Chapter 6 - The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
“That's impossible,” Mia whispered.
Dominic turned the phone toward her.
Aaron Pike stared out from an employee identification photograph.
Thirty-nine years old.
Brown hair.
A narrow scar across his chin.
He looked ordinary.
The kind of man who could work in a hospital, service a security system, or stand beside a parked ambulance without attracting attention.
Mia studied his face.
“Do you recognize him?” Dominic asked.
“No.”
“Rebecca ever mention an Aaron?”
Mia shook her head.
“She wasn't married.”
“The records say otherwise.”
“Then the records are wrong.”
Dominic wasn't certain.
If someone had kept Rebecca hidden for seven years, changing her identity would have been simple compared with keeping her alive.
He called Daniel.
“Find every address connected to Aaron Pike.”
“Already working on it.”
“Quietly.”
“Understood.”
“And have the hospital preserve the hallway footage for detectives.”
Dominic ended the call.
Mia watched him.
“You're involving the police.”
“Yes.”
“Your people won't like that.”
“Some of my people don't like a lot of things.”
“Dominic, Nathan knows everything about your business.”
“I know.”
“He knows what you've done.”
“I know that too.”
She studied his face.
“Are you afraid?”
He thought for a moment.
“Yes.”
Mia appeared surprised.
“Of Nathan?”
“Of finding out I trusted him more than the people who deserved it.”
That evening, Dominic returned to the estate.
The greenhouse stood near the western edge of the property, beyond an overgrown stone path.
Elena had loved it because sunlight reached the floor even in winter.
Now its glass panels were clouded with dirt.
Vines climbed through the broken frame.
The door had been boarded shut.
Dominic removed the boards with a crowbar.
Inside, the air smelled of damp earth.
A rusted watering can stood beside a cracked pot.
An old wooden bench occupied the center of the room.
He remembered Elena sitting there with a book balanced across her knees.
He remembered her laughter.
For seven years, he had avoided this place because everything inside it reminded him of what he lost.
Now he realized grief had kept him from searching where she wanted him to look.
Daniel entered behind him.
“What are we looking for?”
Dominic showed him the letter.
“Beneath the place where we first promised each other forever.”
Daniel surveyed the greenhouse.
“The floor?”
Dominic nodded.
They moved the bench.
Underneath lay a rectangular section of stone that did not match the surrounding tiles.
A narrow gap ran around its edges.
Daniel wedged the crowbar beneath it.
The slab lifted.
Inside was a waterproof case.
Dominic carried it to the bench and opened it.
There were photographs.
Bank statements.
Copies of ownership agreements.
And a thin handwritten notebook.
He turned the first page.
Elena had documented dates, names, and payments for nearly two years.
Nathan's name appeared repeatedly.
So did Warren Bennett, Claire's father.
But the most disturbing discovery was a transfer authorization dated six days before Elena died.
It listed the sale of a major interest in Vale Holdings to a Bennett-controlled company.
The signature at the bottom was Dominic's.
He had never signed it.
Daniel looked over his shoulder.
“Forgery.”
Dominic nodded.
“It would need internal approvals to be effective, but it's evidence someone intended to steal control.”
He turned another page.
Elena had written a warning in red ink.
Do not confront Nathan until Rebecca is safe.
Dominic read the line twice.
Then his phone rang.
An investigator working for the family's attorneys had located one of Aaron Pike's former addresses.
A property in upstate New York.
Forty miles south of Albany.
The ownership record led to a holding company.
That company led to another.
At the end of the chain stood a familiar name.
Bennett Development Group.
Dominic stared at the screen.
“Send the location to the state investigators,” he said.
“I want the property checked legally and thoroughly.”
He ended the call.
Daniel looked disappointed.
“You're not going there yourself?”
“Not with Nathan already hunting anyone who knows the truth.”
Dominic returned his attention to the case.
At the bottom lay a photograph of Elena standing beside Rebecca.
Both women were smiling.
Behind them stood Nathan Cross.
His arm rested casually across Rebecca's shoulders.
Dominic studied the photograph.
Rebecca was looking toward Elena.
Nathan was looking at Rebecca.
And the expression on his face was not affectionate.
It was possessive.
Dominic turned the photograph over.
Elena had written a date and a short message.
Rebecca told him she was leaving.
Three days before Elena's death.
Daniel's radio crackled.
A security officer sounded breathless.
“Sir, we have a problem at the north gate.”
Daniel answered.
“What kind?”
“Three vehicles.”
“Who authorized them?”
“No one.”
“Have they identified themselves?”
A pause.
Then the officer replied.
“They say they're here to deliver a message from Nathan Cross.”
Dominic stepped toward the radio.
“Tell them to leave.”
The officer began speaking.
May you like
Then gunfire erupted over the channel.
And the greenhouse lights went out.
