Chapter 4: The Brother in the Shadows
Marcus stared at the frozen security footage.
The man reflected in the glass cabinet was unmistakable.
Julian Vale.
His older brother.
His business partner.
The man who had stood beside him at Elena's funeral and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder when Marcus could barely speak.
For eleven months, Julian had helped him search for Elena. He had attended meetings with investigators, paid private divers, and personally reviewed every photograph recovered near the river.
He had even suggested that Marcus should stop searching.
Now Marcus was looking at evidence that placed him inside the mansion on the night Elena disappeared.
“Play it again,” Marcus ordered.
The security guard tapped the screen.
The recording moved forward.
Celeste dragged the black case across the study floor. She stopped beside the hidden metal door and looked toward the cabinet.
Then Julian appeared in the reflection.
He was standing behind the camera's field of view, holding a telephone.
Marcus leaned closer.
“Can you enhance the reflection?””
“We've already tried, sir. The glass distorts his face, but the clothing is clear.””
“That's my brother.””
The guard lowered his eyes.
“I thought you should know.””
Marcus looked at him sharply.
“Why wasn't this footage shown to me when Elena disappeared?””
“Because the backup drive was locked inside the old security cabinet. Someone had changed the access code.””
“Who?””
The guard hesitated.
“Mr. Julian.””
Marcus felt something inside him break.
“Get me the original recording. Every second of it.””
“Yes, sir.””
“And nobody deletes anything. Nobody touches that system without my permission.””
The guard nodded and stepped away.
Marcus remained in the study.
He looked at the bookshelf that had been moved aside. Behind it, a narrow metal door sat inside the wall, its surface painted to match the wood paneling.
He pulled it open.
A stale smell drifted out.
The corridor beyond was barely wide enough for one person. A row of small lights illuminated a concrete staircase descending into darkness.
Marcus remembered Elena's bruised wrists.
Her hollow cheeks.
Her desperate warning.
He switched on his phone flashlight and stepped inside.
“Mr. Vale?”” the guard called.
Marcus didn't turn.
“Stay here.””
He descended.
At the bottom, the corridor split into two directions. One passage led toward the pool's mechanical chamber. The other ended at a heavy door with a keypad.
Someone had recently scratched the paint around the lock.
Marcus touched the keypad.
A small red light blinked.
He tried the date of his wedding.
Denied.
He tried Ava's birthday.
Denied.
Then he remembered the document the guard had shown him.
The authorization restricting access to the underground chamber had been dated three days before Elena disappeared.
He entered that date.
The lock clicked.
The door opened.
Inside was a small office.
A desk. Two filing cabinets. A wall-mounted computer. A leather sofa.
And photographs.
Dozens of them.
Marcus stepped closer.
The photographs covered an entire wall.
Elena leaving the house.
Marcus carrying Ava through the garden.
Elena standing in the kitchen.
Ava sleeping in her bedroom.
Some photographs were dated months before Elena disappeared. Others were taken after her funeral.
He picked up one showing himself sitting at the dining table with Celeste.
Her hand rested on his.
Someone had photographed them through the dining-room window.
Marcus felt nauseated.
On the desk lay a thick folder with a handwritten label.
*PROJECT ECHO.*
He opened it.
The first document contained a list of surveillance locations throughout the mansion.
Bedroom.
Kitchen.
Garage.
Children's playroom.
Study.
Pool terrace.
Beside each location was a date and the name of the person responsible for installing the equipment.
The name appeared repeatedly.
Julian Vale.
Marcus flipped through the pages.
Then he found a photograph of Elena sitting inside the underground chamber.
Her hands were cuffed.
Her head was lowered.
Someone had written beneath the image:
*Subject refuses to cooperate. Continue isolation until transfer documents are signed.*
Marcus gripped the paper.
Another sheet listed financial transactions.
Millions of dollars had been transferred into an account registered to a company called Rowan Strategic Holdings.
Celeste's company.
But the authorization signature on several transfers belonged to Julian.
Marcus dropped the folder onto the desk.
His brother hadn't merely known.
He had helped finance the entire operation.
A faint sound came from the corridor.
Footsteps.
Marcus turned off his flashlight.
Someone was approaching.
He moved behind the filing cabinet.
The door opened.
A man's voice filled the room.
“Marcus?””
Julian.
Marcus stepped out.
His brother stopped so suddenly that his phone slipped from his hand.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Julian wore a charcoal suit and a dark overcoat. His hair was perfectly arranged, and his expression quickly shifted from surprise to irritation.
“What are you doing down here?””
Marcus looked at him.
“That's interesting. I was about to ask you the same thing.””
Julian glanced at the open folder.
Then at the photographs.
His face changed.
“You shouldn't be here.””
Marcus gave a short, humorless laugh.
“Eleven months. Eleven months, Julian. I searched rivers, forests, hospitals, and morgues.
I buried an empty coffin. I watched my daughter cry herself to sleep.””
His voice cracked.
“And you knew where my wife was.””
Julian took a slow breath.
“Let me explain.””
“Explain what?””
“It's complicated.””
“Then make it simple.””
Marcus picked up the photograph of Elena in the chamber and held it up.
“Did you put my wife under the pool?””
Julian looked away.
Marcus stepped closer.
“Look at me.””
His brother finally raised his eyes.
“I didn't put her there.””
“Did you know she was there?””
Silence.
Marcus nodded slowly.
“That's what I thought.””
Julian reached for the folder.
Marcus pulled it away.
“Don't touch anything.””
“Marcus, listen. Celeste was supposed to keep her hidden until the acquisition was complete. It wasn't supposed to go this far.””
Marcus felt his stomach turn.
“The acquisition?””
Julian rubbed his forehead.
“You don't understand what was at stake.””
“My wife was chained beneath my house.””
“She had information that could destroy the company.””
“So you imprisoned her?””
Julian's expression hardened.
“She was going to expose everything.””
Marcus stared at him.
“What everything?””
Julian looked toward the photographs.
Then he lowered his voice.
“Celeste wasn't the first person who wanted control of the company. She was the person who finally figured out how to get it.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“You're going to tell me everything.””
Julian shook his head.
“Not here.””
“Here. Now.””
A phone vibrated inside Julian's coat.
He glanced at the screen.
Marcus saw the name before Julian could turn it away.
*CELESTE.*
Marcus lunged for the phone.
Julian jerked backward, but Marcus caught his wrist.
“Answer it.””
“Let go.””
“Answer it!””
The phone rang again.
Then a message appeared.
*Is the girl still at the hospital?*
Marcus went completely still.
The girl.
Not Ava.
Not his niece.
The girl.
Julian tried to pull free.
Marcus tightened his grip.
“Why is she asking about my daughter?””
Julian's face had gone pale.
“Marcus, you need to calm down.””
“Why is Celeste asking about Ava?””
Julian looked toward the corridor.
Then he whispered six words that made Marcus's blood run cold.
“Because she's planning to take her.””
A sudden crash came from somewhere above them.
The underground lights went out.
In the darkness, Julian shoved Marcus hard against the filing cabinet.
And ran.
Marcus stumbled, knocking the photograph folder to the floor.
He heard the metal door slam.
Then he heard another sound.
A mechanical lock engaging.
He rushed toward the doorway.
“JULIAN!””
No answer.
He pulled at the handle.
Nothing.
The door had locked from the outside.
His phone flashlight flickered on.
A red indicator began blinking above the keypad.
Then a distorted voice emerged from a small speaker.
“Mr. Vale, you really should have stayed upstairs.””
It was Celeste.
Marcus looked toward the ceiling.
“Where are you?””
A soft laugh came through the speaker.
“Somewhere you can't reach me.””
Then she added:
“By the way, your daughter has always been very easy to find.””
The speaker went silent.
Marcus immediately called the hospital.
It rang once.
Twice.
A nurse answered.
“St. Catherine's emergency department.””
“This is Marcus Vale. I'm calling about my wife, Elena Vale, and my daughter, Ava. Are they safe?””
There was a pause.
“Sir, please hold.””
Marcus gripped the phone.
“What's happening?””
The nurse returned.
“Mr. Vale, your daughter was taken to the children's ward by someone claiming to be a family member.””
Marcus stopped breathing.
“Who?””
The nurse hesitated.
“She had identification and said she was authorized to take the child.””
“WHO?””
The nurse's voice became barely audible.
“Your brother, sir.””
Marcus looked at the locked door.
May you like
Julian had escaped.
And he had gone straight for Ava.
