Chapter 12 - The Man in the PhotographThe police arrested Victor.
Lily protested.
“He was here!”
The woman in the black coat remained calm.
“Then someone looks exactly like him.”
Victor looked at Gabriel.
Gabriel was gone.
Adrian was gone.
Evelyn was gone.
Only Lily and Ethan remained.
The detective placed the photograph on the table.
“Do you know Serena?”
“Yes.”
“Did you kill her?”
“No.”
The detective slid another image across the table.
A security recording.
Victor entering the hospital.
Victor following Serena.
Victor shooting her.
Victor leaving.
It was perfect.
Too perfect.
Lily watched the video.
Then she noticed something.
“Pause.”
The detective stopped it.
Lily pointed.
“His watch.”
Victor looked.
“What about it?”
“You lost that watch yesterday.”
Victor stared.
The watch on the recording was his.
But he had buried it six years ago with Evelyn’s wedding ring.
He looked at Lily.
“That isn’t me.”
The detective frowned.
“Then who is it?”
The answer came from the doorway.
Gabriel.
He walked in calmly.
“The fourth subject.”
Victor looked at him.
“Where’s Adrian?”
Gabriel smiled.
“Safe.”
“And Evelyn?”
“Safe.”
“Serena?”
“Dead.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Who killed her?”
Gabriel looked at Lily.
“She did.”
Lily recoiled.
“What?”
Gabriel continued.
“Serena discovered the truth about Lily.”
Victor shook his head.
“Stop.”
“She was afraid Lily would expose everything.”
Lily’s voice trembled.
“I never killed anyone.”
Gabriel smiled.
“I know.”
Then he pulled out a phone.
A recording played.
Lily’s voice:
“Serena has to die.”
Lily stared.
“That isn’t me.”
Gabriel nodded.
“It isn’t.”
Victor understood.
“Another copy.”
Gabriel looked pleased.
“Exactly.”
The detective stood.
“How many of you are there?”
Gabriel answered:
“We stopped counting.”
Suddenly the lights went out.
A gunshot.
The detective fell.
Victor grabbed Lily.
Someone whispered in the darkness.
“Run.”
They escaped through the service corridor.
Victor held Ethan.
Lily followed.
Behind them, footsteps approached.
Then Gabriel shouted:
“Victor!”
Victor turned.
Gabriel stood at the end of the corridor.
“Your father is lying about the fourth child.”
Victor stopped.
Gabriel threw something toward him.
A small metal disk.
Victor caught it.
“What is this?”
“A memory drive.”
“What’s on it?”
“The truth about your mother.”
Victor stared.
Gabriel smiled.
“Watch it before midnight.”
“Why?”
“Because at midnight, your father plans to kill Ethan.”
Gabriel walked away.
Victor looked at the clock.
11:17 PM.
He had forty-three minutes.
May you like
And Lily had just noticed another message engraved on the disk.
ONLY ONE OF YOU WILL REMEMBER THE TRUTH.
