n\u201cSomeone\u2019s already inside.\u201d
\nWe approached carefully.
\nI called 911.
\nKept the phone connected.
\nThen pushed the door.
\nThe hallway looked almost exactly as I remembered.
\nDifferent paint.
\nDifferent photographs.
\nBut the same staircase.
\nThe same floorboards.
\nAnd at the far end of the hall stood the grandfather clock.
\nIts pendulum was moving.
\nTick.
\nTick.
\nTick.
\nNobody should have wound it.
\nThe new owners had told us it didn\u2019t work.
\nWesley whispered, \u201cAudrey.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d
\n\u201cLook at the floor.\u201d
\nMuddy footprints.
\nFresh.
\nLeading straight to the clock.
\nThen away.
\nToward the basement.
\nMy father had hidden something here.
\nAnd someone else was already looking for it.
\nI approached the clock.
\nMy hands shook as I opened the wooden door.
\nPendulum.
\nWeights.
\nDust.
\nNothing else.
\n\u201cFour-one-seven,\u201d Wesley whispered.
\nI looked around.
\nThere were small brass screws along the interior frame.
\nFour on one side.
\nOne near the center.
\nSeven below.
\nI pressed them in that order.
\nClick.
\nA narrow panel opened behind the pendulum.
\nInside sat a black notebook.
\nAnd a photograph.
\nI grabbed both.
\nThe photograph showed four men standing outside a construction office.
\nThomas Barlow.
\nMarcus Cole.
\nDaniel Cross.
\nAnd my father.
\nBut there was a fifth person.
\nA woman.
\nYoung.
\nSmiling.
\nHer arm wrapped around my father\u2019s waist.
\nI stared at her face.
\nI knew her.
\nWesley looked over my shoulder.
\n\u201cWho is she?\u201d
\nI could barely speak.
\n\u201cMy mother.\u201d
\nOn the back, someone had written:
\nTHE FIVE WHO STARTED IT.
\nMy stomach dropped.
\nMom had known.
\nMaybe more than known.
\nI opened the notebook.
\nThe first pages were filled with payments and company names.
\nThen I found an entry dated nine years ago.
\nHENRY EXIT \u2014 $75,000.
\nBeside it was another line.
\nFUNERAL ARRANGEMENT \u2014 COMPLETE.
\nWesley stared.
\n\u201cThey paid to fake your father\u2019s death.\u201d
\nI turned the page.
\nAnd saw my own name.
\nAUDREY \u2014 DO NOT INVOLVE.
\nMELISSA \u2014 DO NOT INVOLVE.
\nThen underneath:
\nIF THOMAS BREAKS AGREEMENT, GIVE GIRLS EVERYTHING.
\nI whispered, \u201cDad planned this.\u201d
\nA floorboard creaked behind us.
\nWe spun.
\nA man stood at the basement door.
\nGray hair.
\nThin face.
\nBent shoulders.
\nFor one impossible moment, I thought it was my father.
\nThen he stepped into the light.
\nDaniel Cross.
\nUncle Danny.
\nThe dead city inspector.
\nHe looked at the notebook in my hands.
\nThen at me.
\n\u201cAudrey.\u201d
\nI backed away.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re alive too.\u201d
\nHis eyes filled with sadness.
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere\u2019s my father?\u201d
\nDaniel looked toward the basement.
\n\u201cBelow us.\u201d
\nI ran.
\nHe grabbed my arm.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nI screamed.
\n\u201cLet go!\u201d
\n\u201cAudrey, listen to me.\u201d
\n\u201cIs Barlow down there?\u201d
\nDaniel nodded.
\n\u201cAnd my father?\u201d
\n\u201cYes.\u201d
\n\u201cThen get out of my way.\u201d
\n\u201cYou don\u2019t understand.\u201d
\n\u201cI understand enough.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\nHis grip tightened.
\n\u201cThomas isn\u2019t the one you need to be afraid of.\u201d
\nWesley stepped forward.
\n\u201cLet her go.\u201d
\nDaniel released me.
\nThen looked toward the staircase.
\nHis face was terrified.
\n\u201cThomas came here because somebody told him Henry finally talked.\u201d
\n\u201cWho?\u201d
\nDaniel looked at the photograph in my hand.
\nThen whispered,
\n\u201cYour mother.\u201d
\nI stared at him.
\n\u201cMy mother is dead.\u201d
\nDaniel\u2019s face crumpled.
\n\u201cNo, Audrey.\u201d
\nMy heart stopped.
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cShe disappeared three months after Henry.\u201d
\n\u201cNo.\u201d
\n\u201cWe staged her death too.\u201d
\nI stumbled backward.
\nMelissa and I had scattered our mother\u2019s ashes seven years ago.
\nCancer.
\nHospice.
\nA funeral home.
\nI remembered holding the urn.
\nDaniel continued.
\n\u201cShe was supposed to stay hidden.\u201d
\n\u201cWhere is she?\u201d
\nHe looked toward the basement.
\nA woman\u2019s voice came from below.
\nOlder.
\nWeak.
\nBut unmistakable.
\n\u201cAudrey?\u201d
\nThe notebook slipped from my hands.
\nI had heard that voice thousands of times.
\nCalling me downstairs for breakfast.
\nSinging badly while washing dishes.
\nWhispering that everything would be okay after Dad died.
\n\u201cMom?\u201d
\nThen came a gunshot from the basement.
\nWesley threw me to the floor.
\nA second shot exploded.
\nSomeone screamed.
\nMy mother screamed.
\nAnd my father shouted one sentence that made me scramble toward the basement stairs.
\n\u201cAUDREY, RUN! YOUR MOTHER WAS THE ONE WHO ORDERED THE SCAFFOLDING TO STAY OPEN!\u201d\u2026\u2026\u2026\u2026.<\/p>\n