Chapter 3 - My Brother’s First Lie
Daniel did not answer for three seconds.
Three seconds is a long time when someone has spent his entire life lying only when necessary.
Then he smiled.
“You’re holding Catherine’s medal.”
Reasonable.
Almost.
But he had called Emily by name before she worked directly with him.
And the fear on his face had come before he looked at the medal.
I stepped closer.
“You knew Emily.”
“No.”
She stood.
“Yes, you did.”
Daniel’s eyes moved toward her.
“When?”
“The funeral.”
My head snapped toward her.
“What?”
Emily’s face went pale.
“I saw him there.”
“You said you didn’t come.”
“I said I was afraid.”
“That isn’t the same.”
“I stayed across the street.”
I stared.
She continued.
“Daniel came to me afterward.”
Daniel swore softly.
There.
Confirmation.
“What did you say to her?”
He looked exhausted now.
“Michael.”
“What did you say?”
“That Catherine had mentioned her.”
Emily shook her head.
“No.”
Daniel stared.
“You told me to leave Chicago.”
My hands curled.
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Because things were dangerous.”
“For her?”
“For everyone.”
“Who killed Catherine?”
His face broke.
Not enough.
But enough.
“I don’t know.”
Wrong answer.
“You know something.”
“Yes.”
Emily whispered:
“Finally.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You should have stayed gone.”
My anger went cold.
“Do not talk to her like that.”
He turned.
“She brought this back into your house.”
“No.”
I stepped between them.
“You did.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You have no idea.”
“Then give me one.”
Silence.
Daniel sat.
Not because I told him.
Because his legs suddenly looked tired.
“When Dad died, Uncle Raymond didn’t accept you taking control.”
I knew.
Everybody did.
Raymond Harrington believed he should have inherited the empire.
My father left majority voting authority to me.
Raymond received money.
Not power.
He never forgave me.
Daniel continued.
“Raymond began moving cash through side businesses.”
“I found those.”
“No. You found what he let you find.”
I stared.
“What else?”
“Political money. Judges. Port inspectors. Police.”
Emily sat slowly.
Daniel looked at me.
“Catherine found one of the account books.”
“How?”
“She was looking for tax files for the foundation.”
“Why didn’t she give it to me?”
“Because my name was in it.”
My heart stopped.
“Yours?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
Daniel looked ashamed.
“I signed transfers.”
“Knowing?”
“At first, no.”
“And later?”
“Yes.”
I walked away.
Needed distance.
I had raised him.
Paid his tuition.
Taught him how to drive.
Broke a boy’s nose when he bullied him at fifteen.
Daniel was not just my brother.
For years, he had felt partly like my son.
“You worked for Raymond.”
“For six months.”
“Why?”
“He had something on me.”
“What?”
Daniel looked at Emily.
Then away.
“My daughter.”
I stared.
“You have a daughter?”
“Had.”
Everything changed.
Daniel had never married.
Never publicly had children.
He explained.
At twenty-six, he had a relationship with a woman named Lauren Weiss.
She became pregnant.
Raymond discovered it before anyone else.
Lauren came from a family Daniel believed would be endangered by association with us.
Raymond offered protection.
Then turned it into leverage.
He threatened to expose Lauren and the baby to rival crews unless Daniel signed certain transactions.
“You could have told me.”
Daniel laughed.
“You were becoming Dad.”
I almost hit him.
Not because it was false.
Because some part of it was true.
I had become harder after taking control.
Less reachable.
Daniel feared me.
That knowledge hurt.
“What happened to them?”
His eyes filled.
“Lauren left.”
“And the child?”
“With her.”
“You said had.”
“I haven’t seen my daughter in seven years.”
Silence.
Emily whispered:
“Catherine knew.”
“Yes.”
“She tried to help you.”
“Yes.”
“And that’s why you met?”
Daniel nodded.
Catherine discovered Daniel’s secret.
Instead of exposing him, she offered to help find Lauren.
During that search, she found Raymond’s accounts.
Then something worse.
A payment to Leonard Pike.
The driver.
Two weeks before her crash.
I sat down.
“How much?”
“Two hundred thousand.”
Emily covered her mouth.
“For what?”
Daniel’s voice broke.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t lie.”
“I swear.”
“Did you tell Catherine?”
“She found it herself.”
“What happened the night she died?”
Daniel looked at the floor.
“She called me.”
“When?”
“Twenty minutes before the crash.”
I stopped breathing.
Police records showed Catherine made no outgoing calls.
“From what number?”
“Burner.”
“What did she say?”
“She said she had proof Raymond arranged something.”
“What?”
“She didn’t finish.”
“Why?”
“She saw a car following her.”
Emily began crying silently.
I leaned forward.
“And?”
“I told her to drive to the lake house.”
My stomach turned.
The accident happened on the road toward the lake house.
“You sent her onto that route.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Yes.”
“You killed her.”
“No.”
“You changed her route.”
“I was trying to get her somewhere secure.”
“Did Raymond know about the lake house?”
Daniel didn’t answer.
I stood.
He whispered:
“Yes.”
I grabbed him by the jacket.
Emily stood.
“Michael.”
Daniel didn’t resist.
Maybe he believed he deserved it.
I wanted to hurt him.
For six years of grief.
For Catherine.
For Noah.
For every night I had believed fate took her randomly.
Then Noah’s voice came from the doorway.
“Dad.”
I released Daniel instantly.
Noah stared.
He had heard enough to know something was wrong.
Not enough to understand.
Emily went to him.
He stepped behind her.
Not me.
That broke something.
I looked at my brother.
“Leave.”
“Michael—”
“Not the city.”
He swallowed.
“The room.”
Daniel stood.
At the door he stopped.
“Raymond knows Emily is here.”
My blood chilled.
“How?”
“I told him.”
Emily went still.
I almost attacked him again.
Daniel raised both hands.
“Before I knew why she was here.”
“When?”
“Two months ago.”
“Why?”
“He asked about staff.”
“And you answered.”
“I didn’t know.”
I laughed bitterly.
That phrase was becoming the Harrington family motto.
Daniel continued.
“Raymond called me this morning.”
“What did he want?”
“To know whether the interviews were happening.”
Five women.
My absurd wife-selection morning.
Why would Raymond care?
Then I understood.
Because the estate would be full.
Distracted.
Security focused on guests.
“What else?”
Daniel looked at Emily.
“He asked whether Noah still trusted the housekeeper.”
Silence.
Emily pulled Noah closer.
My son looked between us.
“Why does Uncle Raymond care about Emily?”
I couldn’t answer honestly.
Not yet.
Then Noah said:
“Because he knows her.”
Emily’s face changed.
I turned.
“What?”
Noah looked at Emily.
“You told me not to say.”
She closed her eyes.
“When?”
I asked.
Noah whispered:
“Uncle Raymond came into the kitchen last month.”
“And?”
“He called Emily Rebecca.”
Every muscle in my body went still.
I looked at her.
“Who is Rebecca?”
Emily’s face emptied.
Daniel whispered from the doorway:
“Oh God.”
I turned.
“You know.”
Daniel stared at Emily.
“Her sister.”
Emily began crying.
I looked between them.
“What sister?”
Emily finally answered.
“Rebecca Carter.”
“Who was she?”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Then said:
“Catherine’s driver.”
My blood turned cold.
Not Leonard Pike.
Another driver.
A woman.
One I barely remembered.
May you like
Then Emily whispered:
“And she disappeared the night Catherine died.”
