Chapter 10 - The Sister Daniel Was Never Told AboutHer name was Grace.
She was born three years before Daniel.
Daniel had never known.
David produced a small photograph from the box.
A toddler with dark-brown curls sat on Linda’s lap.
Linda looked impossibly young.
Happy.
Daniel stared.
“What happened to her?”
David’s voice lowered.
“She died when she was two.”
Daniel felt sick.
“How?”
“She drowned.”
He looked at the photograph again.
“Why did nobody tell me?”
“Because your mother couldn’t talk about it.”
“That doesn’t explain thirty-eight years of pretending she never existed.”
David looked toward the window.
“Grace died while Linda was supposed to be watching her.”
Daniel said nothing.
“They were at Robert’s parents’ lake house. Linda left Grace sleeping upstairs.”
“Where did she go?”
David’s expression answered before his words.
“With Robert.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“They were together?”
“Yes.”
“While your daughter—”
“Yes.”
David swallowed.
“Grace woke up. Somehow got outside. Fell from the dock.”
Daniel felt a terrible pressure in his chest.
“I blamed Linda.”
“Did police?”
“No. It was ruled accidental.”
“Robert helped?”
“His father was an attorney. The family had influence.”
Daniel slowly understood.
“That’s how Robert got power over Mom.”
“Partly.”
David continued:
“Linda never forgave herself. Robert convinced her the only way to survive was to bury it.”
“And then they kept burying things.”
“Yes.”
Daniel thought of Claire.
Noah.
The trust.
The locked guest room.
One buried truth created another.
Then another.
Rebecca called again before Daniel could process anything.
Linda wanted to speak to him.
“No attorney?” Daniel asked.
“She has counsel present.”
“Why now?”
“She knows Robert is missing.”
Daniel looked at David.
His mother might finally understand she was being abandoned.
Daniel flew home that night.
He visited Linda the following morning in a private interview room at the county jail.
She looked smaller without styled hair and tailored clothes.
Daniel sat across from her.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Finally Linda whispered:
“You found your father.”
Daniel’s expression didn’t change.
“Yes.”
“He told you about Grace.”
“Yes.”
Linda closed her eyes.
“I loved her.”
“I’m sure you did.”
The coldness in his voice hurt her.
“Daniel—”
“Did Robert cut Claire’s brake line?”
Linda’s face tightened.
“I never wanted Claire dead.”
“That was not my question.”
“Yes.”
Daniel breathed slowly.
“Did you ask him to?”
“I asked him to make the car seem unreliable.”
Daniel stared.
“You asked someone to sabotage my wife’s car.”
“I wanted her scared enough to stop.”
“Stop protecting Noah?”
“She was going to expose me.”
“That was protecting Noah.”
Linda looked down.
“I was desperate.”
“You stole more than two million dollars from your grandson.”
Tears formed.
“I was going to put it back.”
Daniel laughed.
Claire had been right.
Money made people tell themselves terrible things were necessary.
“Why frame me?”
Linda looked genuinely confused.
“I didn’t know Robert had filed the child-welfare report until yesterday.”
Daniel paused.
“You locked Noah in the room.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Robert told me we needed to keep him from talking until we could recover the papers he saw.”
“And denying food?”
Linda’s face crumpled.
“That was Robert.”
“You still left him there.”
“I brought water after the camera went off.”
“That doesn’t make this better.”
“I know.”
Daniel studied her.
“What did you think was going to happen the next morning?”
Linda hesitated.
“Robert said we would unlock Noah before anyone came.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“He lied to you.”
She looked up.
“What?”
“The report was already filed.”
Linda’s face went pale.
Daniel continued:
“Child services were supposed to find Noah locked inside.”
“No.”
“You would become successor guardian.”
Linda shook her head.
“No. That wasn’t—”
“Robert would become financial trustee.”
Linda stopped.
Daniel watched understanding spread across her face.
“No.”
“He was going to take Noah’s trust.”
“No.”
“And blame you.”
Linda’s breathing quickened.
“He said the amendment protected Noah.”
“Claire never signed it.”
Linda looked away.
“You knew.”
“I signed her name.”
Daniel stared at his mother.
Every answer somehow became worse.
Linda began crying.
“Robert said it was temporary.”
Daniel stood.
“Nothing you did was temporary.”
“Daniel, please.”
He turned toward the door.
“Wait.”
He stopped.
Linda’s voice shook.
“I know where Robert goes when he’s afraid.”
Daniel looked back.
“Where?”
“There’s a cabin near Lake George.”
“His?”
“Not officially.”
Daniel waited.
Linda swallowed.
“He used it years ago when we were together.”
“Address.”
She gave it to him.
Then added:
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“If Robert thinks you have Claire’s evidence, he won’t run.”
Daniel frowned.
“What will he do?”
May you like
Linda’s face went white.
“He’ll come back for it.”
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