Chapter 13 - THE UNCLE WHO NEVER DIED|
Julian's uncle had supposedly died in a boating accident twenty-six years earlier.
The family story was simple: Richard Cross had taken a boat out during a storm, failed to return, and left no body behind. Victor had declared him dead after a search. The family held a private memorial, and the estate was divided according to the will.
I had heard of Richard only because his portrait hung in the mansion's east corridor. He had the same gray eyes as Julian and the same broad shoulders, though his expression was warmer.
Now we had reason to question whether he had ever died.
Dr. Reed agreed to a second interview, this time with the authorities present. He confirmed that he had signed a medical statement connected to Richard's death, but he said he had not personally examined a body.
"I was told the identification had already been confirmed," he explained. "I signed the document based on information provided by Victor's attorney."
"Why?" the investigator asked.
"Because I was afraid of losing my medical license. Victor had arranged financial support for my practice, and I knew what happened to people who angered him."
"Did you know the death certificate would be used to transfer Richard's assets?"
"No."
"Did you know he might still be alive?"
Dr. Reed looked down.
"I suspected it later. I never had proof."
His answers did not resolve the mystery, but they revealed that the family's official history had relied on assumptions and documents that had never been independently verified.
The investigators began reviewing Richard's financial records and searching for evidence of a living identity.
Meanwhile, the recovered ledger contained a series of payments to a private address in Vermont. The account had been opened under a corporate alias, but the payment instructions included a reference to an old Cross family property.
Julian recognized the address.
"A hunting lodge," he said. "My father closed it after Richard's disappearance."
"Could Richard have been living there?" I asked.
"Possibly. But the property changed hands twice. We need to establish who occupies it now."
The authorities arranged to verify the property. We did not travel there ourselves, despite Julian's impatience. He had finally begun to accept that moving quickly was not the same as moving wisely.
Two days later, an investigator called with a development.
A man had been seen entering the property regularly. His face was partially obscured by a cap, but his height, build, and gait matched photographs of Richard Cross.
The man had also visited a storage facility where several boxes from the Evelyn Cross Foundation were kept.
The investigators obtained the necessary authorization to examine the storage unit. Inside, they found old corporate records, duplicate identity documents, and correspondence between Richard and Arthur Bell.
One letter contained a line that made Julian's hands tighten around the page.
Victor believed he had buried the problem. He never understood that the problem was the family itself.
Another letter discussed the Black Veil protocol and a plan to activate it after Julian's death.
The correspondence suggested that Richard had been involved in the design of the contingency system. It did not prove he had ordered Julian's accident, but it showed that he had maintained a financial interest in the network long after his supposed death.
The investigators also found an old photograph of Richard with my father.
They were standing outside a warehouse, holding a ledger between them.
My father looked frightened.
Richard looked furious.
On the back, someone had written:
David refuses to release the original. Find another way.
I felt cold.
"Did Richard threaten my father?"
"We can't determine that from the photograph alone," the investigator said. "But the surrounding correspondence gives us reason to investigate their relationship."
Julian stared at the picture.
"My father told me Richard was reckless. He said my uncle had betrayed the family and died trying to escape the consequences."
"Maybe he wanted you to believe that," Margaret said.
Julian didn't answer.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that the lies had not begun with his own generation. He had inherited a system built on secrets, and he had continued it because he believed secrecy was the only form of protection.
That evening, my mother was discharged from the hospital into a secure, voluntary recovery arrangement. She chose a small apartment arranged through an independent support service. She did not want to live in the Cross mansion, and I supported her decision.
Before leaving, she gave me another detail about Richard.
"He visited the clinic once," she said. "I saw him through a window. He told Victor that David had hidden something in a place only his daughter could find."
"The safe in Julian's childhood room," I whispered.
She nodded.
"But Richard didn't know whether the key had survived."
I looked at the brass key around my neck.
Then she added something that made my stomach tighten.
"He also said that when Julian became the head of the family, the Black Veil plan would finally be complete."
I turned toward Julian.
"Your uncle wasn't waiting for you to die."
Julian's expression hardened.
"He was waiting for me to inherit the system."
May you like
My mother nodded.
"And he believes you have already activated it."
