Chapter 8 - THE SON CHARLES LOST
Charles did not speak for almost an hour.
He sat alone in a conference room.
Nora stayed outside.
Not because she forgave him for the years of silence.
Not because she suddenly saw him as a victim.
But because grief like that deserved privacy.
Daniel had not simply betrayed his father.
If Gregory was telling the truth, Daniel had known his own mother was going to die.
Perhaps he had helped make it happen.
And Charles had spent eleven years calling his wife’s death an accident because the alternative required believing his son capable of something monstrous.
Nora understood denial better than she wanted to.
Detective Mills approached.
“We are obtaining an arrest warrant.”
“For Daniel?”
“For conspiracy relating to your vehicle.”
“And Evelyn?”
“That will take longer.”
Nora crossed her arms.
“Longer?”
“Gregory is an accomplice seeking a deal.”
“We need corroboration.”
“What about unit 8742?”
“Forensics are processing it.”
“Celeste?”
“We’re investigating.”
Nora looked toward the conference room.
“Daniel knows Gregory is talking.”
“Yes.”
“Then why isn’t he already in custody?”
“The warrant process is moving.”
Nora’s instincts screamed.
“He’s going to run.”
Mills gave her a measured look.
“We have alerts on his passport.”
“He owns planes.”
“We notified private airports.”
“He owns people too.”
Mills did not answer.
That silence told Nora he understood.
At 11:32, Daniel disappeared.
His attorney claimed he did not know where his client was.
Daniel’s phone had been left in his office.
His car sat in the garage.
The private driver assigned to him said Daniel dismissed him before ten.
By noon, every police agency involved was searching.
At 12:17, Celeste disappeared too.
Nora looked at Marcus.
“They’re together.”
“Probably.”
“Where would they go?”
Charles finally emerged.
His face had changed.
Not grief.
Something more final.
“The lake house.”
Nora looked at him.
“Evelyn’s lake house?”
Charles nodded.
“Daniel always goes back to places where he believes he won.”
Police surrounded the property by two.
Daniel was not there.
But someone had been.
A fireplace contained recently burned papers.
Two glasses sat in the kitchen.
A suitcase was missing from an upstairs closet.
Then officers found something on the dock.
Lucy’s blue hair ribbon.
Nora stared at the photograph Detective Mills sent.
“No.”
Marcus immediately checked Lucy’s location.
She was at the secured apartment with Melissa.
Safe.
The ribbon had been missing since the gala.
Nora remembered.
Lucy had worn two ribbons that morning.
After the hospital, only one remained.
“Daniel took it?”
Marcus frowned.
“Or Celeste.”
“Why bring it here?”
No one knew.
Then Charles looked toward the water.
“It’s a message.”
Nora turned.
“For whom?”
“For me.”
Charles walked to the dock.
The same lake had taken Evelyn.
Now Daniel had placed Lucy’s ribbon beside it.
A threat.
Or a warning.
Charles picked it up.
His hands did not shake anymore.
That frightened Nora.
Police searched the house.
In Evelyn’s former bedroom, they found a hidden compartment behind a wall panel.
Inside was a small cassette recorder.
Old.
Eleven years old.
Charles recognized it.
“Evelyn dictated notes.”
The tape inside was labeled JUNE 14.
Two days before her death.
Police played it.
Static.
Then Evelyn’s voice.
Calm.
Intelligent.
Alive.
Charles closed his eyes.
“I met Thomas again today.”
Evelyn said.
“He denies Daniel knows anything about the transfers.”
“I don’t believe him.”
Nora looked at Charles.
The recording continued.
“Daniel asked me this morning why I was looking through his accounts.”
“He was angry.”
“He said I was trying to make Father hate him.”
“I told him Charles doesn’t hate him.”
“He is afraid of what Daniel is becoming.”
Charles covered his mouth.
Evelyn’s voice continued.
“If I am wrong, I will apologize.”
“If I am right, someone needs to stop this before Daniel learns that money can erase every consequence.”
The tape clicked.
Then another section.
A male voice.
Daniel.
You think you’re better than me.
Evelyn answered.
I think you’re frightened.
Don’t psychoanalyze me.
I’m your mother.
You’re Charles’s spy.
No.
I’m the last person in this family still trying to protect you from yourself.
Silence.
Then Daniel spoke.
If you take this to Dad, you will regret it.
The tape ended.
Charles sat down on the edge of the bed.
Nora watched him.
For eleven years, he had wanted proof.
Now every piece of proof was another blade.
Detective Mills collected the recorder.
Then Marcus entered.
“We found Celeste.”
Nora turned.
“Where?”
“A hotel near Dulles.”
“With Daniel?”
“No.”
“Police have her.”
Charles stood.
“Is she talking?”
“Not yet.”
Celeste requested an attorney.
Then requested immunity.
Then asked to speak directly to Charles.
Police refused initially.
Charles insisted.
An hour later, they sat across from Celeste in an interview room.
Nora watched through glass.
Celeste looked nothing like the woman in the silver gown.
No diamonds.
Hair tied back.
Eyes swollen.
She looked scared.
Charles sat across from her.
“You hit my granddaughter.”
Celeste looked down.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I lost control.”
Charles stared.
“No.”
Celeste’s eyes filled.
“I was terrified.”
“Of a six-year-old?”
“Of what she heard.”
Charles’s face hardened.
“What did she hear?”
Celeste swallowed.
“Daniel and Thomas.”
“Talking about the storage unit.”
“And?”
Celeste shook her head.
“My attorney says—”
Charles stood.
“I’m leaving.”
“Wait.”
He stopped.
Celeste began crying.
“Daniel was going to leave Nora.”
“We know.”
“He told me we would get married.”
Charles laughed once.
Bitter.
“You believed him?”
Celeste flinched.
“I believed I understood him.”
“That is not the same thing.”
Celeste wiped her eyes.
“He said Nora was weak.”
“He said she would sign whatever he put in front of her.”
“When she didn’t, he started collecting things.”
“Videos.”
“Medical records.”
“Mistakes.”
Charles’s jaw tightened.
“And Lucy?”
Celeste looked ashamed.
“She kept seeing things.”
“So you frightened her.”
“Yes.”
“You threatened a child because she saw you sleeping with her father.”
Celeste nodded.
Charles leaned forward.
“Why did you hit her?”
Celeste closed her eyes.
“Because right before she walked into me, she whispered something.”
Charles stared.
“What?”
Celeste’s voice broke.
“She said she remembered Grandma Evelyn.”
Silence.
Nora leaned toward the glass.
Charles froze.
“What does that mean?”
“I didn’t know.”
“She said she heard Uncle Thomas talking about Evelyn.”
“Then she looked at me and said she was going to tell you.”
Charles’s hands closed into fists.
“So you struck her.”
“I panicked.”
“You knocked out her tooth.”
“I know.”
Charles’s voice became ice.
“No.”
“You know that happened.”
“You do not yet understand what it means.”
Celeste cried harder.
Charles sat back.
“Where is Daniel?”
“I don’t know.”
“You left together.”
“Yes.”
“Then what happened?”
Celeste took a breath.
“He changed.”
Nora almost laughed at the absurdity.
Changed?
Daniel had not changed.
He had simply stopped pretending.
Celeste continued.
“At the lake house he started burning documents.”
“He said Gregory had betrayed him.”
“He said Thomas was useless.”
“Then he asked me to come onto the dock.”
Charles became still.
“I wouldn’t.”
“Why?”
Celeste looked directly at him.
“Because I knew what happened to Evelyn.”
Nora stopped breathing.
Charles’s face emptied.
“How?”
“My father told me.”
“When?”
“Before he died.”
Charles leaned closer.
“What did he tell you?”
Celeste swallowed.
“Thomas damaged the boat.”
“Gregory helped.”
“And Daniel…”
Her voice failed.
Charles waited.
Celeste whispered.
“Daniel knew exactly when his mother was going onto the lake.”
Charles stood so abruptly the chair scraped backward.
Celeste recoiled.
“And you still chose him?”
Charles asked.
Celeste started crying again.
“I thought that was the worst thing he had ever done.”
Charles stared at her.
“Until?”
Celeste looked toward the mirrored glass.
As if she knew Nora stood behind it.
“Until Nora’s car.”
Nora felt cold.
Charles sat again.
“Where is Daniel now?”
Celeste shook her head.
“He took my phone.”
“He took cash.”
“He said he had one thing left to fix.”
Charles’s expression changed.
“What thing?”
Celeste closed her eyes.
Then answered.
May you like
“Lucy.”
Nora was already running before Charles reached the door.
