Chapter 3: The Ghost from the System
The answer arrived before Richard could even hire a private investigator. Three days after the letter, a man bypassed the estate's security gate by claiming he had a delivery for Emily Carter.
Emily stood in the grand foyer, her heart pounding as she looked at the young man dripping rainwater onto the marble floor. He was thin, with sharp features and a nervous twitch in his jaw.
"Hello, Em," he said, offering a crooked smile. "Long time no see. You've moved up in the world."
"Marcus," Emily breathed.
Marcus had been in Emily’s second foster home. He was older, troubled, and had a habit of disappearing. But what terrified Emily was that Marcus had originally been from the town nearest to the Hayes' lakeside retreat.
Victoria stepped out of the parlor, her eyes narrowed. "Who is this?"
"I'm the boy who watched," Marcus said, his false bravado masking a desperate tremor. "And I know who started the fire that took your little girl away. But knowing the truth is going to cost you."
May you like
Richard emerged from the hallway, his presence commanding and dangerous. "Sit down. Now."
In the drawing room, Marcus laid out his demands. He wanted two million dollars to disappear, and in exchange, he would hand over the evidence. To prove his credibility, he produced an old, water-damaged Polaroid. It showed the lakeside guesthouse before the fire, but parked in the shadows was a distinctive black truck.
