Chapter 6 - Serena’s ConfessionThe administrator was Daniel Voss.
I had met him twice.
Once at a charity dinner.
Once when Dennis refinanced the farm.
He was polished.
Silver hair.
Perfect suit.
Soft voice.
The kind of man who could say something terrible without ever raising his volume.
He looked at Meadow's room.
Then at me.
“Victoria.”
“Don't come any closer.”
He stopped.
Serena stood behind him.
Her face was wet with tears.
“Please.”
I stared at her.
“You tried to take my daughter.”
“I did not.”
“Then explain why your name was written on the note.”
She looked at Daniel.
Daniel looked at the floor.
That tiny exchange told me everything.
Serena stepped forward.
“Tori, I need to tell you the truth.”
“You should have done that before Meadow hit the stairs.”
She flinched.
“I know.”
“Did Dennis throw her?”
She nodded.
My chest tightened.
“Why?”
“Because she saw us.”
“In my bedroom.”
“Yes.”
“You slept with my husband.”
“Yes.”
The word landed quietly.
No excuses.
No hesitation.
I looked at her.
“Why?”
She wiped her eyes.
“Because it was never about love.”
Daniel glanced at her.
“Serena.”
She shook her head.
“No. It ends tonight.”
She turned to me.
“Dennis has been using the Hawthorne name to take control of properties around the county.”
“Why?”
“He finds farmers in debt.”
She swallowed.
“Then he offers loans.”
“And?”
“If they miss payments, he takes the land.”
“That’s legal.”
“Not when the loans are fraudulent.”
I stared at her.
She continued.
“He creates companies that look unrelated.”
Daniel whispered:
“Serena.”
She ignored him.
“Then he moves the money through shell accounts.”
I thought about the notebook.
The photographs.
The people.
“Cedar Ridge.”
Serena nodded.
“They found out.”
“What happened to Caleb Bell?”
Her lips trembled.
“He refused to sign.”
“What did Dennis do?”
“I don't know.”
“You were there.”
She closed her eyes.
“I saw him get into the truck with Dennis.”
“And?”
“He never came back.”
My hands curled into fists.
“Why did you help him?”
“Because he had something on me.”
“What?”
She looked at Daniel.
He spoke for the first time.
“Her father.”
I looked at Serena.
She whispered:
“My father was part of it.”
That explained nothing.
Then she said:
“He died because he tried to leave.”
The room felt colder.
Serena came closer.
“Dennis told me that if I helped him, we'd both be safe.”
“And the affair?”
She laughed bitterly.
“That was part of the cover.”
My stomach twisted.
“You brought yourself into my house so nobody would question how close you were to him.”
“Yes.”
“You used Meadow.”
“No.”
“You were her favorite aunt.”
Serena broke down.
“I loved her.”
“Then how could you stand there?”
Her voice cracked.
“Because every time Dennis hurt someone, he reminded me what he could do to my family.”
I stared at her.
“Where is Dennis taking the money?”
“I don't know.”
“What do you know?”
She looked around.
Then whispered:
“He keeps the original records somewhere outside town.”
“Where?”
“An old veterinary training facility.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
She looked straight at me.
“Your old military training grounds.”
I felt the blood leave my face.
The land had been abandoned for years.
But I had spent weeks there during my final tour.
It was where I learned to read danger.
Where I learned to survive.
Dennis had chosen that location for a reason.
The officer entered the room.
“Mrs. Hawthorne, we have a problem.”
“What?”
“Your husband is gone.”
I looked toward the hallway.
“Gone?”
“He escaped during transport.”
Serena closed her eyes.
Daniel stepped backward.
The officer's radio crackled.
Then another voice came through.
“We found the cruiser.”
“Where?”
A pause.
“On the north road.”
“Any sign of Hawthorne?”
“Negative.”
The radio went silent.
Then:
“Wait.”
Everyone listened.
The officer lifted the volume.
“We found something in the trunk.”
“What?”
A pause.
“A child’s purple rain boot.”
Meadow’s missing boot.
I looked at Serena.
She looked at me.
Then she whispered:
“He didn't lose it.”
“What?”
“He took it.”
“Why?”
May you like
Her face drained of color.
“So he could make you think Meadow was dead.”
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