Chapter 10 - The Man at the Door
“Marcus,” Rebecca said.
Her voice remained steady.
He didn't move.
“Step inside, please.”
Marcus looked at the front door.
Then at the black notebook in her hands.
“I can explain.”
Claire gave a bitter laugh.
“That's what your family always says.”
Marcus turned toward her.
“Claire.”
“Don't.”
Her eyes filled with anger.
“You knew I was sixteen.”
“You knew what they did to me.”
Marcus lowered his head.
“I did.”
My pulse hammered.
“Were you at Lake Briar when my mother died?”
He looked at me.
“Yes.”
I took a step backward.
The man my father had hired to protect me had been at the lake.
The man who had escorted me out of the hotel had spent eighteen years connected to the crime that destroyed my family.
I looked toward my father.
“Did you know?”
He stared at Marcus.
“No.”
Rebecca moved between us.
“Marcus, I need you to tell us exactly who you are.”
He reached slowly into his jacket.
My entire body tensed.
Rebecca held up a hand.
“Don't.”
Marcus stopped.
Then he removed his wallet with two fingers.
He placed it on the table.
“My legal name is Marcus Hale.”
“I changed it in 2009.”
Claire crossed her arms.
“After you testified under another name.”
He nodded.
“Yes.”
Rebecca looked at him.
“Were you Victor Sloan?”
“Yes.”
My father sat heavily.
“Why would you work for me?”
Marcus looked toward me.
“Because I owed Sophia Bennett my life.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
He took a long breath.
“Eighteen years ago, I worked for Northline Marine Services.”
“I repaired boats.”
“Maintained engines.”
“Transported equipment.”
“Charles Whitmore was one of our biggest clients.”
He looked toward Claire.
“The night Sophia died, Charles told me to prepare the motorboat.”
“Why?”
“He said they needed it for an evening meeting.”
Rebecca leaned forward.
“What did you do to it?”
Marcus looked ashamed.
“I removed a safety component from the engine compartment.”
My stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“Charles said the part was defective and needed replacement.”
“Was it?”
“No.”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“I learned later that the alteration could cause the engine to stall under certain conditions.”
I stared at him.
“You knew?”
“Not when I made the change.”
Claire spoke sharply.
“But you knew afterward.”
Marcus nodded.
“Yes.”
My father looked devastated.
“Why didn't you tell the police?”
Marcus's jaw tightened.
“Because Charles threatened my wife.”
I swallowed.
“He said he'd make sure she never got medical treatment.”
Rebecca frowned.
“What treatment?”
“My wife had a serious heart condition.”
“Charles was paying for specialists we couldn't afford.”
Marcus stared at the floor.
“I believed him.”
I felt anger rising.
“My mother died.”
“I know.”
“And you stayed silent because you were afraid of losing money?”
Marcus looked at me.
“I stayed silent because I thought my wife would die if I spoke.”
I stared at him.
“Did she survive?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
The room fell quiet.
“She died eleven months later.”
His voice broke.
“And I've spent every day since trying to understand why I let Charles buy my silence.”
I looked away.
I wasn't ready to forgive him.
Maybe I never would be.
Rebecca asked, “Why did Thomas hire you?”
Marcus took another breath.
“Because three years ago, I approached him.”
My father looked up.
“You told me you had information about Sophia.”
“I did.”
“But you never told me you were Victor Sloan.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because I was afraid you'd refuse to hear me.”
I looked at my father.
“What information did he give you?”
Dad swallowed.
“He told me the accident report was incomplete.”
“That the engine had been altered.”
“That someone inside the Whitmore family had paid to bury the evidence.”
I stared at him.
“You knew for three years?”
He nodded.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because we didn't have proof.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You keep saying that.”
My father closed his eyes.
“You keep deciding what I deserve to know based on whether you can control what happens afterward.”
He looked at me.
“You're right.”
I felt no relief.
Marcus stepped forward.
“Emily, I never worked for Margaret after changing my name.”
“Then why did Claire say you did?”
Claire looked at him.
“Because I saw you at the hotel last year.”
Marcus nodded.
“I was there.”
“Why?”
“Investigating financial records for Thomas.”
Rebecca looked at him.
“You should have disclosed your prior identity.”
“Yes.”
“You exposed everyone in this house to a serious conflict of interest.”
“I know.”
My father looked at him.
“You're relieved of your duties.”
Marcus nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
He turned toward the door.
“Wait,” I said.
He stopped.
I stared at him.
“Did you see my mother that night?”
His face changed.
“Yes.”
“Was she alive when you last saw her?”
He swallowed.
“Yes.”
“Was she frightened?”
His eyes filled.
“Very.”
I felt tears rise.
“What did she say?”
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then he answered.
“She asked me whether I had children.”
I covered my mouth.
“I told her I had a little boy.”
“She said I should go home and hold him.”
Marcus's voice shook.
“Then she said that if anything happened to her, I needed to remember that she had a daughter too.”
I couldn't speak.
Marcus wiped his eyes.
“I didn't understand.”
“Not until afterward.”
I looked at him.
“Did Charles put her in that boat?”
Marcus hesitated.
“I saw Charles and Margaret arguing near the dock.”
“Then Sophia came out of the boathouse.”
“She was holding a folder.”
“What happened?”
“Charles took it.”
“Margaret told Sophia she couldn't leave.”
My heart hammered.
“Then?”
Marcus looked toward Claire.
“I heard a second car arriving.”
“Who was driving?”
He swallowed.
“Harold Voss.”
Rebecca began writing.
Marcus continued.
“Charles ordered me to leave.”
“I went to the equipment shed.”
“From there, I heard shouting.”
“Then an engine starting.”
I stared at him.
“Did you see the boat?”
“Yes.”
“Who was in it?”
He shook his head.
“I couldn't see clearly.”
“Why not?”
“Because the dock lights had been turned off.”
I felt a chill.
“Who turned them off?”
Marcus looked at me.
“I don't know.”
A long silence followed.
Then Claire spoke.
“I do.”
Everyone turned.
Her face was pale.
“My mother did.”
I stared at her.
Claire continued.
“And she didn't turn them off so nobody could see Sophia leave.”
May you like
She pressed a hand against her mouth.
“She turned them off so nobody could see who followed her.”
