Chapter 9: The Brother Nobody Knew About
Wolf stared at his father.
For twenty years, he had believed the worst thing that could happen to a family was losing someone.
Now he was discovering that the people who remained could be even more dangerous.
“Thomas is alive?”” Wolf asked.
Daniel nodded.
“And he's at the hospital?””
“I don't know.””
“Why would he go there?””
Daniel looked toward the silver ring.
“Because he knows Sarah survived.””
Wolf pulled out his phone.
He called Ryder.
“Get to the hospital. Now.””
“What happened?””
“Thomas Bennett is alive. He's heading toward Sarah.””
Ryder went quiet.
“Wolf, are you sure?””
“My father just told me.””
“I'm on my way.””
Wolf ended the call.
Daniel grabbed his arm.
“Son, you need to listen to me.””
Wolf turned.
“I'm listening.””
“Thomas isn't like Curtis. Curtis is greedy and weak. Thomas is patient.””
“What does that mean?””
“He'll wait years to get what he wants. He'll make you believe he's helping you.””
Wolf looked at the ring.
“What does he want?””
Daniel hesitated.
“The inheritance.””
Wolf laughed bitterly.
“An inheritance?””
“Your grandfather owned several properties and a transportation company. When he died, he divided everything between his two sons.””
“Thomas and you?””
Daniel nodded.
“He believed I had taken his share.””
“Did you?””
“No.””
Daniel walked toward a cabinet and pulled out a thick envelope.
“Your grandfather left the original documents with a lawyer. Thomas forged a second will and tried to take control of everything.””
Wolf opened the envelope.
Inside were old property deeds, bank statements, and a photograph of two young men standing beside a motorcycle.
One was Daniel.
The other was Thomas.
They looked almost identical.
“What happened after the accident?”” Wolf asked.
Daniel sat down.
“Thomas paid someone to sabotage my motorcycle. I survived, but I was badly injured. Gordon helped him hide me.””
“Why?””
“Because Thomas promised Gordon a share of the money.””
Wolf looked up.
“And Curtis?””
Daniel's face hardened.
“Curtis found out about the inheritance years later. Thomas promised him money if he helped locate the documents Michael had discovered.””
“So they were all working together.””
“Yes.””
Wolf looked at the photograph again.
“Why did Michael get involved?””
Daniel sighed.
“Because Michael discovered that Thomas had used the same forged documents to steal from your grandfather's estate and from his own brother.””
Wolf slowly nodded.
“And the silver ring?””
Daniel picked it up.
“Your grandfather gave it to me before he died. He told me it contained the original storage location of his private records.””
Wolf turned the ring over.
There was a tiny engraving inside.
*B-17.*
“What does that mean?””
Daniel looked at him.
“Bank vault seventeen.””
Wolf felt his stomach tighten.
“The evidence?””
Daniel nodded.
“The original will. The true property deeds. The documents proving Thomas forged everything.””
“Why didn't you go to the police?””
“Because Thomas had friends in the police department. I couldn't trust anyone.””
Wolf looked at the clock.
“We need to get to the hospital.””
Daniel grabbed his coat.
“I'm coming.””
“You're not strong enough.””
“I've been hiding for twenty years. I'm done hiding.””
Wolf studied his father's face.
Then he nodded.
“Stay close to me.””
At the hospital, Sarah stood beside the window.
Ava held her father's letter.
Noah was sitting on the bed, eating crackers from a packet a nurse had brought him.
The door opened.
A tall elderly man entered.
He wore a dark gray suit and carried a bouquet of white roses.
His hair was silver.
His smile was gentle.
“Sarah.””
Sarah froze.
The man placed the flowers on the table.
“It's been a long time.””
Ava stood.
“Who are you?””
The man smiled at her.
“I'm Thomas. Your father's uncle.””
Sarah immediately stepped in front of her children.
“What are you doing here?””
Thomas looked hurt.
“I heard about Michael. I wanted to see how you were.””
“You knew Michael was dead.””
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“I heard.””
“You knew where I was.””
He sighed.
“Sarah, there's no reason to make this difficult.””
Ava noticed something strange.
The man had a silver ring on his right hand.
It looked exactly like the one in her father's photograph.
She stared at it.
“Where did you get that ring?””
Thomas looked down.
“This old thing?””
Ava nodded.
Thomas smiled.
“Family heirloom.””
Sarah's face changed.
“Take it off.””
Thomas raised an eyebrow.
“Excuse me?””
“I said take it off.””
He slowly turned the ring.
Then he smiled.
“Michael always did have a talent for making everyone suspicious.””
Sarah moved toward the door.
“Leave.””
Thomas didn't move.
Instead, he placed a small envelope on the table.
“There's money inside. Enough to start somewhere new. For you and the children.””
Sarah stared at it.
“How much?””
“Two hundred thousand dollars.””
Ava looked at her mother.
Thomas continued.
“There's just one condition.””
Sarah's voice became cold.
“What?””
“You give me the memory card.””
Ava immediately clutched the jacket.
“No!””
Thomas looked at her.
“Sweetheart, you don't understand what you're holding.””
“I understand that you want it.””
Thomas smiled.
“Your father was a complicated man. He made enemies.””
Sarah stepped forward.
“Get out.””
Thomas sighed.
“I'm trying to help.””
“No. You're trying to buy our silence.””
Thomas's smile disappeared.
He looked toward Noah.
“Your brother should be careful. Bad things happen to children who get involved in adult matters.””
Sarah moved between them.
“Don't you dare threaten my son.””
Thomas raised both hands.
“I'm simply saying that families should protect one another.””
Then he turned toward the door.
Before leaving, he looked at Ava.
“You have your father's eyes.””
Ava didn't respond.
Thomas smiled again.
“And just like him, you're going to make a terrible mistake.””
He walked out.
Sarah immediately locked the door.
Noah looked frightened.
“Mom?””
Sarah knelt beside him.
“It's okay.””
But her hands were shaking.
Ava opened the envelope.
Inside was a cashier's check.
Two hundred thousand dollars.
And a handwritten note.
You have until midnight.
Sarah stared at the message.
Then she whispered:
“He knows about the vault.””
Wolf and Daniel arrived twenty minutes later.
Ryder met them at the hospital entrance.
“Thomas was here.””
Wolf stopped.
“What?””
“He left about ten minutes ago.””
“Where's Sarah?””
“Inside. She's safe.””
Wolf rushed down the corridor.
When he entered the room, Sarah immediately stood.
“William!””
Wolf looked at her.
“Did Thomas come here?””
Sarah nodded.
“He offered us money.””
Daniel stepped into the room.
“Sarah?””
She turned.
Her eyes widened.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then she whispered:
“Daniel?””
He nodded.
Sarah covered her mouth.
“Michael said you were alive.””
Daniel's eyes filled.
“I should have come sooner.””
Sarah rushed toward him.
They embraced.
Ava stared at the elderly man.
“Are you Wolf's dad?””
Daniel smiled through his tears.
“Yes, sweetheart.””
Ava looked at Wolf.
“Then Thomas is really your uncle?””
Wolf nodded.
Noah looked between them.
“Is he the bad man?””
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Daniel crouched in front of him.
“Yes, son. I'm afraid he is.””
Noah thought about that.
Then he asked the question that made everyone look at him.
“Is he the one who put Mom in the box?””
Sarah knelt.
“Noah, what do you mean?””
The boy looked at his mother.
“When Uncle Curtis took me to the storage unit, I heard him talking to someone on the phone.””
Wolf crouched.
“What did you hear?””
Noah swallowed.
“He said, 'Thomas wants the woman gone before midnight.''”
Sarah's face drained.
Ava grabbed her brother's hand.
“Are you sure?””
Noah nodded.
“Then he said something else.””
Wolf leaned closer.
“What?””
Noah whispered:
“He said the man in the wheelchair was supposed to be dead.””
Daniel went completely still.
Wolf slowly looked at his father.
Then at the hospital door.
Thomas hadn't come to offer them money.
He had come to find out whether Daniel was alive.
And now he knew.
Detective Harris rushed into the room.
“Wolf, we have a situation.””
“What?””
Harris held up his phone.
“Thomas Bennett just filed an emergency petition to take custody of Ava and Noah.””
Sarah stared at him.
“He can't do that!””
Harris shook his head.
“He claims Sarah is mentally unstable, that the children are unsafe, and that Michael appointed him as their legal guardian.””
Ava looked horrified.
“But Dad would never do that!””
Wolf took the document.
There, at the bottom, was Michael's signature.
It looked real.
Daniel studied it.
Then he shook his head.
“That's not Michael's signature.””
Harris frowned.
“What?””
Daniel pointed to the date.
“This document was supposedly signed two days before Michael died.””
He looked at Wolf.
“But Michael was with me that day.””
Wolf stared at the paper.
“Can you prove it?””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“How?””
Daniel reached inside his coat and removed a small photograph.
It showed Michael standing beside him outside the farmhouse.
On the back was a date.
The same date printed on the custody document.
Daniel looked at the children.
“Your father was alive and with me when Thomas claims he signed this.””
Ava looked at the photograph.
Then she noticed something in the background.
A black pickup truck parked near the farmhouse.
She pointed.
“That's Uncle Curtis's truck.””
Daniel's face changed.
“Yes.””
Wolf looked at the picture again.
Then he noticed something else.
The man standing beside the truck wasn't Curtis.
It was Gordon.
And beside Gordon stood a woman wearing a red scarf.
Sarah gasped.
“That's…”
Wolf looked at her.
“Who?””
Sarah's voice trembled.
“That's my sister.””
Ava stared.
“Mom, you have a sister?””
Sarah nodded slowly.
“I haven't seen her in twelve years.””
She looked at the photograph.
Then whispered:
“Her name is Rebecca.””
Daniel's expression darkened.
“Rebecca wasn't supposed to be involved.””
Wolf stared at him.
“What do you mean?””
Daniel lowered the photograph.
May you like
“Because Rebecca was the person who introduced Thomas to Curtis.””
And suddenly, the family betrayal was much bigger than anyone had imagined.
