Chapter 9 - THE THIRD NAME
Jonathan slammed his hand against the mantel.
“She’s manipulating you.”
Arthur did not respond.
“You know she is.”
Reed watched both men.
Elena held Lily against her shoulder.
“Who else had access to the family systems before Victoria married Arthur?”
Arthur answered slowly.
“My sister.”
Jonathan looked at him.
“Aunt Evelyn?”
Arthur nodded.
Elena had met Evelyn Whitmore only twice.
Arthur’s younger sister had left the family corporation after a bitter dispute more than a decade earlier.
She lived quietly in Connecticut.
At least, that was what Elena had been told.
Jonathan shook his head.
“Evelyn hasn’t been involved for years.”
Arthur stared toward the window.
“She designed the original trust structure with Father.”
Reed asked.
“Could she access the accounts?”
“Not directly.”
“But she knew how they worked.”
Elena felt something important forming.
“Why did she leave?”
Arthur remained silent.
Jonathan answered.
“Grandfather accused her of taking money.”
Arthur snapped.
“She was never convicted.”
Jonathan turned.
“You told us she admitted it.”
Arthur’s face changed.
“No.”
“My father told me she admitted it.”
Elena stared.
“So you never heard it from Evelyn?”
Arthur shook his head.
“What happened to the missing money?”
“It was returned.”
“By whom?”
“My father.”
That made no sense.
Elena placed Lily in Margaret’s arms.
“Arthur.”
“If Evelyn stole money, why would your father return it himself?”
Arthur looked disturbed.
“I never asked.”
Jonathan laughed bitterly.
“That seems to be the family tradition.”
Arthur glared at him.
Jonathan did not back down.
“Everyone hides one piece of the truth and then acts shocked when the entire family collapses.”
Reed’s phone buzzed.
He read a message.
“We located Victoria’s Mercedes.”
Arthur looked at him.
“Where?”
“Abandoned near the train station.”
“Any sign of her?”
“No.”
“But traffic footage caught someone picking her up.”
Reed displayed a grainy image.
A woman stood beside the Mercedes.
A dark green sedan waited nearby.
The driver’s face was not visible.
Arthur stared at the vehicle.
Jonathan leaned closer.
“I know that car.”
Elena looked at him.
“Whose?”
Jonathan’s voice lowered.
“Aunt Evelyn owns a green Bentley.”
Arthur went still.
Within twenty minutes, Reed had confirmed the license plate.
The car belonged to Evelyn Whitmore.
Arthur looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
Elena spoke carefully.
“Call her.”
Arthur did.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
The third attempt went directly to voicemail.
Jonathan started pacing.
“This is impossible.”
Arthur looked at him.
“Why?”
“Because Evelyn hates Victoria.”
“People who hate each other can still share interests.”
Elena looked at Arthur.
“What interest would they share?”
Arthur’s face hardened.
“The destruction of this family.”
That night, no one slept.
At 2:14 a.m., a courier arrived at the estate.
No return address.
The package was addressed to Elena.
Reed opened it after checking for hazards.
Inside was an old photograph.
Arthur, much younger, stood beside his father.
Evelyn stood on the opposite side.
Between them was a man Elena did not recognize.
On the back, someone had written a name.
CALEB MERCER.
Elena stared.
Mercer was her maiden name.
Her father’s name had been David Mercer.
She had never heard of Caleb.
Beneath the photograph was a handwritten note.
ASK ARTHUR WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR GRANDFATHER.
Elena looked at Arthur.
He was staring at the photograph like he had seen a ghost.
“You knew him.”
Arthur sat down slowly.
“Yes.”
“Who was Caleb Mercer?”
Arthur looked at Elena.
“He was my father’s business partner.”
Elena’s heart began pounding.
“What happened to him?”
Arthur closed his eyes.
“He went to prison.”
“For what?”
Arthur opened his eyes again.
“For stealing from the Whitmore trust.”
Elena stared at him.
May you like
“And was he guilty?”
Arthur’s silence was answer enough.
