Chapter 7 - The Betrayal Inside His Own House
"OPEN THE DOOR, THOMAS!"
Caspian slammed his fist against the reinforced metal door.
From the other side, Thomas Whitmore laughed.
"Still giving orders, son? You really are Richard's boy."
Sloan stood beside the open storage box, holding her mother's letter against her chest.
"Why did you lock us in?"
Thomas didn't answer her question.
Instead, he said something that made Caspian stop pounding on the door.
"Ask Daniel why he brought you here."
Slowly, Caspian turned.
Daniel Mercer stood near the viewing table.
His face had gone completely white.
And in his right hand, he was holding the original Reed family trust.
"Daniel?" Caspian whispered.
The attorney took a step backward.
"I'm sorry."
Sloan felt her stomach drop.
Another betrayal.
Another person they had trusted.
And this time, they were trapped inside a locked room with him.
"Put the document down," Caspian ordered.
Daniel looked toward the door.
"You don't understand."
Caspian laughed bitterly.
"Apparently, that's everyone's favorite sentence today."
Sloan instinctively placed a hand over her stomach.
Oliver kicked.
She tried to concentrate on his movements instead of the fear rising in her chest.
"Daniel," she said quietly, "are you working for Thomas?"
The attorney closed his eyes.
"I've represented the Reed family for twenty years."
"That's not what I asked."
He looked at her.
"Thomas contacted me three months ago. He knew I had discovered discrepancies in the trust accounts."
Caspian stared at him.
"And you didn't tell me?"
"He threatened my family."
Silence filled the room.
Daniel swallowed.
"My daughter is seventeen. He knew where she went to school. He knew her schedule. He sent me photographs."
Sloan felt her anger weaken slightly.
But Caspian remained motionless.
"So you helped him."
"I gave him information. I delayed certain investigations."
"And you brought Sloan here."
Daniel looked ashamed.
"Yes."
Caspian stepped forward.
Daniel immediately raised his hands.
"I never intended for anyone to get hurt."
"Then why are we locked inside a storage facility?"
Daniel didn't answer.
From the hallway, Thomas spoke again.
"Because Daniel has finally remembered where his loyalties belong."
Caspian turned toward the door.
"You won't get away with this."
Thomas laughed.
"Caspian, I've been getting away with things since before you were born."
Sloan looked down at her mother's letter.
One sentence kept repeating in her mind.
The person who betrayed me was not Victoria.
She was protecting someone.
She had assumed that person was Thomas.
But something about the entire situation felt wrong.
Thomas was too confident.
Victoria had seemed genuinely terrified.
And Daniel looked like a man who had already decided he had made the worst mistake of his life.
Sloan slowly approached the table.
"Daniel, look at me."
He hesitated.
"Please."
Their eyes met.
"Is Thomas threatening your daughter right now?"
Daniel's expression crumpled.
"Yes."
"Then we need to stop letting him control us."
Caspian immediately took out his phone.
No signal.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Daniel shook his head.
"The archive is shielded. The walls interfere with reception."
Caspian looked toward the ceiling.
"Security cameras?"
"Thomas had the system disabled."
Sloan stared at Daniel.
"How long has he been planning this?"
Daniel looked away.
"Longer than you realize."
Outside, Thomas knocked twice.
"Enough talking. Slide the original trust under the door."
Caspian folded his arms.
"Come inside and take it yourself."
A pause.
Then Thomas answered.
"I wouldn't recommend challenging me."
Sloan suddenly noticed something.
The storage box was still open.
Inside were several envelopes, the digital recorder, the blue knitted sweater, and a small leather notebook.
She quietly picked up the notebook.
Her mother's initials were embossed on the cover.
E.B.
Sloan opened it.
The first page contained a handwritten message.
If someone tries to take the trust documents, remember that paper can be replaced. The truth cannot.
She turned the page.
A list of dates.
Account numbers.
Names.
Then she found a photograph tucked between two pages.
Her mother stood beside Richard Reed.
But unlike the earlier photograph, Victoria wasn't present.
Instead, another woman stood between them.
Sloan didn't recognize her.
On the back, Evelyn had written:
The three of us knew.
Sloan frowned.
Three?
She looked at the photograph again.
Richard.
Evelyn.
The unidentified woman.
If all three knew the truth, why had her mother never mentioned the third person?
She turned another page.
And stopped breathing.
A name had been written beneath a detailed record of financial transfers.
Helena Whitmore.
Thomas's wife.
Sloan looked toward Caspian.
"Did Thomas have a wife?"
Caspian turned.
"Yes."
"What happened to her?"
His expression changed.
"She died when I was eighteen."
Sloan felt cold.
"How?"
"An accident."
She stared at the notebook.
Another death.
Another secret.
And another person connected to the original trust.
Outside the door, Thomas's patience was disappearing.
"Daniel, you have thirty seconds."
Daniel looked frightened.
Caspian took the original trust from his hands.
"You're not giving him anything."
Daniel shook his head.
"You don't understand what he'll do."
"Then tell me."
Daniel stared at him.
"Thomas has someone watching my daughter."
Sloan looked up.
"Where is she?"
"At home."
"Does your wife know?"
Daniel nodded.
"She's terrified."
Sloan thought for a moment.
Then she approached him.
"Do you have a way to contact Thomas?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Yes."
"Then call him."
Caspian frowned.
"Sloan—"
"Trust me."
She looked at Daniel.
"Tell him we're willing to negotiate."
Daniel stared at her.
"Negotiate?"
Sloan nodded.
"But only if he proves your daughter is safe."
Caspian immediately understood.
Thomas wanted the documents.
That gave them something he needed.
And for the first time since entering the storage facility, they had a possible advantage.
Daniel approached the door.
"Thomas!"
"What?"
"They're willing to discuss the documents."
A pause.
Then Thomas laughed.
"Finally."
"But I want proof my daughter is safe."
Silence.
Sloan held her breath.
Then Thomas answered.
"Your daughter is perfectly comfortable, Daniel."
"Let me speak to her."
Another pause.
Sloan could hear movement outside.
Then a young girl's frightened voice spoke through the door.
"Dad?"
Daniel nearly collapsed.
"Emily?"
"Dad, please come home."
Tears streamed down Daniel's face.
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
A man's voice interrupted.
"That's enough."
Thomas returned.
"Now give me the documents."
Sloan looked at Caspian.
He nodded almost imperceptibly.
They had confirmed the threat.
But they still needed a way out.
Sloan returned to her mother's notebook.
She turned the pages carefully.
Evelyn had recorded years of suspicious transactions, conversations, and meetings.
Then Sloan found a page marked with a red ribbon.
At the top were three words.
Richard's Final Instructions.
Her heart began pounding.
She read silently.
Richard believed Thomas had altered the trust and transferred company assets without authorization. He asked me to preserve the original documents until an independent investigation could be completed.
Below that was another paragraph.
Helena Whitmore discovered what her husband was doing. She agreed to help us.
Sloan looked up.
Helena hadn't simply known about the fraud.
She had tried to expose her own husband.
She continued reading.
If anything happens to Richard, Helena, or me, the evidence must go to someone outside the family.
Sloan turned the page.
There was a name.
A woman.
A retired federal investigator.
Margaret Ellis.
Sloan froze.
Margaret?
The nurse who signed her mother's death certificate?
The woman who had delivered the folder to Daniel's office?
Sloan looked toward Caspian.
"Margaret wasn't just a nurse."
He frowned.
"What?"
Sloan showed him the notebook.
"She was an investigator."
Caspian stared at the page.
"Why didn't she tell us?"
Daniel suddenly looked up.
"Because Thomas has been searching for her for years."
Sloan turned toward him.
"What?"
Daniel swallowed.
"Margaret went into nursing after leaving federal service. Evelyn trusted her because she knew how to preserve evidence."
Sloan felt a strange mixture of relief and anger.
Margaret had concealed another part of her past.
But this time, the secret explained why Evelyn trusted her.
And why Thomas wanted the documents so badly.
Sloan turned another page.
Then she found something that made her hands tremble.
A handwritten list of people who had access to the original trust.
Richard Reed.
Evelyn Bennett.
Helena Whitmore.
Margaret Ellis.
And one final name.
Victoria Reed.
Sloan stared at it.
Victoria had known the truth from the beginning.
But she hadn't been the person giving the orders.
She had been trapped inside the same dangerous arrangement.
Or perhaps she had helped create it.
Sloan couldn't tell which possibility frightened her more.
Caspian suddenly noticed a small red light above the storage-room door.
"Daniel, what's that?"
Daniel looked up.
"The emergency release indicator."
"Can it be activated from inside?"
"Only with the facility's master code."
Sloan remembered the security guard who had escorted them into the archive.
"Where's the guard?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
"Thomas arranged for him to leave."
Caspian stared at him.
"Of course he did."
Sloan suddenly remembered something else.
The storage facility had required identification.
Their arrival had been recorded.
Even if Thomas disabled the cameras, there might still be a digital entry log.
"Daniel, does this building have an independent fire alarm?"
He frowned.
"Yes."
"Does it connect directly to emergency services?"
"I believe so."
Caspian looked at her.
Then he understood.
"Where's the nearest alarm?"
Daniel pointed toward a small red panel beside the archive entrance.
Unfortunately, it was outside the locked door.
Sloan's shoulders dropped.
Then she noticed a narrow maintenance hatch near the ceiling.
"Caspian."
He followed her gaze.
The hatch was covered by a metal grille.
"Ventilation?"
Daniel nodded.
"Maintenance access."
Caspian immediately dragged a chair beneath it.
He climbed up and examined the grille.
Four screws.
He looked toward Daniel.
"Does this room have a maintenance kit?"
Daniel pointed toward a cabinet.
Caspian opened it.
Inside was a screwdriver.
For the first time that evening, he smiled.
"Well, that's convenient."
Sloan almost laughed.
Almost.
Then Thomas shouted from outside.
"Your time is up!"
Caspian removed the ventilation grille while Daniel continued speaking to Thomas through the door.
Sloan watched anxiously.
"Can you fit through?"
Caspian examined the opening.
"No."
Her heart sank.
"But the maintenance corridor might be accessible through the adjacent panel."
He pointed toward a narrow section of the wall.
Daniel frowned.
"That panel leads to the building's service controls."
Caspian climbed down.
He removed the panel.
Behind it was a small electrical compartment.
And a clearly labeled emergency release switch.
Sloan stared.
"Seriously?"
Caspian looked at Daniel.
"Why didn't you mention this?"
Daniel appeared embarrassed.
"I didn't know it existed."
Caspian reached toward the switch.
Then stopped.
A small warning label indicated that activating the emergency release would trigger the building's alarm.
Sloan nodded.
"Do it."
Caspian pulled the switch.
Immediately, a loud alarm filled the storage facility.
Red emergency lights flashed.
Outside, Thomas shouted.
"What have you done?"
Caspian grabbed the original trust.
Sloan quickly gathered her mother's notebook, the digital recorder, and the remaining envelopes.
Daniel reached for his phone.
The reinforced door clicked.
Then unlocked.
Caspian pulled it open.
The hallway was empty.
Thomas was gone.
They hurried toward the main entrance.
Sloan struggled to keep up.
Her feet were aching, and her son was moving constantly.
Caspian immediately slowed down.
"Are you okay?"
She nodded.
"Just tired."
He placed an arm around her shoulders.
"We're almost out."
They reached the lobby.
The security guard was standing beside the reception desk, looking confused.
"What's happening?"
Caspian ignored the question.
"Call the police."
Daniel was already dialing emergency services.
Sloan sank into a chair.
For the first time in hours, she felt air moving freely around her.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message from Margaret.
Where are you?
Sloan quickly typed a response.
Storage facility. Thomas found us.
Margaret replied immediately.
Do not leave with Daniel.
Sloan froze.
Another message appeared.
He's not the only person Thomas threatened.
Sloan looked up.
Daniel stood near the entrance, speaking urgently into his phone.
Caspian was questioning the security guard.
She typed another message.
What do you mean?
Margaret's response arrived seconds later.
The original trust is not the document Thomas wants most.
Sloan stared at the screen.
Then what does he want?
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then appeared again.
Finally, Margaret answered.
The recording Evelyn made the night Richard died.
Sloan's heart began pounding.
She looked down at the small digital recorder in her purse.
Her mother's recorder.
The one she had almost forgotten.
She immediately took it out.
The battery indicator flashed.
Still working.
She pressed play.
Evelyn's voice filled the lobby.
"Richard, you need to tell Caspian."
A man's voice answered.
Richard Reed.
"I can't."
"You don't have a choice."
"If Victoria finds out—"
"She already knows."
A long silence followed.
Then Richard spoke again.
"Thomas has been threatening me for months."
Sloan looked toward Caspian.
He immediately approached.
"What's that?"
She held up the recorder.
"My mother."
He sat beside her.
Together, they listened.
Richard's voice became strained.
"I never wanted any of this to happen."
Evelyn answered.
"Then tell the truth."
Another pause.
Then Richard said something that made Caspian's face go pale.
"Thomas knows Caspian isn't my biological son."
Sloan stopped breathing.
Caspian stared at the recorder.
The words seemed to hang in the air.
Then Evelyn spoke again.
"Richard, biology doesn't change the fact that you raised him."
"I know."
"Then stop letting Thomas use it against you."
Richard's voice broke.
"I loved that boy from the moment he was born."
Sloan looked at Caspian.
His eyes were filled with tears.
For years, he had believed Richard Reed was his biological father.
Now he was discovering that the man who raised him had hidden a secret that Thomas had apparently used as leverage.
But the recording wasn't finished.
Richard spoke again.
"There's something else."
Evelyn sounded frightened.
"What?"
"If Thomas discovers who Caspian's real father is, he'll destroy everything."
Sloan gripped Caspian's hand.
Then a third voice appeared on the recording.
A woman's voice.
Cold.
Familiar.
"Richard, put the recorder down."
Victoria Reed.
Sloan looked at Caspian.
He was trembling.
Then the recording abruptly ended.
Daniel approached them.
"The police are on their way."
Caspian immediately stood.
"Good."
Daniel noticed the recorder.
His expression changed.
"Where did you get that?"
Sloan instinctively pulled it closer.
"My mother."
Daniel looked toward the entrance.
"We need to leave."
Caspian stared at him.
"No."
"Caspian, Thomas could still be nearby."
"Then we'll wait for the police."
Daniel hesitated.
Then his phone vibrated.
He read the message.
His face drained of color.
"What happened?" Sloan asked.
Daniel didn't answer.
Instead, he looked toward the parking lot.
A black SUV had just pulled up outside.
Its headlights illuminated the lobby.
The rear door opened.
A woman stepped out.
Victoria Reed.
But she wasn't alone.
Beside her stood a man in his late sixties.
Tall.
Silver-haired.
Wearing an expensive dark coat.
Caspian stared through the glass.
His face went completely white.
Sloan stood beside him.
"Who is that?"
Caspian couldn't speak.
The stranger slowly approached the entrance.
Then Victoria looked directly at her son.
And whispered through the glass:
"Caspian, there's someone you need to meet."
The automatic doors began to open.
May you like
The stranger stepped forward.
And Caspian recognized the face from the photograph his father had kept hidden for thirty-eight years.
