Chapter 13 - The House by the River Still Had Caleb’s Name on the WallThey called police.
Daniel insisted.
But they didn't tell them everything.
Not yet.
He reported the break-in at Ethan's home and provided the key card from Wexler Restoration. He also preserved copies of Lauren's recording and Caleb's flash drive in case something happened.
Then Ethan drove toward the river property.
Alone.
Lauren objected until she realized arguing wouldn't stop him.
So she followed in her own car.
Helen remained with Daniel.
Rex rode beside Ethan.
"You're becoming a bad influence," Ethan told the dog.
Rex panted.
The property sat at the end of an unmarked dirt road surrounded by trees.
A weathered farmhouse.
Detached garage.
Small barn.
No visible vehicles.
Ethan parked half a mile away.
Lauren pulled in behind him.
He walked to her window.
"I specifically said don't come."
"You specifically say a lot of things."
"This could be dangerous."
"So could staying with my family apparently."
Rex pushed between them.
Lauren opened her door.
"We're going."
Ethan sighed.
"Stay behind me."
"Fine."
They approached through the woods.
No cameras visible.
Ethan found that suspicious.
Nolan was too careful to leave a property unmonitored.
Then he saw one.
Hidden inside a birdhouse.
He guided Lauren around its angle.
The farmhouse door was unlocked.
That was worse.
Inside, dust covered the furniture.
No recent habitation.
Kitchen empty.
Bedrooms empty.
But the basement door had a new lock.
Ethan used the key card from the man who broke into his house.
A reader beside the door flashed green.
Lauren stared.
"That card opens this place."
"Looks like it."
They descended.
The basement wasn't old.
Concrete walls had been reinforced.
New electrical wiring.
Medical equipment sat on metal shelving.
Not enough for a hospital.
Enough to treat someone who didn't want to visit one.
Ethan saw an old mattress.
Leather restraints attached to the frame.
His stomach turned.
Lauren whispered, "Oh God."
Rex sniffed the floor.
Then moved toward a wall.
Ethan followed.
Scratches covered the concrete.
Most meaningless.
One wasn't.
Letters.
Carved by something sharp.
ETHAN
Below it:
DON'T BELIEVE THE WATER
Ethan touched the letters.
Caleb had been here.
No photograph could make this feel as real as his brother's name carved by hand.
Lauren stood behind him.
"I'm sorry."
Ethan didn't answer.
Rex began scratching at the baseboard.
Ethan crouched.
A loose panel.
He removed it.
Inside the wall cavity was a small notebook wrapped in plastic.
Caleb's handwriting.
Ethan opened it.
The first pages contained dates and names.
Grant.
Wexler.
Nolan.
Properties.
Payments.
Then personal notes.
Mason says his dad won't stop.
Lauren doesn't know. Keep her out.
Nolan caught me in the office. Pretended it was nothing. He knows.
Ethan turned pages.
Then:
Pool house isn't really about pool equipment. Old tunnel used for moving documents before renovations. Found original Wexler fire inspection. Grant knew building unsafe.
Another page.
If I disappear, Nolan did it.
Lauren inhaled sharply.
Ethan kept reading.
Not sure Grant understands what Nolan has been doing. Nolan has copies of everything. Might be blackmailing him too.
That changed the structure.
Grant was guilty of crimes.
But Nolan might have become something more dangerous than an employee.
The final written page was dated three days after Caleb's supposed death.
Ethan stared.
Caleb had written it from this house.
Head hurts. Mason brought food. Says he'll get Ethan. Nolan says police think I'm dead. Grant says it's safer until they fix the records. Don't trust any of them.
Below:
Mason wants to help me leave tomorrow.
Next page blank.
Then another.
One sentence.
NOLAN FOUND OUT.
Nothing after.
Lauren sat on the floor.
"Mason tried to help him."
"Looks that way."
Rex suddenly growled.
Ethan closed the notebook.
A vehicle approached outside.
Doors slammed.
Two men.
Ethan switched off the basement light.
They moved behind a storage rack.
Footsteps entered upstairs.
A familiar voice.
The man who broke into Ethan's house.
"Price said clear everything."
Another man answered.
"What about the basement?"
"Especially basement."
Lauren's face tightened.
Ethan whispered, "Back exit?"
She shook her head.
He scanned the room.
Small window near the ceiling.
Too narrow for an adult.
Rex could maybe fit.
The basement door opened.
Light spilled down.
Ethan looked at Rex.
Old training.
One gesture.
Silent.
Rex lowered himself.
The first man descended.
He carried a plastic fuel container.
Ethan's stomach dropped.
They weren't clearing evidence.
They were burning it.
The second man entered.
"We got ten minutes."
The first opened the container.
Ethan stepped from hiding.
"You've got less."
The man spun.
Ethan hit him before he could react.
The second lunged.
Lauren grabbed a metal tray and slammed it against his shoulder.
The first recovered and reached for Ethan.
Rex exploded forward.
He didn't bite.
He didn't need to.
A hundred pounds of furious Pit Bull drove the man backward against the wall.
"Call him off!"
Ethan grabbed the fuel container.
"Keys."
"What?"
"Your car keys."
"Go to hell."
Rex growled.
The keys appeared quickly.
They locked both men in the basement and ran.
Ethan drove their SUV.
Lauren followed in her car.
Five miles away, Ethan stopped beside a gas station.
He searched the vehicle.
Inside the glove box was a phone.
No passcode.
Several messages from Nolan.
CLEAR RIVER PROPERTY.
REMOVE ALL CALEB MATERIAL.
Then one message from earlier that morning:
MASON KNOWS TOO MUCH. FINISH IT THIS TIME.
Lauren read it twice.
Her voice shook.
"Finish it this time."
Ethan looked at her.
"Mason's accident."
"Nolan tried to kill him."
"And Mason survived."
A new message arrived on the phone.
STATUS?
Ethan stared.
Then typed:
DONE.
The response came immediately.
GOOD. MEET AT POOL TONIGHT. WE EMPTY IT AT 11.
Ethan slowly looked at Lauren.
Nolan wasn't waiting for tomorrow's renovation anymore.
May you like
Whatever remained connected to the pool—
he intended to destroy it tonight.
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