Chapter 12 - The Father I Never Knew
I refused to believe it.
Not because I trusted my father.
That trust had been shattered long ago.
But because the truth was becoming too terrible to hold.
"My father wanted Corinne saved."
Sloan shook her head.
"That's what he said in the video."
"He was injured."
"Yes."
"He looked terrified."
"Yes."
"Then why would he kidnap her?"
"To make you believe someone else had."
I stared.
Sloan opened a folder.
"Sarah Bennett gave us a detailed statement."
I sat down.
"About what?"
"Your father's relationship with Richard Vale."
She placed several photographs on the table.
One showed my father standing beside Richard at a construction site.
Another showed them with a group of investors.
The third showed a young girl.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
A blue dress.
I stared at her.
"Emily."
Sloan nodded.
"Sarah confirmed that photograph was taken shortly before she disappeared."
I touched the edge of the picture.
She looked like my mother.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
I felt something break inside me.
Sloan continued.
"Sarah remembers being taken to a house outside Nashville."
"By Richard?"
"By a man working for your father."
I looked up.
"What?"
"According to her statement, your father arranged for her removal."
I shook my head.
"No."
"She was placed with another family under a false identity."
"Why?"
"Because she had witnessed a violent crime."
I stared.
"What crime?"
Sloan hesitated.
"The killing of Samuel Brooks."
I felt sick.
"Who killed him?"
"Sarah says she saw your father strike him during an argument."
I closed my eyes.
"No."
"She remembers Richard helping move the body."
I covered my mouth.
My father.
The man who taught me to shake hands firmly.
The man who demanded honesty from employees.
The man who lectured me about loyalty.
A murderer.
Sloan continued.
"Your mother discovered what happened."
I stared at her.
"And?"
"She threatened to go to the police."
"What did he do?"
"We're still investigating."
I thought of my mother's death.
The sudden illness.
The private doctor.
The closed medical records.
I felt cold.
"Did he kill her too?"
Sloan didn't answer.
That silence was enough.
I stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, the city was waking.
People drove to work.
Coffee shops opened.
Children waited for school buses.
Ordinary life continued.
Mine had become unrecognizable.
"Why would my father fake his death?" I asked.
Sloan joined me.
"Because Richard was preparing to expose him."
I turned.
"What?"
"Their partnership was collapsing."
"Over the money?"
"Partly."
"What else?"
"Corinne."
I stared.
Sloan continued.
"Your wife discovered the forged property transfers. Richard wanted to destroy the evidence."
"And my father?"
"He wanted to use it."
"Use it how?"
"To force Richard out of the company."
I shook my head.
"So they were fighting over stolen money."
"Essentially."
"And Corinne got caught between them."
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
"Then why did my father contact her?"
"Because she had the records he needed."
I remembered the photograph.
My father standing beside my pregnant wife.
He had been smiling.
I had assumed it meant he cared about her.
Now I wondered whether he'd been using her all along.
Sloan's phone vibrated.
She checked the screen.
Then looked at me.
"We have another development."
I felt my chest tighten.
"What?"
"Your father has contacted us."
I stared.
"Where is he?"
"He wants to negotiate."
"For what?"
"Immunity."
I almost laughed.
"Of course."
Sloan continued.
"He says he'll reveal Corinne's location."
My heart stopped.
"Then give him whatever he wants."
"It's not that simple."
"She's my wife."
"We understand."
"No, you don't."
My voice broke.
"You don't understand what I've done to her."
Sloan's expression softened.
"Grant, finding her is our priority."
I looked away.
An hour later, they arranged a monitored call.
My father appeared on a secure video connection.
He looked older than I remembered.
His hair was disheveled.
A bruise darkened his cheek.
But his eyes were the same.
Cold.
Calculating.
"Grant."
I stared.
"Dad."
He smiled faintly.
"You look terrible."
I almost laughed.
"You taught me everything I know."
His smile faded.
Sloan leaned forward.
"Mr. Keaton, we need Mrs. Keaton's location."
My father ignored her.
"Grant, I need you to understand something."
"Where is Corinne?"
"I did what I had to do."
"WHERE IS SHE?"
He flinched.
For the first time in my life, I saw my father look uncertain.
"Son, you don't understand the situation."
"Then explain it."
"Richard was going to destroy everything."
"Everything you stole?"
His expression hardened.
"Watch your tone."
I stared at him.
Even now.
Even after everything.
He still expected obedience.
I leaned toward the camera.
"No."
He blinked.
"No?"
"I'm done being your son when it means becoming you."
His face changed.
I continued.
"You used my company. You used my wife. You lied about my sister. You let me bury an empty coffin."
"Grant—"
"And now you're going to tell me where Corinne is."
He stared.
Then he laughed softly.
"You sound like your mother."
The words made me go cold.
"Don't talk about her."
"She was always stubborn."
"Don't."
"She thought she could save everyone."
I leaned closer.
"What did you do to her?"
His smile disappeared.
Sloan raised a hand, warning me to remain calm.
I ignored her.
"What did you do to Mom?"
My father stared into the camera.
Then he said, "Your mother made a choice."
My hands curled into fists.
"What choice?"
"She chose to betray the family."
I felt something inside me snap.
"No."
He frowned.
"No?"
"She tried to protect us."
My father laughed.
"Protect you? She would have sent me to prison."
"Maybe you belonged there."
Silence.
His face hardened.
Then he leaned toward the camera.
"You want your wife back?"
I stopped breathing.
"Yes."
"Then stop asking questions about the past."
"Where is she?"
He smiled.
"Bring me the original ledger."
Sloan leaned forward.
"We can discuss the records."
My father shook his head.
"Not with you."
He looked directly at me.
"Grant, you have until midnight."
My heart hammered.
"Or what?"
His expression became cold.
May you like
"Or Owen grows up without his mother."
The screen went black.
