Chapter 9 - THE THIRD NAMENo one breathed.
Caleb's video froze.
My mother began crying silently.
My father stared at Ryan.
Ryan stared back.
“No.”
The word escaped him.
Hale asked Ellis to replay the final minute.
We watched again.
Caleb's face.
His breathing.
His eyes.
The pause before the final sentence.
Someone from your own family.
Ryan suddenly stood.
“This is insane.”
Daniel blocked the doorway.
“Sit down.”
Ryan shoved him.
Daniel barely moved.
“Don't.”
Ryan stepped back.
I looked at my father.
“Who?”
He didn't answer.
“Dad.”
He whispered:
“I don't know.”
I turned toward Ryan.
“And you?”
Ryan said nothing.
His silence screamed.
I walked toward him.
“Look at me.”
He did.
“Did you know about the attack?”
“No.”
“Did you know Vane was planning something?”
“No.”
“Did you know someone in this family wanted me dead?”
He stared at the floor.
Then:
“I knew someone wanted you gone.”
The room changed.
“Gone where?”
Ryan swallowed.
“Away.”
“Why?”
“Because you kept asking questions.”
“What questions?”
“About the contracts.”
I stared at him.
“How much money?”
He looked up.
“I don't know.”
“How much?”
Ryan whispered:
“Fourteen million.”
My mother gasped.
Hale moved closer.
“Fourteen million dollars was diverted from what?”
Ryan closed his eyes.
“Military reconstruction.”
Silence.
Dad shook his head.
“I never approved fourteen million.”
“No,” Ryan said.
“You did.”
Dad stood.
“What?”
Ryan looked at him.
“You signed the first transfer.”
“I didn't.”
Ryan laughed.
“Check the signature.”
Dad turned pale.
Ellis opened another document.
A transfer authorization.
The signature belonged to my father.
But something was wrong.
I leaned closer.
The signature looked almost identical.
Almost.
Except the final stroke.
My father always curved the final letter upward.
This one went down.
I remembered seeing it before.
On Ryan's business documents.
I looked at my brother.
“You forged Dad's signature.”
Ryan didn't answer.
Hale spoke.
“How many?”
Ryan remained silent.
I asked again.
“How many signatures?”
He whispered:
“Seven.”
My father sat down.
My mother covered her face.
Daniel looked furious.
“You stole from the company.”
Ryan shook his head.
“I borrowed.”
“For nine years?”
“I was fixing problems.”
“What problems?”
Ryan looked at me.
“The convoy.”
My blood ran cold.
“How does stealing from Dad fix the convoy?”
Ryan's eyes filled with something I had never seen there before.
Regret.
“Because I wasn't trying to hide the attack.”
May you like
He took a breath.
“I was trying to hide who paid for it.”
Related Stories
