Chapter 3: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Marcus stood motionless in the hospital corridor.
His phone was still pressed against his ear.
His father.
Richard Reed.
Dead for eleven months.
He could hear the detective's words repeating inside his head.
Someone who has been listed as deceased.
He lowered the phone.
Then he looked through the glass panel into Claire's room.
She was watching him.
“Marcus?””
He walked back inside.
“Claire, what exactly did you find?””
She struggled to sit higher.
“What happened?””
“Detective Miller called. They found a recording device beneath the pool ladder.””
Claire's expression changed.
“What was on it?””
“He said Vanessa wasn't alone.””
Claire closed her eyes.
“Then it's worse than I thought.””
Marcus pulled the chair closer.
“Tell me everything.””
She looked toward the sleeping Ava.
Then she lowered her voice.
“Your father didn't die the way they told you.””
Marcus shook his head.
“Stop.””
“Marcus—”
“No. I was there at the funeral. I identified his body.””
Claire's eyes filled.
“Did you?””
He opened his mouth.
Then stopped.
He remembered the funeral.
The closed casket.
The doctor who had signed the death certificate.
The private viewing that had been canceled because, according to the funeral director, Richard's injuries made identification difficult.
Marcus had been devastated.
He hadn't questioned anything.
Vanessa had handled nearly every detail.
She had arranged the funeral home.
She had contacted the lawyers.
She had helped him manage the estate.
He looked at Claire.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“I tried.””
“When?””
“Three weeks ago.””
Marcus frowned.
“You called me about Ava's school?””
“That was an excuse. I wanted to tell you about the documents I found.””
“Why didn't you?””
Claire looked down.
“Vanessa answered your phone.””
Marcus felt sick.
“She told me you were too busy to talk. Later, she sent me a message from your number telling me to stop interfering with your new family.””
He stared at her.
“I never sent that.””
“I know.””
Claire reached for his hand.
“Marcus, I think she has been controlling more of your life than you realize.””
A sound came from the doorway.
“That's a very serious accusation.””
They both turned.
Detective Miller stood there.
He was in his early fifties, with short gray hair and a dark suit.
A second officer stood behind him.
“Mr. Reed?””
Marcus stood.
“Yes.””
“I'm Detective Miller. We spoke on the phone.””
Marcus nodded.
“Tell me what you found.””
The detective pulled a small notebook from his jacket.
“First, I need to ask whether you recognize this man.””
He showed Marcus a photograph.
It was grainy, taken from a security camera.
A man stood near the pool.
He wore a dark shirt and a baseball cap.
Marcus stared.
Then he stepped closer.
“No.””
The detective nodded.
“Look carefully.””
Marcus studied the man's posture.
The broad shoulders.
The way his left hand rested near his waist.
Then he noticed something.
A silver watch.
His father had owned a watch exactly like it.
An old Rolex with a distinctive black face.
Marcus shook his head.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the recording device.””
“Can you improve the image?””
“We're working on it.””
“Why did you say it was my father?””
Detective Miller closed the notebook.
“Because we recovered audio.””
He placed a small tablet on the bedside table.
“Listen.””
A recording began.
First, there was the sound of water.
Then a woman's voice.
Vanessa.
“Are you sure she's alone?””
A man's voice answered.
“She's alone.””
Marcus felt his heart hammering.
The voice sounded familiar.
Terribly familiar.
Vanessa spoke again.
“She has the photograph.””
The man answered.
“Then take it.””
“I tried. She wouldn't give it to me.””
“Then make sure she doesn't leave with it.””
There was a pause.
Then Vanessa said something that made Marcus's knees weaken.
“What about the child?””
The man replied.
“The child is the only reason Marcus will do what we want.””
The recording ended.
Marcus looked at the detective.
“That's my father.””
Detective Miller didn't answer immediately.
“We haven't confirmed the voice yet.””
“But I know it.””
“Mr. Reed, we have a problem.””
“What problem?””
“The recording was edited. Whoever installed the device removed several minutes from the middle.””
“Can you recover them?””
“Our technical team is trying.””
Marcus paced toward the window.
“This is insane.””
Detective Miller watched him.
“There's something else you should know.””
“What?””
“We found the chain used to hold Claire underwater. The weight was taken from the estate's maintenance shed.””
Marcus frowned.
“Anyone could have accessed that.””
“Correct.””
The detective opened a folder.
“But the security system recorded someone entering the shed at 2:13 p.m.””
He showed Marcus a still photograph.
Vanessa.
She was carrying a large black bag.
Marcus stared at the image.
“That's her.””
“There's another detail.””
Detective Miller pointed to the photograph.
“Look at her left hand.””
Marcus leaned closer.
Ava's small pink bracelet was wrapped around Vanessa's wrist.
Marcus recognized it immediately.
He had bought it for Ava during their last trip to Disney World.
“Why does she have my daughter's bracelet?””
The detective's expression tightened.
“We're trying to determine that.””
Marcus turned toward Claire.
She was pale.
“Marcus,” she whispered.
“What?””
“Vanessa took Ava's bracelet that morning.””
“Why?””
Claire swallowed.
“She said she wanted something that belonged to Ava.””
Marcus looked back at the photograph.
The bracelet wasn't just a souvenir.
It had a small silver charm shaped like a key.
Ava had worn it every day until the morning of the wedding.
He looked at the detective.
“Where is Vanessa now?””
“We brought her in for questioning.””
“Is she under arrest?””
“Not yet.””
Marcus clenched his jaw.
“Then why is she free?””
“Because we need evidence that connects her directly to the attempted murder.””
Marcus stared at him.
“You have a recording. You have her entering the shed. You have my ex-wife saying she pushed her.””
Detective Miller nodded.
“And we have a witness who says he saw her near the pool.””
“Then what else do you need?””
“The identity of the second person.””
The detective glanced at Claire.
“And the original document she's been trying to recover.””
Claire looked down.
Marcus turned toward her.
“Where is it?””
She hesitated.
“I don't have it.””
“Then who does?””
“Your father.””
Marcus shook his head.
“Claire, he's dead.””
She met his eyes.
“Marcus, I think someone has been pretending to be your father.””
Two hours later, Marcus was standing in the police station.
Ava was with Denise, the wedding coordinator, who had agreed to look after her until Marcus could arrange a family member to come.
He hated leaving his daughter.
But he needed answers.
Detective Miller led him into a small interview room.
A laptop sat on the table.
“Before we begin,” the detective said, “I want you to understand that this isn't an accusation against you.””
Marcus sat.
“Just show me what you have.””
The detective opened a video file.
It showed the estate's service entrance.
At 2:08 p.m., a black SUV arrived.
A man stepped out.
He wore a baseball cap.
His face was hidden.
He carried a long rectangular case.
At 2:11 p.m., Vanessa appeared.
She approached him.
They exchanged a few words.
Then she handed him something.
A white envelope.
The man opened it.
He looked inside.
Then he nodded.
Marcus leaned forward.
“Can you zoom in?””
The detective enlarged the image.
The man's face remained hidden.
But the envelope was clear.
There was a handwritten name on it.
*MARCUS.*
“What was in the envelope?”” Marcus asked.
“We don't know.””
“Can you identify the man?””
“Not from this footage.””
The detective paused the video.
“But we found his vehicle.””
“Whose was it?””
“A rental registered under a false name.””
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“Of course.””
Detective Miller closed the laptop.
“Mr. Reed, I need to ask you about your father's estate.””
“What about it?””
“Who inherited his property?””
“I did.””
“All of it?””
“His house, his accounts, his shares in Reed Construction.””
“Did you receive the original ownership certificates?””
Marcus hesitated.
“No. The lawyers handled everything.””
“Which lawyers?””
“Vanessa introduced me to a firm.””
Detective Miller wrote something down.
“Do you remember the name?””
“Barton, Pierce and Lowe.””
The detective looked up.
“That's interesting.””
“Why?””
“Because that firm dissolved six months ago.””
Marcus frowned.
“What?””
“The partners were investigated for financial misconduct. One of them disappeared.””
Marcus felt another wave of nausea.
“Who?””
“Daniel Pierce.””
The name meant nothing to him.
Until Detective Miller opened another photograph.
A man in his forties stood outside a courthouse.
Dark hair.
Sharp jaw.
A thin scar near his chin.
Marcus recognized him.
He had seen the man at Vanessa's engagement party.
“That's Daniel.””
“Do you know him?””
“Vanessa introduced him as her financial adviser.””
The detective leaned back.
“Mr. Reed, I think we've found the connection.””
“What connection?””
“Daniel Pierce was the attorney who handled your father's estate.””
Marcus stared at the photograph.
“And he was working with Vanessa?””
“We have reason to believe so.””
“Why?””
Detective Miller opened another file.
A bank transfer.
A large one.
The account belonged to Reed Construction.
The money had been transferred to an offshore holding company three weeks after Richard's supposed death.
Marcus read the amount.
$4.8 million.
His mouth went dry.
“That's impossible.””
“Did you authorize this?””
“No.””
“Did you know about it?””
“No!””
The detective nodded.
“We believe the money was moved using forged authorization documents.””
Marcus sat back.
His company.
His father's company.
His inheritance.
All of it might have been stolen while he was grieving.
And Vanessa had been standing beside him the entire time.
At 8:37 p.m., Marcus returned to the hospital.
Ava was awake.
She was sitting beside Claire's bed, drawing on a piece of paper.
When she saw him, she jumped up.
“Daddy!””
He caught her.
“How's my girl?””
“I'm okay.””
She held up her drawing.
It showed three people.
A little girl.
A woman in a blue dress.
And a man wearing a black jacket.
Behind them was a large blue rectangle.
“The pool?”” Marcus asked.
Ava nodded.
Then she pointed to a fourth figure.
A woman in a white dress.
Vanessa.
But the woman was standing beside a dark shape.
“Who's that?”” Marcus asked.
Ava looked at the drawing.
“The man who helped Aunt Vanessa.””
Marcus's stomach tightened.
“Did you see him?””
Ava nodded.
“Where?””
“By the gate.””
“What did he look like?””
She thought carefully.
“He was wearing Daddy's watch.””
Marcus went completely still.
“What watch?””
“The shiny one. The one Grandpa gave you.””
Marcus looked down at his wrist.
He was wearing the same watch.
His father had given it to him on his twenty-first birthday.
Ava continued.
“The man had one like it. But his was bigger.””
Marcus crouched.
“Sweetheart, are you sure?””
Ava nodded.
“He told Aunt Vanessa that Grandpa said it was time.””
Marcus felt the blood drain from his face.
“What did you say?””
Ava's voice became very small.
“He said Grandpa.””
Marcus looked at Claire.
She was watching him.
Her eyes were full of terror.
“Marcus,” she whispered.
He stood.
“It's okay.””
“No,” she said.
“You need to listen to me.””
Claire reached for his hand.
“When Vanessa brought me to the pool, she said something.””
“What?””
“She said your father wanted the family back together.””
Marcus shook his head.
“That's impossible.””
“She said he was tired of hiding.””
Marcus looked at Ava's drawing.
Then at the hospital window.
For the first time, he wondered whether the body in the closed casket had ever been his father's.
His phone vibrated.
A text from an unknown number.
No greeting.
No explanation.
Just one photograph.
Marcus opened it.
The image showed a man sitting in a leather chair inside a dimly lit room.
His face was older.
His hair was thinner.
But there was no mistaking him.
Richard Reed.
Alive.
Marcus's fingers began to shake.
A second message appeared.
*You have until midnight to bring me the original ownership certificate.*
Then another.
*Come alone.*
And finally, a third message.
*Or your daughter will be the next person who disappears beneath that water.*
Marcus looked at Ava.
She was still holding her drawing.
Still smiling faintly because she believed her father could fix everything.
He put the phone away.
Then he knelt and kissed her forehead.
“Daddy?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Are we going to be a family again?””
Marcus held her tightly.
“I promise I'll keep you safe.””
But as he looked at the photograph again, one question haunted him.
May you like
If Richard Reed was alive, whose body had Marcus buried eleven months ago?
And why had his own father chosen his wedding day to come out of hiding?
