Chapter 9 - THE UNCLE WHO CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD|
My uncle Richard had been declared dead eleven years earlier.
His car had been found near a mountain road two weeks after my father's murder. The vehicle had burned beyond recognition. Dental records had supposedly confirmed his identity.
I had attended the memorial.
I had watched my mother cry over an empty coffin.
Now his family crest was engraved on a key connected to the murder.
"You're sure?" Marcus asked.
I nodded.
"Richard wore that symbol on every ring he owned."
Jenna studied me.
"You never mentioned an uncle."
"Because I believed he was dead."
"Was he close to your father?"
"Closer than anyone. They grew up together after my grandfather took him in. Richard was the only person my father trusted with certain business records."
"Could he have betrayed him?"
I looked at the symbol.
"Yes."
The answer tasted like poison.
We drove to the warehouse before sunrise. The property stood behind a rusted fence, surrounded by construction equipment. Smoke-colored clouds hung above the mountains, and the air smelled of snow.
My men secured the perimeter while Jenna, Matt, and I entered through a side door.
The building had been stripped almost bare. Charred beams remained where the fire had eaten through the roof. Near the center stood a concrete foundation marked with a faded number.
Jenna held the brass key.
"Here."
A narrow metal hatch lay beneath a fallen sheet of plywood.
The key turned.
Inside was a small compartment containing a sealed metal case.
I lifted it out and opened the lid.
Documents filled the case: bank ledgers, photographs, recorded statements, and a handwritten journal.
My father's journal.
I opened it to the last entry.
Richard says Voss has discovered the account. Thomas believes the evidence will protect our families. I fear we have waited too long. If anything happens to me, Evan must never trust the man who comes offering answers.
I read the final sentence again.
The man who comes offering answers.
Ryan.
Or Richard.
Perhaps both.
Jenna found a small cassette recorder among the documents.
"There's a tape."
I placed it into a portable player Marcus had brought.
Static crackled, followed by my father's voice.
"If you're hearing this, then I failed to keep the truth buried. Victor Voss has been stealing from the families who trusted him. Richard helped him create the accounts, but I don't believe Richard understands what Voss intends to do."
A second voice interrupted.
Richard.
"You don't know what you're talking about, Daniel."
"I know the money is being used to buy judges, police officers, and politicians."
"And what do you suggest? We hand everything to the authorities and hope they protect us?"
"We expose him."
A pause.
Then Richard spoke again.
"You'll destroy us all."
The recording ended with a loud crash.
Jenna covered her mouth.
"That was the night he died."
I stared at the recorder.
My father had known his brother was involved.
But had Richard killed him?
A sound came from the upper level.
Footsteps.
My security team called out, but no one answered.
Then a voice drifted down from the darkness.
"Still collecting your father's secrets, Evan?"
A man emerged on the metal staircase.
His hair was gray, his face thinner, and a scar crossed his jaw.
But I knew him.
Richard Blackwood smiled.
"Hello, nephew."
May you like
He raised a gun toward Jenna.
"And you brought Thomas Hart's daughter. Excellent."
