Chapter 7
Arthur ignored every warning and headed for the lake house.
Police came with him.
So did Clara.
The detective protested.
Clara refused to stay behind.
Arthur understood.
Jonathan's lake house belonged to her history too.
The property sat beside a narrow mountain lake almost an hour outside the city.
Arthur had not visited in years.
Jonathan had loved it there.
After his death, Arthur couldn't stand to enter the place.
Victoria repeatedly suggested selling it.
He always refused.
Now he wondered why she had wanted it gone.
Three unmarked police vehicles stopped half a mile away.
Arthur and Clara remained inside while officers approached through the trees.
Arthur stared at the old wooden house.
Arthur: Jonathan rebuilt that porch himself.
Clara looked at it.
Arthur: He was terrible at construction.
Clara almost smiled.
Arthur: One side was three inches higher than the other.
Clara: My mother told me.
Arthur looked at her.
Clara: She said he refused to admit it.
Arthur laughed quietly.
Arthur: That sounds like him.
The moment vanished when gunshots echoed near the house.
Clara ducked.
Arthur grabbed her instinctively.
Police radios erupted.
Arthur: Emily!
Detective: Stay in the vehicle!
Another shot.
Then silence.
Two minutes felt like an hour.
Finally, an officer radioed.
Officer: Suspect fled through rear tree line. One victim located inside, conscious.
Arthur opened the door.
Detective: Mr. Vance!
Arthur ran.
Clara followed.
They entered the house.
Emily was sitting on the kitchen floor.
Blood covered one side of her blouse.
Arthur dropped beside her.
Arthur: Emily!
Emily looked up.
Emily: Dad.
Arthur: Where are you hurt?
Emily: It's not mine.
Arthur froze.
Emily pointed toward the hallway.
A man lay unconscious near the back door.
Mason.
Arthur stared.
Arthur: What happened?
Emily: He attacked me.
Clara stopped.
Arthur looked from Mason to Emily.
Arthur: Mason?
Emily nodded.
Arthur couldn't believe it.
Mason had protected the family for twelve years.
Emily: He kept asking where the ledger was.
Arthur's face hardened.
The detective crouched beside Mason.
Detective: He's breathing.
Emily: I hit him with the fireplace poker.
Arthur hugged her.
Emily began crying.
Arthur: You're safe.
Emily: Daniel isn't.
Arthur pulled back.
Emily looked at Clara.
Emily: You're her.
Clara: Who?
Emily: Jonathan's daughter.
Clara stared.
Emily: Daniel told me before they took him.
Arthur: Emily, where is the ledger?
Emily stood shakily.
Emily walked toward the living room fireplace.
She reached underneath the mantle and removed a loose wooden panel.
Inside was a narrow metal box.
She pulled it out.
Arthur recognized it immediately.
Arthur: Jonathan's.
Emily: You knew?
Arthur: I gave him that box when he started college.
Emily placed it on the table.
The old lock had already been broken.
Inside were handwritten pages.
Bank statements.
Photographs.
Receipts.
And several cassette tapes.
Clara touched one carefully.
A label read:
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME.
Clara's hands started shaking.
Arthur sat down.
Emily found an old tape player in the cabinet.
Jonathan had kept one there for music.
Somehow it still worked after fresh batteries were found.
Arthur inserted the cassette.
Static filled the room.
Then a young man's voice.
Jonathan.
Clara stopped breathing.
Arthur closed his eyes.
Jonathan: If you're listening to this, either I'm paranoid or I'm dead.
Arthur covered his mouth.
Jonathan: Dad, if this reaches you, I'm sorry.
Arthur began crying silently.
Jonathan: I know we haven't agreed on much lately. Maybe anything. But what I found is bigger than our fights.
Clara sat beside Arthur.
Jonathan: Richard Beckett has been moving money through the Vance Foundation.
The detective immediately began recording the tape.
Jonathan: I followed the transfers and found another name connected to several accounts.
Static.
Jonathan: Victoria Hale.
Arthur looked up.
Victoria's maiden name.
Jonathan continued.
Jonathan: I confronted her this morning.
Clara's eyes widened.
Jonathan: She told me I had no idea what I was getting involved in.
Arthur clenched his fists.
Jonathan: I think Richard and Victoria are working together.
The tape crackled again.
Jonathan: There's something else.
A long pause.
Jonathan: Victoria is seeing my father.
Arthur shut his eyes.
Jonathan: Dad doesn't know about Richard.
Emily began crying.
Jonathan: I wanted to tell him, but after what happened with Elena, I don't know if he'll listen.
Clara lowered her head.
Jonathan: Elena is pregnant.
Arthur inhaled sharply.
Jonathan's voice softened.
Jonathan: I'm going to be a father.
Clara started sobbing.
It was the first time she had ever heard her father's voice say those words.
Jonathan: I know Dad thinks I'm ruining my life, but I've never been more certain about anything.
Arthur reached for Clara's hand.
This time she let him take it.
Jonathan: If it's a girl, Elena wants to call her Clara.
Clara broke completely.
Arthur pulled her toward him.
For twenty-three years, Clara had known her father wanted her only because her mother said so.
Now she had heard it from him.
Jonathan: I am going to fix things with Dad.
Arthur cried harder.
Jonathan: I don't want my child growing up without a grandfather just because we're both too stubborn to apologize.
Arthur whispered.
Arthur: I'm sorry.
The recording continued.
Jonathan: Richard knows I've copied the accounts. Victoria knows too. I'm meeting Richard tomorrow. He says he wants to explain everything.
The tape ended.
No one spoke.
Arthur stared at the machine.
His son had been planning reconciliation.
And had died before sunrise.
Clara wiped her face.
Clara: There's another tape.
She inserted it.
Jonathan's voice returned.
This recording sounded hurried.
Jonathan: Richard lied.
Everyone straightened.
Jonathan: He and Victoria are both involved. They know I copied the ledger.
A car door slammed faintly in the background of the old recording.
Jonathan: Someone followed me to the lake house.
Arthur leaned closer.
Jonathan: If anything happens, the original financial records are hidden behind the west wall.
Emily looked toward the wall.
Jonathan: Victoria threatened Elena.
Clara closed her eyes.
Jonathan: I told Elena to leave town tonight.
Arthur: Oh, God.
Jonathan: Dad, if you're hearing this, protect them.
Arthur squeezed Clara's hand.
Jonathan: Protect my child.
The recording suddenly captured pounding on the door.
Jonathan stopped talking.
A woman's voice could be heard outside.
Victoria.
Young Victoria: Jonathan! Open the door!
Arthur stared at the tape player.
Jonathan whispered.
Jonathan: It's her.
More pounding.
Victoria: We need to talk!
Jonathan: You stay away from Elena!
Victoria: Richard is gone! I'm trying to help you!
Jonathan: You're lying!
Then the recording ended.
Clara looked at Arthur.
Arthur: There has to be another tape.
They searched.
Three more cassettes.
One contained financial notes.
Another was blank.
The final cassette had no label.
Arthur inserted it.
For several seconds, nothing happened.
Then voices.
Jonathan: Get out of my car.
Victoria: Listen to me.
Jonathan: You threatened my pregnant girlfriend!
Victoria: Because you're going to destroy everything!
Jonathan: You stole from my family.
Victoria: Richard stole.
Jonathan: You signed the accounts.
Victoria: I can explain.
Jonathan: Explain it to my father.
Victoria: Arthur will never forgive me.
Jonathan: That's not my problem.
A car door opened.
Then Richard's voice appeared.
Richard: Give me the ledger, Jonathan.
Jonathan: Go to hell.
Richard: Don't make this worse.
Jonathan: You already made it worse.
There was a struggle.
Victoria shouted.
Victoria: Richard, stop!
Jonathan grunted.
Richard: Where is the ledger?
Jonathan: You're going to prison.
Richard: Where is it?
Victoria: Richard!
Jonathan: If you touch Elena—
A heavy impact.
Clara covered her mouth.
Arthur looked destroyed.
Then Victoria's voice.
Victoria: What did you do?
Richard: He'll wake up.
Victoria: He's bleeding!
Richard: Help me put him in the car.
Victoria: No.
Richard: You wanted this fixed.
Victoria: Not like this.
Richard: Then walk away.
A long silence.
Victoria's next words came quietly.
Victoria: What are you going to do?
Richard: Make it look like he lost control.
Arthur stood.
He could barely breathe.
The tape continued.
Victoria: Richard, don't.
Richard: Then call Arthur.
Silence.
Richard: Call him and tell him everything.
Another long pause.
Victoria never called.
Richard laughed.
Richard: That's what I thought.
The tape ended.
Clara stared at the player.
Arthur's grief turned into something colder.
Victoria had not cut the brake line.
But she had known.
She had been there.
And she had chosen herself.
The detective lifted his radio.
Detective: Issue warrants for Victoria Vance and Richard Beckett in connection with Jonathan Vance's death.
Arthur looked toward the unconscious Mason.
Arthur: And him?
Detective: We'll find out how deep he's involved.
Emily suddenly looked toward the window.
Emily: Dad.
Arthur: What?
She pointed.
A black SUV was moving rapidly up the driveway.
Police shouted outside.
Clara's stomach dropped.
The SUV stopped sideways across the entrance.
The driver's door opened.
Victoria stepped out.
Arthur stared through the window.
Victoria raised both hands.
Arthur: Why would she come here?
Clara saw Victoria's expression.
She wasn't threatening them.
She was terrified.
Victoria screamed toward the house.
Victoria: ARTHUR, GET OUT!
Arthur opened the door.
Police surrounded Victoria.
Arthur stepped onto the porch.
Victoria: Richard has Daniel.
Arthur: We know.
Victoria: No, you don't understand.
Arthur: I understand more than you think.
Victoria saw the tape recorder through the doorway.
Her face collapsed.
Victoria: You found them.
Arthur: I heard Jonathan.
Victoria closed her eyes.
Arthur: I heard you choose yourself over my son.
Victoria began crying.
Arthur: Twenty-four years.
Victoria: Arthur—
Arthur: Twenty-four years!
Victoria: Richard said he'd kill you too!
Arthur: So you married me?
Victoria: I was trying to survive.
Arthur: In my house? With my money? Sleeping beside me?
Victoria sobbed.
Arthur: You knew my son had been murdered.
Victoria: Yes.
The word silenced everyone.
Arthur looked at her like she was a stranger.
Victoria: And if you want Daniel alive, you need to listen to me now.
Arthur: Why should I believe anything you say?
Victoria looked toward the road.
Victoria: Because Richard isn't asking for the ledger anymore.
Arthur: What does he want?
May you like
Victoria swallowed.
Victoria: Clara.
