Chapter 5 - The Confession in the ChurchThe abandoned church looked dead from the road.
Windows boarded.
Grass growing through cracked pavement.
A rusted bell hanging above the entrance.
I entered alone.
Marcus stayed hidden nearby.
The interior smelled of dust and rain.
“Vanessa?”
No answer.
Then I heard crying.
She stepped from behind the altar.
Without makeup.
Without the expensive wedding dress.
Without the polished smile she'd worn at the reception.
She looked exhausted.
“I didn't know how else to get you here.”
“You could have told the truth.”
“I was afraid.”
“Afraid of Ryan?”
She shook her head.
“Not Ryan.”
“Then who?”
She looked toward the empty pews.
“The man behind him.”
“Daniel Cross?”
Her eyes widened.
“You know about him.”
“Yes.”
Vanessa sat down.
“I met Daniel six months ago.”
“Why?”
“He contacted me.”
“What did he want?”
“To recruit me.”
“For what?”
“Lily.”
I felt my anger rising.
“Explain.”
“He wanted me to marry Ryan. He said the family trust would become vulnerable after Emily's death.”
“And you agreed?”
“I was broke.”
Her voice cracked.
“I owed money. A lot of it. Daniel offered me enough to disappear afterward.”
I stared at her.
“You were willing to take a child away from her family?”
“I thought Emily was dead.”
“That doesn't excuse it.”
“I know.”
She pulled a small flash drive from her coat.
“But I found out the truth.”
I took it.
“What is this?”
“Everything.”
“Everything about what?”
“Emily's captivity.”
She looked toward the church doors.
“Ryan didn't create the plan.”
“Who did?”
She whispered:
“Your grandfather.”
I almost laughed.
“That makes no sense.”
“Your grandfather built the trust.”
“He's been dead for years.”
“I know.”
She leaned closer.
“He left instructions.”
My blood ran cold.
“Instructions for what?”
“Control.”
“Whose control?”
“Anyone who possessed the access key.”
She pulled out another document.
My grandfather's signature appeared at the bottom.
The date was fifteen years old.
The document stated that the trust would remain hidden until Lily turned eighteen.
Unless a third-party guardian activated an emergency clause.
I stared.
“Ryan couldn't access it.”
“No.”
“Neither could Vanessa.”
“No.”
“Then who could?”
Vanessa looked directly at me.
“You.”
I froze.
“What?”
“Your grandfather made you the emergency trustee.”
“But I never knew.”
“Ryan did.”
I felt something shift inside me.
Suddenly, Ryan's fear at the wedding made sense.
My arrival hadn't just threatened his marriage.
It threatened his entire plan.
Vanessa reached for my wrist.
“There's more.”
“What?”
“Emily wasn't kidnapped because of the money.”
I stared at her.
“Then why?”
“She discovered a second account.”
“What account?”
“Payments.”
“To Daniel?”
“No.”
Vanessa's voice dropped to a whisper.
“Payments from inside your grandfather's company.”
I stepped back.
“How much?”
“Enough to keep someone alive for decades.”
A floorboard creaked.
Vanessa's face changed.
“He found us.”
I turned.
The church doors slammed shut.
Footsteps echoed from the rear.
Vanessa grabbed my hand.
“Run!”
We sprinted toward the side exit.
A bullet struck the wall beside my head.
Vanessa screamed.
We burst through a broken window into the rain.
Marcus appeared from the darkness.
“Get down!”
He fired toward the church.
Then we heard a car engine.
An SUV tore away.
Marcus ran to the driver.
Too late.
I looked at Vanessa.
“Who was that?”
She was shaking.
“I don't know.”
“Then why are you terrified?”
She pointed toward the road.
A small object lay in the mud.
A silver lighter.
Engraved with initials.
E.C.
Marcus picked it up.
His expression hardened.
“Edward Cross.”
I stared.
“Daniel's father?”
Marcus nodded.
May you like
Then Vanessa whispered:
“Edward Cross isn't dead.”
