Chapter 6: The Daughter Who Was Never Buried
“Emily?””
The name felt foreign in my mouth.
Yet somehow familiar.
Dad pulled me toward the upper deck.
“Not here.””
I yanked my hand free.
“No.””
“Claire.””
“You're not leaving this conversation.””
“The yacht is sinking.””
“You said I had a sister.””
His face tightened.
“I said her name was Emily.””
“What happened to her?””
Dad looked toward the ceiling.
The emergency alarm screamed overhead.
“Dad.””
He finally said:
“She disappeared.””
“When?””
“Before you were born.””
“How old was she?””
“Six.””
I stared at him.
“You had a six-year-old daughter before me?””
“Yes.””
“And nobody ever told me?””
“We tried to protect you.””
“From what?””
“From the people who took her.””
My blood turned cold.
“People?””
Dad nodded.
“Victor's people.””
Graham's voice echoed from somewhere above us.
“Now you're finally telling her.””
Dad looked up.
“Stay behind me.””
We moved.
Smoke thickened around the stairwell.
The security guard kicked open the emergency hatch.
Cold rain exploded into the corridor.
We climbed onto the upper deck.
The wind nearly knocked me over.
Dad caught me.
“Hold on!””
The yacht was leaning sharply.
Water crashed across the deck.
The lifeboat hung from its davits, swinging wildly.
A guard shouted:
“We can't launch it from here!””
Dad pointed.
“Then manually release it.””
The guard ran toward the mechanism.
I looked across the deck.
No Graham.
No Victor.
No Helena.
“Where are they?””
Dad didn't answer.
Then I saw a door.
The captain's quarters.
It was slightly open.
I walked toward it.
Dad grabbed me.
“Don't.””
“I saw someone.””
“Claire, no.””
I opened the door.
Victor stood inside.
His hands were tied.
His face was bruised.
Helena was beside him.
She was shaking.
I stared.
“You're alive.””
Victor laughed weakly.
“Unfortunately.””
Dad entered behind me.
“What happened?””
Victor looked at him.
“Your son-in-law happened.””
I crouched beside Helena.
“Where's Graham?””
Victor shook his head.
“Below.””
“Doing what?””
“Looking for something.””
“The ledger.””
Victor's eyes widened.
“You know about that?””
“Yes.””
He looked at Dad.
“What did you tell her?””
“The truth.””
Victor laughed.
“The truth?””
Dad stared at him.
“Tell her.””
Victor's expression hardened.
“You really want to do this now?””
“Yes.””
Victor looked at me.
“Your mother had evidence against me.””
“I know.””
“She planned to expose me.””
“Did you kill her?””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
I watched his face.
He looked terrified.
Not guilty.
Terrified.
“Then who did?””
Victor shook his head.
“I don't know.””
Dad stepped closer.
“Tell her about Emily.””
Victor went silent.
My heart hammered.
“What does Emily have to do with this?””
Victor whispered:
“Everything.””
The yacht groaned beneath us.
Helena grabbed my arm.
“Claire, you have to understand. Graham grew up believing your father destroyed our family.””
“He did?””
“No.””
She looked at Victor.
“Your husband was lied to.””
“By whom?””
Victor looked at Dad.
“By me.””
Dad stared at him.
“What?””
Victor lowered his head.
“I told Graham that Robert had Emily taken.””
My stomach dropped.
“You told him my father kidnapped his own daughter?””
“I needed him to hate Robert.””
“Why?””
Victor looked at me.
“Because your mother had the ledger.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn't explain Emily.””
Victor swallowed.
“Emily saw something.””
“What?””
“She saw me arguing with your mother.””
“About what?””
“The money.””
My hands went cold.
Victor continued.
“She overheard us.””
“And?””
“She ran.””
“Where?””
“Into the parking lot.””
Dad closed his eyes.
I whispered:
“What happened to her?””
Victor's voice broke.
“She was taken.””
“By who?””
“I don't know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because I've spent twenty years trying to find her.””
Dad looked at him.
“Victor.””
“I swear.””
A crash sounded from below.
Everyone froze.
Then Graham's voice came through the intercom.
“Claire.””
I looked up.
“Graham?””
“I know where the ledger is.””
Dad grabbed the radio.
“Leave her alone.””
“I don't want her.””
Silence.
Then:
“I want Emily.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
Graham's voice came again.
“You heard me.””
Dad stepped toward the intercom.
“Emily is dead.””
A pause.
Then Graham said:
“No.””
The word was quiet.
Certain.
“She isn't.””
I stared at Dad.
Graham continued.
“Your mother hid the ledger because she knew someone would come looking for it.””
“Who?””
“My father.””
Victor flinched.
Graham laughed.
“He told me everything.””
Victor whispered:
“I never told him that.””
Graham continued.
“Emily wasn't taken by strangers.””
I couldn't breathe.
“Then who took her?””
A pause.
Then Graham said:
“My father.””
Victor shouted:
“No!””
Graham's voice remained calm.
“He took her to force your mother to surrender the ledger.””
Victor shook his head violently.
“That isn't true.””
“It is.””
“Graham!””
“You abandoned her.””
Victor collapsed against the wall.
I stared at him.
“Did you?””
He couldn't answer.
Dad stepped closer.
“Victor.””
Victor finally whispered:
“I gave him the location.””
My knees weakened.
“Whose location?””
“Emily's.””
“Why?””
“I thought he was going to frighten her.””
I stared at him.
“He was six.””
Victor's eyes filled with tears.
“I didn't know what he'd do.””
“You gave him my sister.””
“I was desperate.””
“You gave him my sister!””
My voice echoed across the room.
Victor began sobbing.
Dad pulled me backward.
“Claire.””
I shook him off.
“All these years…”
My voice broke.
“All these years I thought I was an only child.””
Dad's eyes filled.
“We thought Emily was dead.””
“We?””
“We searched.””
“You searched?””
“For twenty years.””
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
“Because every time we got close, someone sent us threats.””
I looked at Helena.
“You knew?””
She nodded through tears.
“I knew.””
“And Graham?””
“He found out two years ago.””
I felt sick.
“He married me because of Emily?””
Helena looked away.
“Not at first.””
“What changed?””
She whispered:
“Graham found a photograph.””
“What photograph?””
“Emily's.””
The room went silent.
Then something slid beneath the door.
A photograph.
I picked it up.
My fingers shook.
It showed a little girl standing beside a wooden fence.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
A small white dress.
She looked exactly like me.
On the back was a handwritten message.
*SHE'S ALIVE.*
I looked at Dad.
“Where?””
Before he could answer, the yacht shook violently.
A huge wave struck the hull.
The lifeboat broke loose from its mounting.
The security guard shouted:
“WE'RE LOSING THE BOAT!””
Dad grabbed me.
“Move!””
We ran onto the deck.
The lifeboat swung sideways.
One cable snapped.
Then another.
The boat dropped toward the ocean.
Dad shoved me toward the railing.
“Stay back!””
A figure emerged through the smoke.
Graham.
He held a flare in one hand.
And a gun in the other.
He pointed the weapon at my father.
“Robert.””
Dad froze.
Graham's eyes moved to me.
“Claire.””
I stared at him.
“Where is Emily?””
Graham smiled.
“You're finally asking the right question.””
He lifted the flare.
Behind him, flames began spreading across the lower deck.
“The ledger isn't on this yacht.””
Dad's face changed.
“Where is it?””
Graham looked directly at me.
“Where your mother left it.””
“Where?””
He smiled.
“In the one place your father never searched.””
Then he dropped the flare.
It struck the fuel-slicked deck.
Fire erupted between us.
Graham vanished into the smoke.
And as my father dragged me away from the flames, I heard something beneath the roar of the fire.
A woman's voice.
Coming through Graham's abandoned radio.
A voice I had never heard before.
A voice that whispered my name.
“Claire… if you're hearing this, your mother was right.””
I stopped dead.
The woman continued:
May you like
“Emily is alive.””
Then the transmission cut out.
