Chapter 10 - THE DEAD MAN’S CONFESSION
Richard Whitmore looked almost exactly as Nathan remembered him.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakable.
Nathan stared.
“I went to your funeral.”
Richard smiled.
“So did a lot of people.”
Rebecca’s face hardened.
“You.”
Richard looked at her.
“Rebecca.”
“You caused the crash.”
Richard shrugged.
“I was young.”
Emma stared.
“You tried to kill my mother.”
Richard’s smile disappeared.
“I was ordered to stop her.”
Rebecca stepped forward.
“By Margaret.”
Richard looked toward his sister-in-law.
Margaret said nothing.
That silence was enough.
Nathan looked at his mother.
“You ordered it?”
Margaret’s face remained calm.
“Richard volunteered.”
Richard laughed.
“Still rewriting history.”
Margaret’s eyes narrowed.
Richard continued.
“You begged me.”
“You said if Rebecca reached the attorney general, everything was over.”
Margaret snapped.
“Shut up.”
Richard grinned.
“There she is.”
Nathan looked between them.
“You faked your death.”
Richard nodded.
“Necessary.”
“Why?”
Richard glanced at Hayes.
“Because certain people wanted Whitmore blood.”
Hayes’s jaw tightened.
Richard continued.
“Federal investigations were closing in.”
“Margaret decided one Whitmore needed to disappear.”
Nathan stared.
“And you agreed?”
“I was facing prison.”
Richard shrugged.
“A coffin was preferable.”
Emma looked at Hayes.
“You knew?”
“No.”
Richard laughed.
“Oh, he knew something.”
Hayes aimed his gun higher.
“Careful.”
Richard raised both hands.
“Daniel.”
“You’re still pretending?”
Rebecca looked at Hayes.
“What now?”
Richard smiled.
“Ask him who funded his career.”
Hayes’s expression changed.
Rebecca’s face went cold.
“Daniel.”
Hayes did not answer.
Richard continued.
“Police academy.”
“Law school.”
“Private investigation certifications.”
“Campaign donations for his prosecutor friends.”
Margaret spoke sharply.
“Richard.”
He ignored her.
“All quietly funded through Whitmore foundations.”
Nathan stared at Hayes.
“You were paid by my family.”
Hayes looked at him.
“I didn’t know the source at first.”
Emma laughed bitterly.
“That phrase again.”
Hayes looked at her.
“I found out later.”
“When?”
“Years ago.”
“And you stayed involved.”
“Yes.”
Rebecca looked crushed.
“You worked for them.”
“No.”
“You took their money.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
Richard smiled.
“Finally.”
Hayes turned toward him.
“Shut up.”
Richard raised the gun toward Hayes.
“You first.”
Everything happened quickly.
Margaret moved.
Rebecca shouted.
Nathan pulled Emma toward the wall.
A gunshot exploded through the corridor.
Emma screamed.
Hayes stumbled backward.
His weapon fell.
Blood appeared along his shoulder.
Rebecca fired once.
Richard ducked behind the doorway.
Margaret ran.
Nathan looked at Emma.
“Stay here!”
“No.”
“Emma.”
“Evelyn.”
Nathan turned.
His sister remained locked behind the steel door.
He rushed toward the keypad.
Rebecca covered the corridor with her weapon.
Hayes pressed one hand against his shoulder.
“I’m fine.”
Emma stared.
“You’ve been shot.”
“Graze.”
He picked up his gun.
Another shot hit the concrete wall.
Everyone ducked.
Richard shouted from the far end.
“Margaret!”
No answer.
Rebecca looked toward a side corridor.
“She went that way.”
Hayes shook his head.
“Don’t follow.”
Rebecca ignored him.
Nathan slammed his fist against the keypad.
“Evelyn, back up!”
Evelyn moved away from the door.
Nathan grabbed a metal fire extinguisher.
He struck the keypad.
Once.
Twice.
Sparks flew.
The lock clicked.
Nathan pulled the door open.
Evelyn ran into him.
“Nathan!”
He held her briefly.
Then pushed her behind him.
“Can you walk?”
“Yes.”
“Stay close.”
Emma looked at Evelyn.
Evelyn could barely meet her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
Emma answered.
“Later.”
Another gunshot echoed.
Rebecca fired toward Richard’s doorway.
Hayes shouted.
“Stop shooting!”
Rebecca glared at him.
“He tried to kill me twenty-three years ago.”
“And if you kill him now, we lose his testimony.”
Rebecca laughed.
“You still think this ends in court?”
Emma looked at her.
“It has to.”
Rebecca turned.
Emma continued.
“If this ends here with bodies underground, Margaret gets exactly what she always wanted.”
Silence.
Rebecca lowered the gun slightly.
Nathan looked at Emma.
She looked exhausted.
But steady.
Emma turned toward Hayes.
“Can you call anyone you trust?”
Hayes hesitated.
“One person.”
“Who?”
“A federal agent.”
Rebecca laughed.
“No.”
Hayes looked at her.
“You don’t know him.”
“That’s the problem.”
Emma spoke.
“Call him.”
Rebecca stared at her.
Emma continued.
“We need someone outside this family.”
Hayes nodded.
He reached for his phone.
No signal.
Richard’s voice came from the darkness.
“You won’t get a signal down here.”
Nathan looked toward the ceiling.
Richard laughed.
“Margaret designed this place well.”
Emma noticed a wall panel.
“Emergency line?”
Hayes followed her gaze.
A red telephone sat beneath glass.
Nathan broke the cover.
He lifted the receiver.
Dial tone.
Everyone stared.
Nathan dialed emergency services.
Nothing.
No connection.
Then the phone rang in his hand.
Nathan froze.
“Hello?”
Margaret’s voice answered.
“Nathan.”
His face changed.
“Mom.”
Emma stepped closer.
Margaret continued.
“You have five minutes.”
“For what?”
“To bring Emma to the old archive room.”
“No.”
Margaret laughed softly.
“You should hear the rest.”
Nathan gripped the receiver.
“What do you want?”
“The flash drive.”
Emma touched her coat.
Margaret knew.
Nathan looked at Emma.
Margaret continued.
“And Rebecca.”
Rebecca stared at the phone.
Nathan’s voice hardened.
“No.”
“Then your father dies.”
Nathan froze.
“Dad?”
Everyone went silent.
Margaret continued.
“Charles has been remarkably cooperative.”
Nathan’s face went pale.
“You have him?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He came looking for you.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
Of course he did.
Margaret continued.
“Five minutes.”
“If Emma comes alone with the drive, Charles walks out.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
Margaret’s voice became cold.
“You’ll finally learn why Richard’s funeral had a closed casket.”
The line went dead.
Nathan slowly lowered the receiver.
Evelyn began crying.
“Dad.”
Emma looked at Nathan.
He shook his head immediately.
“No.”
“Nathan.”
“No.”
“I’m not letting you go anywhere alone.”
Rebecca stepped forward.
“Neither am I.”
Hayes checked his weapon.
“This is a trap.”
Emma looked at him.
“Obviously.”
Nathan stared.
“You are not trading yourself.”
Emma placed one hand over her stomach.
“I’m not trading myself.”
Nathan waited.
Emma’s expression hardened.
“I’m ending it.”
Rebecca looked at her.
“How?”
Emma removed the flash drive from her coat.
Then she smiled faintly.
The first real smile anyone had seen from her all night.
Nathan frowned.
“What?”
Emma held up the drive.
“This isn’t Margaret’s backup.”
Rebecca stared.
“What?”
Emma looked at her mother.
“You said you hadn’t opened it.”
“No.”
Emma turned the drive over.
“There’s a scratch beside the connector.”
Rebecca looked closer.
Emma continued.
“I’ve seen this drive before.”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed.
“Where?”
Emma looked toward the dark corridor where Margaret had disappeared.
“In Margaret’s office.”
Rebecca frowned.
Emma continued.
“Three months ago.”
“She left it plugged into her computer during a charity dinner.”
“I copied it.”
Hayes stared.
“You copied the drive?”
“Yes.”
“Where is the copy?”
Emma looked at him.
“Not with me.”
Nathan slowly understood.
“So Margaret thinks that’s the evidence.”
“Yes.”
“But it isn’t the only copy.”
“No.”
Rebecca’s eyes sharpened.
“Then where is the real one?”
Emma looked toward Nathan.
“Rosa.”
Nathan stared.
“The maid?”
Emma nodded.
“She has everything.”
Hayes closed his eyes.
“Jesus.”
Emma continued.
“And she has instructions.”
Nathan waited.
“What instructions?”
“If I don’t contact her by midnight…”
Emma looked at the old wall clock.
12:17 a.m.
Nathan’s face changed.
Emma finished.
“…she sends it to six news organizations, two federal offices, and every Whitmore board member.”
For the first time all night, Hayes smiled.
Rebecca stared at Emma.
Nathan looked stunned.
Evelyn whispered.
“You planned all of this?”
Emma looked at her.
“No.”
She glanced toward the staircase behind them.
“I planned for your family to try to bury the truth.”
May you like
Then she looked toward the archive corridor.
“But I didn’t plan on surviving long enough to watch them fail.”
