Chapter 6: The Man Behind the Funeral
"Put the gun down.""
Wade's voice was quiet.
That made it more frightening.
Collins stood in the doorway, his weapon pointed toward Martha.
Two men behind him blocked the exit.
Daniel moved slowly toward his mother.
"Don't," Collins warned.
Martha stood perfectly still.
She had spent thirty years imagining the man responsible for Frank's disappearance.
She had pictured someone cruel, someone violent, someone who would look monstrous when she finally faced him.
But Collins looked ordinary.
A little older.
A little heavier.
He wore a dark raincoat and polished shoes.
He looked like a man who might hold a door open for an elderly woman.
That was what frightened her most.
"Arthur," she said.
Collins glanced at her.
"Mrs. Bell.""
"You told me my husband was dead.""
"I told you what I believed was necessary.""
"You attended his memorial.""
"I was doing my job.""
Martha shook her head.
"No. You were protecting a criminal.""
Collins gave a small shrug.
"Careful. Words like that can cause problems.""
Wade stepped forward.
"You already caused enough problems.""
Collins raised the gun slightly.
"Stay where you are, Mercer.""
Daniel looked at his father.
"He's not here for us.""
Wade frowned.
"What?""
"He's here for the case.""
Collins smiled.
"Smart boy.""
Daniel held up his hands.
"The evidence is all there. Take it.""
He placed the metal case on the table.
Collins glanced at it.
"Open it.""
Daniel did.
The flash drive and notebook lay inside.
Collins nodded to one of his men.
"Bring it here.""
The man stepped forward.
But before he reached the table, Martha spoke.
"Where is Frank?""
Collins ignored her.
"Mrs. Bell, this is not the time.""
"Where is my husband?""
He sighed.
"Your husband made some very poor decisions.""
"Did you kill him?""
Collins looked at her.
For a moment, his expression became almost sympathetic.
"No.""
Martha's shoulders dropped slightly.
Then Collins continued.
"But I helped make sure nobody could find him.""
Wade lunged.
One of Collins's men raised his weapon.
Daniel shouted.
"Dad!""
Wade stopped.
Collins smiled.
"Still emotional. Frank used to tell me you had a terrible temper.""
Wade stared at him.
"You knew Frank.""
"Better than you think.""
"Then tell me where he is.""
Collins glanced toward the metal case.
"That depends.""
"On what?""
"Whether you want the truth or you want your family to survive.""
Martha stepped forward.
"My family has already survived thirty years without him. You're not going to frighten me with threats.""
Collins laughed.
"That's what Frank said.""
He looked at her.
"Right before he disappeared.""
Martha's face went pale.
"What happened that night?""
Collins studied her.
Then he motioned to the chair.
"Sit down. This might take a while.""
Nobody sat.
Collins continued anyway.
"Frank discovered Richard's operation. He copied documents, bank transfers, customer lists, everything. He thought he could bring down the entire network.""
"Could he?"" Emily asked.
Collins looked at her.
"Your father could have destroyed us all.""
Martha's voice cracked.
"Then why didn't he?""
"Because Richard found out what Frank cared about most.""
"Me?""
Collins nodded.
"And Wade. And Daniel.""
Wade's expression darkened.
Collins continued.
"Frank understood that Richard wasn't bluffing. He knew people would get hurt. So he made a deal.""
"What deal?"" Daniel asked.
"He gave us enough information to stop the investigation from reaching the people above Richard. In exchange, we let him disappear.""
Martha stared.
"You let him disappear?""
Collins nodded.
"Frank agreed to leave town under a new identity. He would never contact his family again. Richard would keep the motorcycle and the business records would be destroyed.""
Wade shook his head.
"You're lying.""
"Am I?""
"Frank would never abandon Martha.""
Collins shrugged.
"People do surprising things when their families are threatened.""
Martha's hands trembled.
"Did he have a choice?""
Collins looked at her.
"Everybody has a choice.""
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"That's what you told me when you put me in that farmhouse.""
Collins's eyes narrowed.
"Your father should have taught you to stay out of grown men's business.""
"My father taught me not to trust men like you.""
For the first time, Collins looked genuinely angry.
He turned toward the metal case.
"Take it.""
His man grabbed the notebook.
Then a phone rang.
Not Collins's.
Not Wade's.
It came from the table.
Everyone looked down.
A small black phone was tucked beneath the lining of the metal case.
Daniel stared.
"That's impossible.""
Wade reached toward it.
Collins shouted.
"Don't touch that!""
But the phone had already started ringing again.
Martha picked it up.
The screen displayed one word.
*FRANK.*
Her knees weakened.
"No.""
Wade looked at the screen.
Then at Collins.
The detective's face had gone completely blank.
Martha pressed the green button.
"Hello?""
Static.
Then a voice.
A familiar voice.
Older now. Rougher.
But unmistakable.
"Martha?""
She stopped breathing.
The phone nearly slipped from her hand.
"Frank?""
A long silence followed.
Then the voice came again.
"My darling, I'm sorry.""
Martha began to cry.
"Where are you? Where have you been? Frank, I've been waiting.""
"I know.""
"Are you alive?""
A faint laugh.
"Last time I checked.""
Martha covered her mouth.
Wade stepped closer.
"Frank! It's Wade!""
The voice changed.
"Wade?""
"Yeah, you stubborn son of a gun. It's me.""
Frank went quiet.
Then he said something that made Wade's expression collapse.
"I'm sorry about Daniel.""
Wade looked toward his son.
Daniel was crying.
"He's standing right here," Wade said.
The silence on the other end was absolute.
Then Frank whispered:
"Daniel?""
Daniel grabbed the phone.
"I'm here.""
Frank made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob.
"You're alive.""
"So are you.""
Martha reached for her son's shoulder.
For a few seconds, the three of them stood together, listening to the voice of a man they had all believed lost.
Then Frank spoke again.
"Listen to me. You have to leave that building.""
Wade looked toward Collins.
"Why?""
"Because Richard isn't the person you need to worry about.""
Collins slowly lowered his gun.
His expression had changed.
He looked frightened.
Frank continued.
"Arthur, if you're listening, I know you have the evidence.""
Collins said nothing.
"Don't pretend you didn't hear me.""
The detective stepped backward.
Wade watched him.
"Frank, where are you?""
"I'll tell you. But first, you need to understand something.""
A loud noise interrupted the call.
Frank breathed heavily.
Then he spoke again.
"Richard didn't sell those motorcycles to make money.""
Wade frowned.
"What?""
"He was using the dealership to hide something much bigger. Something that started with our father.""
Martha gripped the phone.
"What are you talking about?""
Frank's voice became urgent.
"Your father-in-law wasn't just involved in stolen motorcycles. He was laundering money for people who controlled the entire operation.""
Wade stared at Collins.
Frank continued.
"And one of those people is still alive.""
"Who?"" Daniel demanded.
Frank paused.
Then he said:
"The man who signed my death certificate.""
Wade looked at Collins.
Collins slowly raised his weapon again.
But this time, he wasn't aiming at Wade.
He was aiming at Daniel.
A gunshot exploded through the storage building.
Emily screamed.
The phone fell to the concrete.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Wade looked down.
Daniel was standing beside him.
Blood was spreading across the sleeve of his jacket.
Wade caught him before he hit the floor.
"Daniel!""
Daniel gritted his teeth.
"I'm okay.""
Wade pressed his hand against the wound.
"You're not okay. Stay with me.""
Collins disappeared through the doorway.
Duke and Leonard rushed after him.
Martha grabbed the phone from the floor.
"Frank! Frank, can you hear me?""
Static.
Then his voice returned.
"Martha, listen carefully.""
She held the phone against her ear.
"Yes?""
"Don't let them take the motorcycle.""
"Why?""
"Because the final evidence isn't inside the fuel tank.""
Martha looked toward Wade.
"Then where is it?""
Frank's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Inside the house.""
Martha froze.
"What house?""
"The house where I last saw you.""
Her heart stopped.
The old family home.
The house she had lived in for thirty years.
Frank continued.
"There's a floorboard beneath the kitchen table. I left something there before I disappeared.""
Martha closed her eyes.
She remembered that table.
She remembered Frank building it with his own hands.
She remembered the night he vanished, when she sat there until sunrise.
"Frank," she whispered.
"Are you coming home?""
The answer took several seconds.
Then he said:
"I've been trying to come home for thirty years.""
The line went dead.
Martha stood motionless, holding the phone.
Wade was kneeling beside Daniel while Emily pressed a jacket against her brother's wound.
Duke returned through the doorway.
"Collins is gone.""
Wade looked up.
"Did you catch him?""
"No. But he dropped something.""
Duke held up a small leather wallet.
Inside was an identification card.
It belonged to Detective Arthur Collins.
But the photograph was not the same man they had just seen.
The name beneath it was different.
*JONATHAN VALE.*
Wade stared at the card.
Then he looked at Martha.
"Frank was right.""
Martha's eyes filled again.
"About what?""
Wade slowly closed his fist around the identification card.
"The man who signed Frank's death certificate wasn't a detective.""
He looked toward the open storage door.
May you like
"Arthur Collins has been dead for twenty years.""
And suddenly, the person who had just shot Daniel wasn't the man they thought they were chasing.
