Chapter 10 - The Dead Man Who Kept Paying
By morning, I no longer knew which dead people in my family were actually dead.
My mother was alive.
My death had been certified while I was breathing.
My grandfather’s trust had made payments years after his funeral.
And my father had died protecting records no one seemed willing to describe completely.
Sarah spread old statements across the hotel desk.
“Look at the recipient codes.”
Every transfer went to a company called Northstar Clinical Holdings.
I searched the name.
No website.
No address.
No active registration.
Sarah pointed at one line.
“The last payment happened two days before the yacht explosion.”
“Who authorized it?”
She slid the page toward me.
THOMAS CARTER.
Again my father’s signature.
Again something he supposedly did not understand.
“What if he did understand?” I asked.
Sarah looked at me.
“What?”
“What if everyone has spent twenty-three years protecting me from the idea that my father was part of this?”
“He wasn’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I was married to him.”
“You also let me believe you were dead.”
That shut her up.
A knock sounded.
We both froze.
This time the hotel manager called through the door.
“Ms. Vale? There’s a package for you.”
No sender.
Inside was a USB drive and a note.
YOU WANT THE TRUTH ABOUT THOMAS? WATCH 06:17.
The drive contained security footage from Pier 17.
Date: the morning of the explosion.
At 6:12 a.m., Gabriel Mercer rolled a crate toward the yacht.
At 6:15, Julian arrived.
At 6:16, my father appeared.
At 6:17, he opened the crate.
Inside were the explosives.
He saw them.
He knew.
He did not call police.
He did not run.
He closed the crate and helped Gabriel carry it onto the yacht.
Sarah stared at the screen.
“No.”
I replayed it.
My father clearly saw the bomb.
Then he looked directly toward the security camera.
And raised two fingers.
Sarah covered her mouth.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
She did not answer.
“Mom.”
She looked at me.
“It was our signal.”
“For what?”
“That the plan had changed.”
“What plan?”
Sarah’s face turned pale.
“Thomas wasn’t trying to stop the explosion.”
I stared at her.
She whispered:
“He was trying to make sure everyone believed you died in it.”
---
The next chapters are on the left side of your screen.
If you enjoyed the story, bookmark my site: https://vibe.treeiq.biz
May you like
New stories are posted daily, so check back for updates.
