Chapter 12 - The Man Behind the MaskChaos erupted.
Ethan grabbed Sophie.
Marcus raised his gun.
Natalie stepped in front of them.
“You'll have to kill me first.”
Marcus smiled.
“That can be arranged.”
Then the basement lights came on.
Claire stood at the top of the stairs.
Alive.
Holding a gun.
“Drop yours.”
Marcus slowly lowered his weapon.
Claire aimed directly at him.
“You took five years from me.”
Marcus looked at her.
“And you took five years from yourself.”
“What did you do to my husband?”
“I kept him alive.”
Ethan stared.
“What?”
Marcus smiled.
“Your father wasn't the mastermind.”
“Daniel Vale was.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
He looked at Claire.
“You know who was.”
Claire's face became white.
Marcus turned toward Ethan.
“Your wife.”
Silence.
Ethan stared at Claire.
“No.”
Marcus continued.
“Claire created the Blue Trust.”
“I know.”
“She designed the operation.”
“No.”
“She infiltrated the Vales.”
“No.”
“She knew exactly how much money moved where.”
Claire shouted:
“Stop!”
Marcus looked satisfied.
“The truth is much uglier than the story she told you.”
Ethan looked at his wife.
“Tell me.”
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
“I did work with Daniel.”
Ethan felt something collapse inside him.
“But I was undercover.”
Marcus laughed.
“You stopped being undercover when you started taking money.”
“I never took a cent.”
“You kept the accounts.”
“To destroy them.”
“You could have exposed us.”
“I tried.”
“You ran.”
“Because I discovered something worse.”
Marcus's expression changed.
“What?”
Claire looked at Sophie.
“The Blue Trust wasn't created to protect the evidence.”
She pointed toward the little girl.
“It was created to protect Sophie.”
Marcus's smile faded.
Claire continued.
“Because Sophie isn't merely the heir.”
“She is the witness.”
Ethan understood.
The room had gone silent.
Sophie remembered the crash.
She remembered the people.
She remembered who was there.
And that meant she was the only person alive who could identify the killer.
Marcus slowly raised his gun.
Claire fired first.
The shot struck the floor beside him.
He dropped his weapon.
Police sirens approached outside.
Marcus looked at Ethan.
“You think this is over?”
Ethan grabbed his collar.
“Where is the evidence?”
Marcus smiled.
“Ask your wife.”
Then he leaned closer.
“You still haven't asked her about the seventh file.”
Claire froze.
Ethan noticed.
“What seventh file?”
Claire didn't answer.
Marcus laughed as police stormed into the basement.
As they dragged him away, he shouted:
“Ask her what happened to the seventh witness!”
Ethan turned to Claire.
She looked shattered.
“What is the seventh witness?”
Claire whispered:
“My sister.”
Ethan stared.
“You told me you were an only child.”
“I am.”
“No.”
May you like
Claire looked toward Sophie.
“I was.”
