Chapter 13: The Man They Buried Was Still Breathing
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Michael Bennett was alive.
The man Ava had cried over for months was lying in front of her, holding her hand and trying desperately to smile.
“Daddy,” she whispered.
Michael's lips trembled.
“My little girl.””
Ava pressed her forehead against his.
“I thought you were dead.””
“I know, sweetheart.””
“You promised you'd never leave us.””
Michael closed his eyes.
“I tried.””
Noah climbed carefully onto the bed.
“Dad?””
Michael turned toward him.
“There's my little man.””
Noah started crying.
“I looked for you.””
Michael reached for his son's hand.
“I know.””
“Uncle Curtis said you weren't coming back.””
Michael's expression changed.
He looked at Sarah.
“Curtis?””
Sarah nodded.
“Curtis helped Thomas. They took everything, Michael. The house, your motorcycle, your tools. They even tried to take the children.””
Michael struggled to sit up.
“Where is he?””
Wolf stepped closer.
“Curtis is in police custody.””
Michael looked at him.
Then his eyes widened.
“Wolf?””
Wolf nodded.
“It's me, brother.””
Michael tried to reach for him.
Wolf took his hand.
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then Michael whispered:
“You found Daniel.””
Wolf glanced toward the doorway.
Daniel stood there, tears running down his face.
Michael stared.
“Old man.””
Daniel laughed through his tears.
“You stubborn idiot.””
Michael smiled weakly.
“I thought you'd never come back.””
Daniel approached the bed.
“I could say the same about you.””
They clasped hands.
Three men who had once ridden together under the Black Ridge Riders patch were finally in the same room again.
But the reunion didn't last long.
Detective Harris entered.
“Everyone needs to step away from the bed.””
Sarah looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because the facility manager just confirmed that Thomas has been arranging Michael's transfer tonight.””
Michael's face tightened.
“Where?””
“He hasn't provided an address.””
Michael grabbed Sarah's wrist.
“Don't let them move me.””
Sarah held his hand.
“They won't.””
Harris turned toward the manager.
“Who signed the transfer?””
The manager swallowed.
“Mr. Bennett.””
“Which Bennett?””
“Thomas.””
Harris took out his phone.
“Put the entire facility on lockdown. Nobody enters or leaves.””
The manager nodded.
But before he could move, the building's emergency alarm began screaming.
Red lights flashed along the corridor.
A nurse ran into the room.
“There's been a security breach!””
Harris turned.
“What happened?””
“The rear entrance has been opened. Two men are inside.””
Wolf immediately moved toward the door.
Harris grabbed his arm.
“Stay here.””
Wolf looked at Michael.
Then at the children.
“Keep them safe.””
He followed Harris into the corridor.
Two men in black jackets were moving toward the basement.
One carried a medical transport bag.
The other held a clipboard.
They looked like ordinary hospital employees.
Until Harris noticed the pistol tucked beneath one man's jacket.
“Police! Stop!””
The men ran.
Wolf chased them down the corridor.
One entered a stairwell.
The other turned into a storage room.
Wolf caught the first man near the basement door.
They crashed against the wall.
The man swung his elbow.
Wolf blocked it and forced him to the ground.
“Who sent you?””
The man said nothing.
Harris arrived and handcuffed him.
Meanwhile, Ryder and two officers cornered the second man near the loading bay.
He dropped the clipboard.
A folded document fell onto the floor.
Harris picked it up.
It was a medical transfer order.
The destination was an address outside Pittsburgh.
The patient was listed as Michael Bennett.
But the signature at the bottom wasn't Thomas's.
It belonged to Dr. Peter Hawthorne.
The same doctor who had signed Michael's false death certificate.
Harris looked at Wolf.
“We have another problem.””
Wolf examined the document.
“Where is Hawthorne?””
The officer holding the suspect checked his phone.
“His car just left the property.””
Wolf looked toward the parking lot.
A black sedan disappeared through the rear gate.
“Get after him!””
But Harris shook his head.
“Let the patrol units handle it. We need to protect Michael.””
Back in room 317, Sarah sat beside her husband.
Michael was exhausted.
His breathing was shallow.
Ava held his hand.
“Dad, are you going to come home?””
Michael looked at her.
“That's the only place I want to go.””
Noah pointed at the leather jacket lying beside the bed.
“Mom kept it.””
Michael smiled.
“I can see that.””
Ava picked it up.
“Uncle Curtis tried to sell it.””
Michael's smile disappeared.
“I know.””
“How?””
Michael looked toward Daniel.
“Because Curtis wasn't supposed to know about the hidden pocket.””
Wolf entered.
“What pocket?””
Michael pointed toward the jacket.
“Inside the lining. There's another compartment.””
Ava turned it over.
She had already found the small pocket containing the key and note.
But now she noticed a second line of stitching near the bottom.
Wolf carefully opened it.
Inside was a tiny folded photograph.
It showed Michael standing beside Thomas, Gordon, Curtis, and another man.
Ava recognized the location.
“That's Grandpa's old garage.””
Michael nodded.
“Look at the back.””
Wolf turned the photograph over.
There were four names written in Michael's handwriting.
Thomas.
Gordon.
Curtis.
And Peter Hawthorne.
Beside each name was a date.
Michael spoke quietly.
“They weren't just trying to steal the inheritance.””
Daniel frowned.
“What else?””
Michael looked at him.
“Thomas had been moving money through the club for years. Gordon helped him. Curtis handled the vehicles. Hawthorne falsified the medical records.””
Wolf stared at the photograph.
“And you found out.””
Michael nodded.
“I found the original ledger.””
“Where is it?””
Michael looked toward the ceiling.
“Not in the storage unit.””
Ava leaned closer.
“Then where?””
Michael smiled faintly.
“Somewhere Curtis never thought to look.””
Before he could explain, his phone rang.
The sound startled everyone.
Sarah picked it up.
The screen showed an unknown number.
Michael's face changed.
“Don't answer.””
Sarah stared at him.
“Why?””
Michael swallowed.
“Because that's the number Thomas used the night I was hit.””
The phone stopped ringing.
A message appeared.
*YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO ME.*
Then another.
*BRING THE LEDGER TO THE OLD CLUBHOUSE. COME ALONE.*
Wolf read the messages.
Then he looked at Michael.
“Does he know you're alive?””
Michael nodded.
“He knows.””
Ava held her father's hand tighter.
“What happens now?””
Michael looked at her.
“Now we finish this.””
At 9:30 that morning, Detective Harris received a call from the police unit following Dr. Hawthorne.
The doctor had been arrested outside a private airport.
His vehicle contained passports, cash, and several medical files.
But the most important discovery was a handwritten note.
It read:
If Michael wakes up, Thomas handles it personally.
Harris stared at the note.
Then he looked at Wolf.
“Thomas is preparing something.””
Wolf nodded.
“So are we.””
Michael slowly sat up.
“Tell me where we're going.””
Wolf looked at him.
“To the clubhouse.””
Michael shook his head.
“No.””
Wolf frowned.
“Why?””
Michael's expression became deadly serious.
“Because Thomas doesn't want the ledger.””
He looked at Daniel.
“He wants the original Black Ridge Riders membership book.””
Daniel went pale.
“That's impossible.””
Michael nodded.
“It's where your grandfather recorded the names of everyone who received money from the family trust.””
Wolf stared at him.
“And who else is listed?””
Michael looked toward the door.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Your mother.””
