Chapter 8 - The Truth About Twelve Years
Thomas had imagined meeting his child before.
Not this child.
Not Sophie.
Just some future kid he might have someday.
In those imagined moments, he always knew what to say.
Now he couldn't find a single word.
Sophie sat in Sarah's back seat wrapped in a blanket.
Thomas sat beside her.
She had refused to let him out of sight.
But she hadn't touched him either.
“Why didn't you find us?” she asked again.
Thomas looked at her.
“I didn't know you existed.”
Sophie frowned.
“Mom said you couldn't know.”
“She never told me why.”
“She said people were watching you.”
Thomas swallowed.
“What people?”
“Gabriel's.”
Sarah listened from the front seat.
Sophie continued.
“Mom said when she was younger, she worked for your family's company.”
Thomas nodded.
“She worked in accounting systems.”
“She found payments.”
“What kind?”
“I don't know.”
Sophie pulled the blanket tighter.
“She called them ghost payments.”
Thomas looked at Sarah.
Sarah said, “Fake vendors?”
Sophie nodded.
“Companies that didn't have real offices. Mom found millions going through them.”
Thomas's jaw tightened.
“Gabriel managed outside contracts back then.”
Sarah glanced at him.
“That gives motive.”
Sophie continued.
“Mom copied everything because she thought your dad would help.”
“He did?”
“At first she didn't trust him.”
Thomas looked surprised.
“Pierre?”
Sophie smiled faintly.
“She called him Mr. Ice.”
Despite everything, Thomas almost laughed.
“That sounds like Dad.”
“She told him what she found.”
“What happened?”
“He believed her.”
Sophie looked down.
“But Gabriel found out.”
Thomas leaned forward.
“How?”
“Someone inside the company told him.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
Sophie hesitated.
“Mom said that was the worst part.”
Thomas frowned.
“What?”
“The person wasn't Gabriel.”
Sarah turned slightly.
“What do you mean?”
Sophie whispered, “Someone else betrayed her first.”
Thomas felt the story shift under his feet.
“Who?”
Sophie shook her head.
“She never told me.”
Thomas thought of the memory card.
They drove to Sarah's precinct, entering through a secure garage.
Sarah took the card to an isolated computer.
Thomas sat beside Sophie while it loaded.
A folder appeared.
SERRAT ARCHIVE - PART TWO.
Inside were spreadsheets.
Contracts.
Audio files.
Scanned invoices.
Sarah's eyes widened.
“This could bury half a dozen people.”
Thomas scanned the names.
Gabriel Renaud appeared repeatedly.
So did shell companies.
Politicians.
Consultants.
Executives.
Then Thomas saw another name.
Madeleine Delacourt.
He stopped.
“No.”
Sarah leaned closer.
There were three transfers to an account in Madeleine's name.
Each for $250,000.
Thomas stared.
“My mother?”
Sophie looked frightened.
Sarah said, “We don't know what they mean.”
Thomas opened the attached authorization document.
Madeleine's signature.
His mother's signature.
Sarah pulled out her phone.
“I need her brought in.”
Thomas grabbed her wrist.
“Wait.”
“Thomas—”
“There has to be an explanation.”
“You said that about Gabriel.”
His phone rang.
Madeleine.
Thomas answered.
“Mom.”
Her breathing was uneven.
“Where are you?”
“Safe.”
“Is Sophie with you?”
Thomas looked at the girl.
“Yes.”
Madeleine began crying.
“Thank God.”
Thomas closed his eyes.
“Mom, I found Dad's files.”
Silence.
“I saw your name.”
More silence.
“Tell me I'm misunderstanding it.”
Madeleine didn't answer.
Thomas stood.
“Mom?”
When she finally spoke, her voice sounded broken.
“I was wondering how long it would take you to find those.”
Thomas felt the floor disappear beneath him.
“What did you do?”
“I can't explain this over the phone.”
“You transferred three quarters of a million dollars.”
“No.”
“Your signature is on every page.”
“My signature is real.”
Thomas stopped breathing.
Madeleine continued.
“But I wasn't the person who received the money.”
“Then who was?”
A door slammed on her end.
Madeleine gasped.
Thomas straightened.
“Mom?”
A man's voice entered the call.
Gabriel.
“Hello, Thomas.”
Thomas's blood went cold.
May you like
Gabriel continued calmly.
“Now I have both mothers.”
