Chapter 14 - Midnight at the Ashford Estate
By 7:00 p.m., the federal team had traced Evelyn's chartered flight to a private airfield outside Hartford.
She had traveled alone.
Her phone stopped transmitting shortly after landing.
Traffic cameras later showed a black SUV leaving the area.
The vehicle was registered to a company connected to Richard.
That gave the investigators a direction.
Not a location.
But a direction.
Special Agent Price brought everyone into the Ashford estate's security conference room.
Detective Monroe spread photographs across the table.
Three missing women.
Teresa Morales.
Isabel Cruz.
Evelyn Grant.
All connected to the original trust.
All capable of explaining different parts of the conspiracy.
Richard had gathered them for a reason.
"He's not going to release them voluntarily," Monroe said.
Julian stood by the window.
"Then we need to give him what he wants."
Price looked up.
"We don't negotiate by handing over evidence."
Julian turned.
"What if we give him something he believes is the trust?"
Monroe shook her head.
"We're not discussing operational details in front of civilians."
I stepped forward.
"I'm not just a civilian to him."
"I'm the reason he's calling."
Price's expression softened.
"Elena, that's exactly why we need to protect you."
I looked at the three photographs.
"My mother spent twenty-four years being afraid of this family."
"My father died trying to expose them."
"And now Richard thinks he can make us surrender again."
I swallowed.
"Please tell me you have a plan."
Price was quiet for a moment.
"We have several leads."
"One is a storage facility Richard used under an assumed name."
"Another is a property once owned by Mercer."
"Both are being checked."
Julian stared at the table.
Then he said, "There's a third property."
Everyone turned.
"Richard had a cabin in the Catskills when we were younger."
"My father bought it through a company."
"Nobody outside the family knew about it."
"Where?"
Julian gave them the location.
Price immediately contacted the field team.
Then Julian looked at me.
"There's something else."
He reached into his jacket.
He placed a small envelope on the table.
It contained a handwritten letter.
My father's name was on the front.
I stared.
"Where did you get that?"
"My father gave it to me before he died."
"He told me not to open it until Daniel's name was cleared."
I felt anger rise.
"You've had another letter from my father this entire time?"
Julian lowered his eyes.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was ashamed."
He pushed it toward me.
"He told me that if I ever found out what happened to Daniel, I was supposed to give this to his daughter."
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter written by Edward Ashford.
Elena,
Your father was the most honorable man I ever knew.
He helped me build a company.
Then he helped me understand how badly that company had failed the people it was supposed to serve.
I owe him more than I can repay.
When Daniel was accused of theft, I believed him.
I fought to clear his name.
But I made the terrible mistake of trusting the wrong people inside my own family.
I swallowed.
The letter continued.
The original charitable trust places the controlling interest of Ashford Holdings under independent trustees.
No child of mine can inherit those assets as private property.
I created the trust because I wanted the company to serve a purpose beyond making our family wealthy.
Daniel agreed to become a trustee because he believed in that purpose.
If the truth comes out after my death, I want your family to know that Daniel never stole from me.
He was trying to protect what we built.
At the bottom was a final instruction.
The original signed trust is held by the state archives under a sealed court deposit.
Its release requires judicial authorization.
No person in my household has the legal power to destroy it.
I read the last sentence twice.
Then I started laughing.
Not because anything was funny.
Because suddenly I understood.
Richard had spent years blackmailing people.
Threatening witnesses.
Forging signatures.
Stealing documents.
Trying to poison his own brother through Victoria.
And the one thing he believed he needed to possess wasn't even in the house.
The genuine trust had been preserved outside his reach.
Julian looked at Price.
"Can you verify the deposit?"
The agent nodded.
"We'll contact the court."
That was when Marcus Bell called.
Julian's phone rang.
The number appeared on the screen.
Marcus.
Julian answered on speaker.
"Where are you?"
Marcus sounded frightened.
"Sir, I need your help."
Julian stared at the phone.
"You disappeared."
"I know."
"You lied to me."
"Yes."
"You worked with Richard."
Marcus began crying.
"I did."
Julian closed his eyes.
"Then why are you calling?"
"Because he's going to kill them."
The room went silent.
Price leaned forward.
"Marcus, this is Special Agent Owen Price."
"Tell us where Richard is."
Marcus hesitated.
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because he's watching my family."
Price kept his voice calm.
"We can arrange protection."
Marcus breathed heavily.
Then he said, "The cabin."
Julian looked up.
"Richard's cabin?"
"Yes."
"He's using the old maintenance building below the hill."
Price signaled to his team.
Marcus continued.
"Richard thinks Evelyn betrayed him."
"He found out she copied the financial records."
"He thinks Teresa and Isabel know where the trust is."
"Why are you telling us this now?" I demanded.
Marcus was silent.
Then he whispered, "Because Mrs. Keene is dead."
My stomach dropped.
"You knew?"
His voice broke.
"She confronted me after she saw me take the hidden camera."
"She said she was going to tell Julian everything."
I felt cold.
"What did you do?"
"I tried to stop her from leaving."
"Marcus."
I heard him crying.
"She fell."
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Marcus continued.
"I panicked."
"I left her there."
"I should have called an ambulance."
Julian turned away.
The woman who had raised him was dead because the man he trusted with his security had chosen fear over decency.
Price spoke firmly.
"Marcus, you need to surrender to the nearest law enforcement officer."
"I will."
"But please get to the cabin."
He paused.
"Richard knows about the tape."
"The one from Eleanor's bedroom?"
"Yes."
"He knows you found it."
I looked at Julian.
Marcus's voice became a whisper.
"And he knows Elena is with you."
The call ended.
At 9:40 p.m., federal and state officers moved toward the mountain property.
The cabin stood at the end of an old logging road.
The main structure was dark.
A smaller building sat below it.
A vehicle was parked beside the maintenance entrance.
Investigators surrounded the property while a negotiator attempted contact.
Inside the estate, Julian and I waited beside a speakerphone.
Neither of us spoke much.
There was nothing left to say that could change what was happening.
At 10:26 p.m., Richard answered the negotiator.
He demanded a helicopter.
Two million dollars.
And a signed declaration acknowledging him as the rightful owner of Ashford Holdings.
Price refused to make promises he couldn't legally keep.
Richard grew angry.
He demanded to speak with Julian.
The negotiator arranged a controlled call.
Julian leaned toward the microphone.
"Richard."
His brother laughed.
"Happy birthday."
Julian closed his eyes.
"This doesn't have to end with anyone else dying."
"You sound like Father."
"Richard, listen to me."
"No."
"You listen."
Richard's voice became bitter.
"Do you know what it was like growing up in that house?"
"Watching Father trust you with everything?"
"Watching him hand you the company?"
Julian kept his voice steady.
"You had every opportunity I had."
Richard laughed.
"No."
"You were his perfect son."
"I was the mistake."
Julian looked toward the speaker.
"Richard, you stole from the foundation."
"You threatened Daniel."
"You destroyed people's lives."
Richard shouted.
"Because I was tired of being the second son!"
The room went silent.
Then Julian said something I didn't expect.
"You were never second to me."
Richard didn't answer.
Julian continued.
"You were my brother."
"I would have given you anything I could."
"But you didn't want a brother."
"You wanted someone to defeat."
A long silence followed.
Then Richard whispered, "Bring Elena."
I stood.
Julian looked horrified.
"No."
Richard's voice hardened.
"If Elena doesn't come, Teresa doesn't leave."
Price muted the microphone.
"We're not sending her in."
I looked at him.
"Then what happens?"
He didn't answer.
Through the speaker, Richard began counting backward.
"Ten."
"Nine."
"Eight."
The negotiator immediately resumed speaking.
But Richard wasn't listening.
Then a woman's voice suddenly shouted in the background.
"Richard, stop!"
My mother.
I grabbed the edge of the table.
There was a crash.
Someone screamed.
Then a second man shouted.
"Police!"
The connection went dead.
I stared at the speaker.
Nothing.
Not even static.
Julian reached for my hand.
I didn't pull away.
Then Price's radio crackled.
An officer's voice came through.
"Shots fired at the maintenance building."
I stopped breathing.
The officer continued.
"One male suspect down."
"Three female hostages located."
Price grabbed the radio.
"Condition?"
A pause.
Then the answer came.
"Two are conscious."
"One requires immediate medical attention."
I whispered, "Which one?"
Nobody answered.
Price repeated the question.
The radio hissed.
May you like
Then the officer said, "The injured woman is Teresa Morales."
And for the first time since my father died, I was terrified that I was about to lose my mother too.
