Chapter 7: Grandpa Was There That Night
“Grandpa?””
Marcus stared at his daughter.
Lily nodded, clutching her stuffed rabbit against her chest.
“Grandpa was with Mommy.””
Marcus felt the ground shift beneath him.
His father, Richard Hale, had died three years earlier.
He remembered the hospital room. The funeral. The final conversation they had shared.
Richard had been the founder of Hale Industries, a man whose reputation was built on discipline, money, and an almost frightening ability to control people.
But he had been dead for three years.
“Sweetheart,” Marcus said carefully, “Grandpa isn't here anymore.””
Lily shook her head.
“I saw him.””
“When?””
“The night Mommy disappeared.””
Marcus looked at Collins.
The sergeant approached and crouched beside them.
“Lily, can you tell me what you remember?””
The little girl looked at Marcus first.
He nodded gently.
“It's okay. Tell him.””
Lily took a shaky breath.
“I woke up because Mommy was crying. I went downstairs, and Grandpa was standing by the pool.””
Marcus felt his throat tighten.
“What did he say?””
“He told Mommy to go inside the little room.””
“And Mommy?””
“She said no.””
Lily's eyes filled with tears.
“Then Daddy's brother came.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
Daniel.
Of course.
“Was Grandpa angry?”” Collins asked.
Lily nodded.
“He said Mommy had taken something that belonged to him.””
Marcus looked at the officer.
“What exactly did she take?””
Lily shook her head.
“I don't know. But Mommy had a little black box.””
Marcus's mind raced.
A black box.
Financial documents. Security records. The chamber.
Everything was beginning to connect.
“Did you see Grandpa leave?”” Collins asked.
Lily nodded.
“He went away with Uncle Daniel.””
“Did Mommy go with them?””
“No.””
Lily lowered her voice.
“Mommy stayed under the water.””
Marcus pulled her into his arms.
For eleven months, he had believed his father was buried beneath a marble headstone.
Now his daughter was describing him at the scene of Eleanor's disappearance.
Collins stood.
“Mr. Hale, we need to verify this information.””
Marcus looked at him.
“My father is dead.””
“Then we'll establish who Lily saw.””
A female officer approached with a tablet.
“Sergeant, we've identified the vehicle that entered the property earlier.””
Collins took the device.
The footage showed Daniel's black SUV entering the estate.
But there was another vehicle behind it.
An older silver sedan.
Marcus recognized the registration number.
His father's old car.
The one supposedly sold after Richard's death.
“That's impossible,” Marcus whispered.
The officer zoomed in.
The driver was partially visible.
A man with silver hair.
Collins looked at Marcus.
“Do you recognize him?””
Marcus couldn't answer.
He knew that face.
He had seen it in family photographs, on company portraits, and on the gravestone he had visited every year.
The image wasn't clear enough to establish identity.
But Marcus knew someone had been using his father's vehicle.
“Find that car,” he ordered.
Collins immediately contacted the police network.
Then Marcus's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A familiar voice emerged.
“Hello, son.””
Marcus stopped breathing.
The garden seemed to disappear around him.
“Who is this?””
A soft laugh.
“Don't insult me, Marcus. You know exactly who this is.””
His hand began trembling.
“Dad?””
“It's been a long time.””
Marcus staggered backward.
“No. You're dead.””
“People believe what they're told.””
Marcus looked at Collins and switched the call to speaker.
“Where are you?””
“Somewhere safe.””
“Did you put Eleanor under the pool?””
A pause.
Then Richard answered calmly.
“Your wife made a decision that endangered this family.””
Marcus felt rage rising through his chest.
“She was pregnant with your granddaughter's future, and you locked her underground!””
“Watch your language.””
“You don't get to tell me what to do!””
Richard sighed.
“You sound exactly like your mother.””
Marcus clenched his jaw.
“Why did you fake your death?””
“Because there are things you don't understand.””
“Then explain them.””
“Eleanor stole something from me. Something worth more than your entire company.””
“The black box?””
Silence.
Marcus looked at Collins.
The sergeant signaled to the communications officer to trace the call.
Richard finally spoke.
“You've always been curious. That's your problem.””
“Where is Vanessa?””
Another pause.
“She made her choice.””
Marcus felt cold.
“What does that mean?””
“Ask her why she agreed to help us.””
The line went dead.
Collins immediately looked toward the technician.
“Did we get a location?””
“Partial trace. The signal bounced through several relay points, but the last connection came from the old Hale estate.””
Marcus knew the property.
It had been closed since his father's supposed death.
The house where he had grown up.
The house where Richard had taught him to ride a bicycle, sign his name, and never question the people who held power.
“I'm going there,” Marcus said.
Collins shook his head.
“Not alone.””
Marcus looked at Lily.
“She's coming with us.””
“No,” Collins replied firmly.
“Your daughter will remain under police protection.””
Lily grabbed his hand.
“Daddy, don't leave me.””
He crouched.
“I'll come back, sweetheart. I promise.””
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper.
“Mommy gave me this.””
Marcus unfolded it.
There was a small drawing of the swimming pool.
Beneath it, Eleanor had written:
The truth is behind the family portrait.
Marcus stared at the words.
“What family portrait?””
Lily pointed toward the house.
“The big one in Grandpa's office.””
Marcus looked at Collins.
The old estate.
The family portrait.
The black box.
Perhaps Eleanor had hidden the evidence there.
Then his phone vibrated.
A final message appeared from Vanessa.
*Richard knows you have the red key. He's coming for Lily.*
Marcus looked toward his daughter.
May you like
And suddenly, the real danger wasn't beneath the pool anymore.
It was standing somewhere between his family's past and his daughter's future.
