Chapter 6 - The House by the LakePolice arrived first.
Daniel hated that.
Every instinct told him to drive directly to the property and pull Celeste out himself.
Detective Bennett stopped him.
“You have two children upstairs who nearly watched their father make one mistake after another last night.”
Daniel stared at her.
She continued.
“Don't make another because you're angry.”
He stayed.
It was the correct decision.
It was also one of the hardest decisions he had ever made.
Three hours later Bennett called.
The house by the lake was empty.
But the basement contained computers, passport photographs, trust documents, and evidence that Richard Vale had been tracking the Mercer family for years.
Celeste was gone.
Richard was gone.
Adrian was arrested on conspiracy charges.
The story exploded publicly by afternoon.
News vans lined the road outside Mercer House.
Daniel issued no statement.
Instead, he sat on the floor of Lily's bedroom helping her rebuild a wooden music box she had accidentally dropped the previous night.
Ethan sat nearby.
“You're not going to marry her, right?”
Daniel looked at him.
“No.”
“Ever?”
“Ever.”
Ethan nodded.
Then after a moment:
“Good.”
Daniel felt both relieved and heartbroken.
“Did you hate her?”
Ethan shrugged.
“At first I liked her.”
That hurt worse.
“She made pancakes.”
Daniel smiled faintly.
“Bad ones.”
“Really bad ones.”
They both laughed.
It was the first laugh in two days.
Then Ethan became serious.
“She changed when she thought you couldn't hear.”
Daniel set down the screwdriver.
“I'm sorry I didn't see it.”
“You were happy.”
Daniel looked at him.
Ethan continued.
“After Mom died, you weren't happy a lot.”
The wisdom in the child's observation nearly broke him.
“I wanted us to have something good again.”
“We already did.”
Daniel looked toward Lily.
She was humming while placing tiny gears into the music box.
Ethan said quietly:
“We had us.”
Daniel had no answer.
That evening, Evelyn asked to speak privately.
Daniel joined her in the library.
She held the rescued letter from Thomas.
“Your father,” she said slowly, “made mistake.”
Daniel smiled sadly.
“Which one?”
“Thought money could fix shame.”
She pointed toward the letter.
“He paid Vale.”
“So Adrian was telling the truth?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Vale threatened scandal.”
“Was there a scandal?”
“No.”
“What was he threatening to reveal?”
Evelyn looked ashamed.
“Adrian.”
Daniel frowned.
“What about him?”
“He stole.”
“How much?”
“Two million.”
Daniel stared.
Evelyn continued.
“Thomas covered it. Vale knew.”
Everything shifted.
Richard had blackmailed Thomas over Adrian's theft.
Thomas paid him to disappear.
Adrian had spent eleven years believing Richard was his only ally.
And now Celeste had joined them.
“Why come back?”
Evelyn looked toward the window.
“Money gone.”
Daniel understood.
Criminal schemes rarely needed complicated motives.
Greed was usually sufficient.
His phone rang.
Detective Bennett.
“We found Celeste.”
Daniel stood.
“Where?”
“At O'Hare.”
“Arrest her.”
“She wasn't leaving.”
Daniel paused.
“What?”
“She was waiting for someone.”
“Richard?”
“No.”
Bennett sounded unsettled.
May you like
“Your daughter.”
Daniel's blood turned to ice.
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