Chapter 6 - The Man Behind The Lie
The station door opened.
I turned around.
A man stepped inside.
For one second, I thought it was Ethan.
My heart jumped.
But it wasn't.
It was someone else.
Someone I never expected to see.
My brother's attorney.
Thomas.
He walked into the room carrying a thin folder.
His face was calm.
Too calm.
Everyone else looked shocked.
Especially Officer Reynolds.
"What are you doing here?" Reynolds asked.
Thomas ignored him.
His eyes went directly to me.
"Daniel Carter?"
I nodded.
"Who are you?"
He placed the folder on the table.
"My name is Thomas Blake."
He looked at the flash drive.
"And I know what your father left behind."
The room became silent.
I immediately stepped toward him.
"How do you know about the files?"
Thomas didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at my mother.
"Mrs. Carter, you should have told him years ago."
My mother looked down.
"You don't understand."
"I understand more than anyone."
I studied his face.
There was something different about him.
He wasn't afraid.
Everyone connected to this case was afraid.
Melissa.
Kevin.
Ethan.
Reynolds.
But Thomas wasn't.
That made him dangerous.
"Start talking."
He opened the folder.
Inside were copies of documents.
Old documents.
My father's company records.
Bank transfers.
Legal agreements.
And one photo.
He placed it in front of me.
It was my father.
Standing beside Thomas.
Six years ago.
"You knew my father?"
Thomas nodded.
"I was his lawyer."
I stared at him.
"Then why didn't I know you?"
"Because your father asked me not to contact you."
"Why?"
Thomas looked at the photo.
"Because he believed someone inside your family was watching him."
The same words again.
Someone inside the family.
I looked at my mother.
Then Kevin.
Then the files.
Everything kept leading back to the same place.
Family.
"Tell me the truth."
Thomas took a breath.
"Your father discovered Melissa was not only stealing money."
"What else?"
"She was building a case against your family."
I frowned.
"A case?"
"She planned to make your father look guilty."
"Why?"
"Because your father was preparing to expose her."
I looked at the flash drive.
"And Ethan?"
Thomas became quiet.
That was the answer before he even spoke.
"Ethan was manipulated."
I wanted to believe him.
But the evidence was against my brother.
"The recording showed him saying he didn't know your father would die."
Thomas nodded.
"Because he didn't."
I looked at him.
"You're defending him?"
"No."
Thomas's voice became serious.
"I'm telling you what actually happened."
He opened another document.
"This is the original transaction record."
I looked at the paper.
The account that received the money was Ethan's.
But Thomas pointed at another line.
"The account was created without Ethan knowing."
I looked closer.
"What?"
"Melissa opened it using Ethan's identity."
My anger shifted.
Not disappeared.
Shifted.
"How do you know?"
"Because I helped Ethan discover it."
I stared at him.
"When?"
"Two weeks after your father's death."
The timeline didn't make sense.
"Then why didn't he tell me?"
Thomas looked at my mother.
"Because Melissa threatened him."
I felt my hands tighten.
"Everyone keeps saying she threatened someone."
Thomas nodded.
"Because that's what she does."
He leaned forward.
"Melissa doesn't force people with violence."
"She controls them with fear."
The room became quiet.
I thought about Ethan.
The message.
Don't trust Mom.
Come alone.
I had believed he was hiding something.
Maybe he was.
But maybe he was hiding because he was trapped.
My phone vibrated.
A message.
From Ethan.
I opened it.
One sentence.
"Do not let Reynolds leave."
I looked up.
Officer Reynolds was already walking toward the door.
"Reynolds."
He stopped.
Slowly turned around.
"What?"
I held up my phone.
"My brother says I shouldn't let you leave."
His face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
"You still believe him?"
I walked closer.
"I believe nobody until I know the truth."
Reynolds looked at Thomas.
"You shouldn't have come here."
Thomas smiled slightly.
"You shouldn't have helped her."
Everyone froze.
I looked between them.
"You two know each other."
Neither answered.
That silence was confirmation.
I stepped back.
"How?"
Thomas looked at Reynolds.
Then at me.
"Because Officer Reynolds was there the night your father died."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Reynolds immediately interrupted.
"He's lying."
Thomas opened another file.
"No."
He placed a photograph on the table.
A security camera image.
A parking garage.
A man standing beside my father's car.
The timestamp.
Six years ago.
The night my father died.
I moved closer.
The image was blurry.
But clear enough.
The man was wearing a police uniform.
The same badge.
The same name.
Reynolds.
I looked at him.
"You were there."
His expression changed.
Not fear.
Anger.
"You have no idea what you're doing."
I shook my head.
"No."
I looked at the photo.
"I finally know what I'm doing."
Reynolds reached into his pocket.
Everyone reacted instantly.
But he didn't pull out a weapon.
He pulled out his phone.
He showed me a message.
From Melissa.
"Bring Daniel to me."
I looked at him.
"She ordered you."
He didn't answer.
"How long have you been working for her?"
His jaw tightened.
"I wasn't working for her."
"Then what were you doing?"
His eyes moved toward my mother.
"I was trying to stop something worse."
I almost laughed.
"Everyone says that."
Thomas stepped forward.
"Daniel, listen carefully."
I looked at him.
"The files your father left behind are not the only evidence."
"What else is there?"
Thomas pointed at the flash drive.
"Your father recorded everything."
I frowned.
"There are only three folders."
Thomas shook his head.
"No."
He looked at the computer.
"There's a hidden folder."
I checked the drive again.
Nothing.
"I don't see it."
"Because your father didn't want anyone to see it unless they knew where to look."
Thomas leaned closer.
"Your father hid it inside the video file."
I opened the recording again.
My father's face appeared.
I checked the file information.
A hidden partition appeared.
A new folder.
No name.
Only numbers.
06-14-2019.
The date my father died.
I clicked it.
One video appeared.
My hand stopped.
Because the file name was not random.
It was a name.
"Daniel."
I opened it.
The screen showed my father again.
But this time, he wasn't alone.
Someone was sitting across from him.
Someone whose face was hidden.
My father looked terrified.
"If you are watching this..."
He paused.
"Then the person who betrayed me already knows you found the truth."
The hidden person moved slightly.
My father looked toward them.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"The person sitting across from me is the reason your mother was arrested tonight."
The video glitched.
The screen went black.
Then one final frame appeared.
A reflection in the glass.
A face.
A face I recognized.
My phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
From Ethan.
Only three words.
"Look behind you."
I slowly turned around.
May you like
Because someone was standing inside the room.
And it was the one person I thought had been protecting me.
