Chapter 14: The Last Peterson Family Dinner
The warehouse smelled of rust, dust, and old rainwater.
Police surrounded the building before we arrived.
Rebecca stayed with the investigators.
My father and I approached the entrance with the deed secured inside a document case.
My grandmother remained in the command vehicle.
I wanted her safe.
I wanted Lily safe.
For once, I wanted every person I loved to make it through the night.
A voice came from a loudspeaker.
"Chloe Bennett. You may enter.""
My father touched my shoulder.
"Stay behind me.""
I shook my head.
"No.""
"Chloe—"
"She wants me. If I hide behind you, she'll use Lily to bring me closer.""
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then he nodded.
We entered together.
The warehouse was lit by three hanging lamps.
Lily sat on a chair near the center of the room.
Her stuffed rabbit was in her lap.
Helen stood behind her.
She was older than I expected.
Her silver hair was tied neatly at the back of her head, and she wore an elegant black coat.
Beside her stood Mark.
His tie was loose.
His face looked pale.
And near the loading doors was Andrew Collins.
I stared at him.
"Where is Megan?""
Andrew shrugged.
"She wasn't part of this.""
I laughed.
"She helped plan it.""
"She's a foolish girl.""
Mark looked at me.
"Chloe, just give them the deed.""
I stared at him.
"You helped take my daughter.""
"I didn't touch Lily.""
"You knew where she was.""
He looked away.
"Things got out of control.""
I stepped forward.
"Do you hear yourself?""
Helen raised one hand.
"Enough.""
My father moved toward Lily.
Helen immediately pulled the chair backward.
"Stay where you are, Michael.""
He stopped.
Helen smiled.
"Twenty years, and you still haven't learned when to listen.""
My father stared at her.
"You killed Elena.""
Helen's expression didn't change.
"She made a terrible mistake.""
"She was my wife.""
"She was a liability.""
I felt my father's hand trembling beside me.
Helen turned toward me.
"Now, Chloe. The deed.""
I held up the document case.
"First, let Lily come to me.""
Helen laughed.
"You've inherited your mother's stubbornness.""
"Let her go.""
"Give me the deed.""
I placed the case on the floor.
"Open it yourself.""
Helen looked at Mark.
He walked over, picked it up, and opened it.
Inside was the original deed.
He checked the signatures.
Then he looked at Helen.
"It's real.""
She took the document.
For several seconds, she studied it.
Then she smiled.
"Finally.""
I looked at Lily.
"Sweetheart, look at Mommy.""
Lily lifted her head.
"Mommy?""
"I'm here, baby.""
"Can I come home?""
My eyes burned.
"Yes. We're going home.""
Helen stepped between us.
"Not yet.""
She held up the deed.
"This proves the company was never supposed to belong to the Petersons.""
My father spoke.
"It never did.""
Helen looked at him.
"Your mother-in-law was supposed to keep quiet.""
"Margaret?""
"She was supposed to stay dead.""
I took a step forward.
"Why did you want Lily?""
Helen looked at me.
"Because of the trust.""
My father answered before she could.
"Don't listen to her.""
Helen smiled.
"Your mother left everything to her granddaughter. Not to you. Not to Michael. Not to the Petersons.""
I looked at Lily.
"What does that mean?""
Helen continued.
"The trust holds the original shares, the property rights, and the controlling interest in several developments. Lily is the beneficiary. But the documents were sealed until her eighteenth birthday.""
I frowned.
"Then why do you need the deed?""
"Because it allows me to challenge the trust and claim the assets before they mature.""
Andrew stepped forward.
"Helen, we need to move.""
She ignored him.
"Your mother thought she was clever. She thought hiding everything in a trust would protect the money.""
My father shook his head.
"It was never about the money.""
Helen's smile disappeared.
"Everything is about money.""
"No," he said.
"It was about control.""
Helen suddenly pulled a small handgun from inside her coat.
I heard my father gasp.
Mark stepped backward.
Andrew froze.
Helen pointed the weapon toward my father.
"Put the original records down.""
My father raised his hands.
"Don't do this.""
"Put them down!""
He slowly placed a folder on the floor.
I moved instinctively toward Lily.
Helen swung the gun toward me.
"Don't.""
Lily began crying.
"Mommy!""
I stopped.
Helen looked at her.
"Quiet.""
That was when Mark moved.
He grabbed Helen's wrist.
The gun fired.
The sound exploded through the warehouse.
My father dropped to one knee.
I screamed.
"NO!""
Mark wrestled the weapon away from Helen.
The gun skidded across the concrete.
Andrew ran toward the loading doors.
A second later, police officers burst into the building.
"Police! Hands where we can see them!""
Helen struggled against Mark.
He pushed her away.
"I didn't agree to this!""
Helen slapped him.
"You agreed to everything!""
Officers restrained them both.
I ran to Lily.
She threw herself into my arms.
"Mommy!""
I held her so tightly that she began crying harder.
"You're safe. You're safe, baby.""
She buried her face in my coat.
"I didn't want to go with the lady.""
"I know.""
"I asked for you.""
"I know, sweetheart.""
My father was sitting against a support beam.
Blood stained his sleeve.
I rushed toward him.
"Dad!""
He gave me a weak smile.
"Just a graze.""
An officer called for medical assistance.
Rebecca arrived moments later.
She checked Lily, then looked at me.
"Are you okay?""
I nodded.
Then I looked across the warehouse.
Mark was being handcuffed.
His eyes found mine.
"Chloe.""
I didn't answer.
"Please.""
I looked at him.
"You knew they were planning to take my daughter.""
"I was trying to stop it.""
"You brought her into this family.""
He shook his head.
"I loved you.""
I stared at him.
"Then you should have protected us.""
He lowered his head.
As officers led him away, he shouted one final thing.
"Chloe! Ask your father what he did!""
I froze.
My father looked up.
Mark continued:
"Ask him why he stayed away even after Helen disappeared!""
The officers pushed him toward the exit.
But the words remained.
I turned to my father.
"What does he mean?""
He looked exhausted.
"Not now.""
"Tell me.""
He closed his eyes.
Rebecca approached quietly.
"Chloe, the police have recovered a second recording from Helen's vehicle. It may answer that question.""
My grandmother arrived in the ambulance.
When she saw Michael's injured arm, she began crying.
Then she looked at me.
"There's something we never told you.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What?""
She reached into her coat and handed me a small envelope.
It was addressed in my mother's handwriting.
*To Chloe, when she is old enough to understand why her father stayed away.*
I opened it.
Inside was a single page.
My mother had written:
If Michael ever returns, ask him what he promised me the night before I died.
I looked at my father.
He was crying.
"What did you promise her?""
He couldn't meet my eyes.
Then he whispered:
"I promised I would never let you become the reason another person died.""
I stared at him.
He continued.
"Your mother knew Helen planned to kill her. She asked me to take you and run. But I couldn't reach you in time.""
I felt tears sliding down my cheeks.
"And then?""
He looked toward Lily.
"Then I made the worst decision of my life.""
"What decision?""
"I left you with Margaret because I believed the Petersons would never hurt a child they considered family.""
My grandmother began sobbing.
I held Lily closer.
My father looked at me.
"And I was wrong.""
For the first time, I understood that every adult in my life had made a decision in the name of protecting me.
And every one of those decisions had left me alone.
I folded the letter.
"Then we're going to do things differently.""
My father nodded.
"Yes, sweetheart.""
May you like
I looked at the ambulance doors.
"No more secrets.""
