Chapter 7: The Road to the Old Estate
The hospital doors slammed shut just as the lights died.
For one terrifying second, the entire fourth floor disappeared into darkness.
Then the emergency lights flickered on.
Red.
Dim.
Unnatural.
Someone screamed from the far end of the corridor.
Evelyn instinctively reached for Cole.
He caught her hand.
“Stay with me.””
Richard stood a few feet away, staring at the unconscious man on the floor.
The stranger's eyes were closed again.
The warning echoed in Cole's mind.
*Don't trust Richard.*
Then the second part.
*He's the one who gave Laura your names.*
Cole looked at Richard.
“Did you hear that?””
Richard swallowed.
“Yes.””
“Did he lie?””
“I don't know.””
Cole gave a cold laugh.
“That's becoming your favorite answer.””
Richard stepped closer.
“I didn't give Laura your names.””
“Then explain how she knew about us.””
“I can't.””
Cole shook his head.
“Wrong answer.””
A nurse hurried toward the security panel.
“The main doors are locked.””
“Can you unlock them?”” Edward asked.
“Not from here.””
“Why?””
“Security control has been overridden.””
Matthew looked down the hallway.
“By who?””
The nurse's face was pale.
“I don't know.””
The youngest biker checked his phone.
“No signal.””
Cole looked around.
“Phones are jammed.””
Richard suddenly walked toward a service door.
“There's another way out.””
Cole blocked him.
“And how do you know that?””
“I've been here before.””
“Doing what?””
Richard hesitated.
“Looking for Ethan.””
Cole narrowed his eyes.
“You told us you'd never been involved in his medical care.””
“I wasn't.””
“You just said you've been looking for him here.””
“I meant recently.””
“When?””
Richard didn't answer.
Evelyn stepped between them.
“Enough.””
Everyone turned.
She looked exhausted.
But her voice was steady.
“We're wasting time.””
She held up her phone.
The photograph of Daniel and Laura was still open.
“We have one hour.””
Edward checked the time.
11:11 p.m.
“We need to get out.””
The nurse suddenly pointed toward the service corridor.
“Through there.””
Matthew looked at Cole.
“I'll go first.””
The big biker nodded.
They moved quickly.
Evelyn stayed in the middle.
Cole on one side.
Michael on the other.
Richard followed behind.
Meredith remained close to Evelyn.
The service corridor smelled of disinfectant and old concrete.
They passed storage rooms and electrical panels.
No people.
No cameras.
Then they reached a metal door.
Matthew tried it.
Locked.
Richard pulled a key from his pocket.
Cole immediately grabbed his wrist.
“Where did you get that?””
“Emergency access.””
“You carry hospital keys?””
Richard pulled free.
“My company manages several medical properties.””
Edward frowned.
“That hospital isn't owned by Harrington Construction.””
“No.””
Richard opened the door.
“It used to be.””
Everyone stared.
“You owned this hospital?”” Evelyn asked.
“Not exactly.””
Richard pushed the door open.
“An investment trust did.””
“What trust?””
He didn't answer.
Cole followed him into the stairwell.
“That's another secret.””
Richard ignored him.
They hurried down three flights.
On the second floor, they heard footsteps above them.
Someone was coming.
Fast.
Matthew stopped.
“Keep moving.””
Cole pulled Evelyn toward the lower level.
The footsteps grew louder.
Then a voice shouted.
“Stop!””
A gunshot cracked overhead.
Evelyn screamed.
Cole shoved her against the wall.
“Down!””
Another shot.
Concrete exploded beside the stairwell.
The bikers moved instantly.
Michael pulled a fire extinguisher from the wall and hurled it upward.
A man cursed.
Matthew rushed up two steps.
A struggle followed.
There was a heavy crash.
Then silence.
Cole looked at Matthew.
“You good?””
“Fine.””
Matthew came down with a black handgun in his hand.
“Whoever that was ran.””
Cole looked at the weapon.
“No markings.””
Michael checked the stairwell.
“Let's go.””
They reached the basement.
A maintenance worker's door opened into a narrow underground garage.
Several hospital vehicles were parked there.
Richard pointed.
“There.””
A black SUV.
Keys inside.
Cole stared.
“Whose?””
Richard shook his head.
“Don't know.””
“Of course.””
Evelyn opened the passenger door.
“I don't care anymore.””
She turned toward Richard.
“Take us there.””
He climbed behind the wheel.
Cole sat beside him.
“No sudden moves.””
Richard gave him a tired look.
“Understood.””
The others crowded into the back.
Meredith sat beside Evelyn.
Edward took the rear corner.
Matthew and Michael squeezed in next to him.
The youngest biker closed the door.
The SUV roared to life.
They drove through the hospital's underground exit and disappeared into the city.
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
Then Meredith said quietly,
“Richard.””
He kept his eyes on the road.
“What?””
“Why did Laura know their names?””
“I told you. I didn't give them to her.””
“She had photographs.””
“I know.””
“She knew where Evelyn was.””
“I know.””
“She knew about Ethan.””
“I know.””
Meredith's voice cracked.
“Then who did you tell?””
Richard's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
“Nobody.””
Cole stared at him.
“Think harder.””
Richard said nothing.
Cole leaned closer.
“Who knew about the bikers?””
“The police.””
“No.””
“Edward.””
“No.””
“Evelyn.””
“No.””
“Then who?””
Richard glanced in the rearview mirror.
His eyes met Meredith's.
“Nathan.””
Meredith froze.
“Nathan knew.””
Cole's head turned.
“Nathan knew the bikers?””
“No.””
“Then what did he know?””
Richard exhaled.
“Daniel left him instructions.””
“What instructions?””
“To watch Evelyn.””
Cole frowned.
“He was her driver.””
“He was more than that.””
“What?””
Richard stared at the road.
“Daniel's investigator.””
Edward suddenly sat forward.
“Nathan wasn't licensed as an investigator.””
“He didn't need a license.””
“For what?””
Richard looked at him.
“He worked for Daniel off the books.””
Edward went quiet.
Evelyn stared through the windshield.
“My husband had a secret investigator?””
“Yes.””
“For how long?””
“Six years.””
She closed her eyes.
“Six years.””
Richard nodded.
“He found things.””
“Like what?””
“Bank transfers. Fake companies. Insurance records. Medical files.””
Evelyn looked at him.
“And Laura?””
“Yes.””
“What did he find?””
Richard's jaw tightened.
“That Laura didn't disappear.””
Evelyn whispered,
“We already know that.””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“You don't understand.””
“What?””
“Nathan found Laura years before Daniel died.””
Everyone became silent.
“When?”” Cole asked.
“About a year and a half ago.””
“Why didn't Daniel tell me?””
“Because Daniel met Laura.””
Evelyn's heart stopped.
“He met her?””
Richard nodded.
“In person.””
“Where?””
“The old estate.””
Evelyn stared at him.
“Why would he go there?””
“To ask her a question.””
“What question?””
Richard's eyes remained fixed on the road.
“Why did she leave?””
“And what did she say?””
“I don't know.””
“You were there?””
“No.””
“Then how do you know?””
“Nathan told me.””
Cole asked,
“Did Nathan tell Daniel?””
“Everything.””
“What happened after?””
Richard went silent.
Evelyn waited.
Finally, he said,
“Daniel came home and burned a box of documents.””
Edward looked alarmed.
“What documents?””
Richard shook his head.
“I never found out.””
Cole frowned.
“What was in the box?””
“Birth certificates.””
The word made Meredith sit upright.
“Whose?””
Richard didn't answer.
“Whose?”” she repeated.
“Ethan's.””
Meredith's eyes filled with fear.
“No.””
Richard continued.
“There was another document.””
“What?””
“A DNA test.””
Everyone froze.
Evelyn looked at him.
“Daniel had a DNA test?””
“Yes.””
“Between whom?””
Richard swallowed.
“Daniel and Ethan.””
Meredith whispered, “What did it say?””
Richard stared ahead.
“He wasn't Ethan's father.””
Evelyn closed her eyes.
“I knew that.””
Richard shook his head.
“No.””
She opened her eyes.
“What?””
“The test was destroyed.””
“How do you know the result?””
“Because Nathan saw it.””
“And?””
Richard gripped the steering wheel.
“The result was inconclusive.””
Meredith stared.
“Inconclusive?””
“The sample had been contaminated.””
Edward spoke.
“That's convenient.””
“No.””
Richard's voice hardened.
“Nathan said Daniel believed the contamination wasn't an accident.””
Cole leaned back.
“Someone tampered with the test.””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Richard looked at Evelyn.
“That's what Daniel was trying to find out.””
The old estate appeared in the distance.
Hidden behind rows of dead trees.
The property looked nothing like the elegant Harrington mansion Evelyn knew.
This house was darker.
Older.
Its roof sagged in places.
The windows were boarded.
The gravel road was overgrown.
Richard slowed the SUV.
“No lights.””
Evelyn stared.
“How did anyone take the photograph here?””
“They had power.””
“Then why is it dark now?””
Richard stopped the vehicle.
“Because someone turned it off.””
Cole looked around.
“Everybody out.””
They stepped into the cold night air.
The farmhouse from the photograph stood approximately two hundred yards ahead.
A single upstairs window glowed.
Nothing else.
Evelyn's heart hammered.
“My husband was here.””
Richard nodded.
“For years.””
She looked at him.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I thought you'd be safer not knowing.””
“I've had enough of that.””
Cole stepped between them.
“Save the family therapy for later.””
He looked toward the building.
“We have twenty minutes.””
The group approached the house.
The front door was unlocked.
That frightened Cole more than a locked door would have.
He pushed it open.
Dust filled the foyer.
Furniture covered in white sheets.
Broken picture frames.
A staircase disappearing into darkness.
Evelyn whispered,
“Daniel used to tell me this house burned.””
Richard shook his head.
“It almost did.””
“What happened?””
“Someone set a fire.””
“When?””
“Sixteen years ago.””
Evelyn looked at him.
“Laura?””
Richard shook his head.
“We never proved it.””
Meredith suddenly stopped.
“Wait.””
Everyone turned.
She pointed toward the wall.
A photograph hung crookedly beneath the dust.
She walked toward it.
Wiped the surface.
Evelyn came closer.
The photograph showed Daniel.
Laura.
And a baby.
The same baby from Richard's phone.
Evelyn touched the glass.
“That's Ethan.””
Meredith shook her head.
“No.””
She looked closer.
“That isn't Ethan.””
Everyone froze.
“How do you know?””
Meredith's voice trembled.
“Because I know this picture.””
She pointed to the baby.
“That isn't a newborn.””
Evelyn frowned.
“What?””
“He was at least two years old.””
Richard stepped closer.
“That's impossible.””
Meredith shook her head.
“No.””
She looked at the photograph.
“Look at his hands.””
Cole leaned in.
The child's right wrist had a tiny scar.
Not a birthmark.
A surgical scar.
Meredith whispered,
“Ethan was born with his heart condition.””
She touched the photo.
“But his first surgery happened when he was four months old.””
Cole stared.
“So the photograph was taken after surgery.””
“Yes.””
“But the date on the frame says nineteen years ago.””
Meredith's face went white.
“Then Ethan was older than we thought.””
Evelyn turned toward Richard.
“How old is Ethan really?””
Richard couldn't answer.
The floor creaked upstairs.
Everyone looked up.
A figure moved behind the railing.
Cole raised a hand.
“Who's there?””
No response.
Matthew reached for the flashlight.
The figure disappeared.
Then a woman's voice drifted down.
“Evelyn.””
Her blood froze.
She knew that voice.
Not personally.
But from the recordings Daniel had once played on an old voicemail.
Laura.
“Don't come upstairs.””
Evelyn took a step.
“Where is my husband?””
Silence.
Then:
“He's not here.””
Evelyn's voice broke.
“You knew him.””
“I knew him better than you ever did.””
Cole stepped forward.
“You Laura?””
A pause.
“Yes.””
Matthew whispered,
“Holy hell.””
Laura continued.
“Richard.””
He stiffened.
“Yes?””
“Come upstairs.””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because you know why.””
Laura laughed softly.
“You still think you're protecting yourself.””
“I am.””
“No.””
Her voice became colder.
“You're protecting the lie.””
Evelyn looked at Richard.
“What lie?””
Laura answered from the darkness.
“Ask him who the child in the photograph really is.””
Richard closed his eyes.
Evelyn slowly turned toward him.
“Richard?””
He said nothing.
Laura spoke again.
“The boy you're calling Ethan is not my son.””
Meredith covered her mouth.
“What?””
“Ethan was never born to me.””
Evelyn stared upward.
“Then whose child is he?””
Laura replied,
“Yours.””
Evelyn stopped breathing.
“No.””
“Yes.””
“My husband and I never had children.””
“That is what Daniel wanted you to believe.””
Evelyn's knees weakened.
Cole caught her.
Laura's voice floated down the stairwell.
“You weren't barren, Evelyn.””
She paused.
“You had a baby.””
Evelyn shook her head violently.
“No.””
“Daniel told you the baby died.””
“No…”
“But the baby survived.””
Evelyn looked at Richard.
He was crying.
The old woman stared at him.
“Tell me.””
Richard's lips trembled.
“Daniel took the baby.””
“Why?””
“Because Laura…”
He swallowed.
“Because Laura's child wasn't safe.””
Evelyn's eyes widened.
“What does that mean?””
Richard looked at the photograph.
Then toward the dark staircase.
“He wasn't protecting Ethan from Laura.””
He took a shaky breath.
“He was protecting Ethan from you.””
The house fell silent.
Then Laura screamed from upstairs.
“RUN!””
A sound like an explosion shook the building.
Windows shattered.
Everyone ducked.
The lights came on.
The front door slammed shut behind them.
And on the wall above the staircase, a projector suddenly flickered to life.
A video appeared.
Daniel.
Alive.
Sitting in the same chair from the photograph.
He looked directly into the camera.
“Evelyn,” he said.
Her heart broke at the sound of his voice.
“If you're watching this, then I'm already gone.””
He paused.
“But there's something I never told you.””
The video glitched.
Daniel looked exhausted.
“I lied about our child.””
Evelyn covered her mouth.
“I told you our baby died.””
The bikers stared at the screen.
Richard lowered his head.
Daniel continued.
“That was the first lie.””
The screen went black.
Then one final sentence appeared.
May you like
*THE SECOND LIE IS ABOUT WHO KILLED ME.*
And somewhere upstairs, a woman began to cry.
