Chapter 9: The Witness in Vermont
Chapter 9: The Witness in Vermont
The rain began just after sunrise.
A steady curtain of gray covered Boston as Daniel Carter stood in his home office, staring at the manila folder Emily had left behind.
He had barely slept.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the surveillance photographs.
Vanessa.
Watching Emily.
Watching Lily.
Years before fate was ever supposed to bring them together.
Or perhaps...
It had never been fate at all.
A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.
"Daddy?"
Daniel turned.
Lily stood in the doorway wearing yellow rain boots, a pink sweater, and her backpack.
Her hair was tied into two uneven ponytails she'd attempted herself.
He smiled despite everything.
"Those are... creative."
She giggled.
"I wanted to surprise you."
"You definitely did."
She walked over and hugged him around the waist.
"Are you working?"
"Not today."
"You said grown-ups always have work."
"I've decided someone more important needs me."
She looked up.
"Who?"
Daniel gently tapped her nose.
"You."
A smile spread across her face.
It was the first full smile he had seen in months.
---
### Carter & Bennett Law Offices
At nine o'clock sharp, Daniel sat across from Laura Bennett once again.
She slid another file onto the polished oak table.
"I made a few calls last night."
"You found the investigator?"
She nodded.
"His name is Harold Mercer."
Daniel opened the folder.
A photograph showed a silver-haired man in his late seventies standing beside a small farmhouse.
"He retired four years ago."
"He lives alone in Woodstock, Vermont."
"Does he know we're coming?"
"I spoke with him briefly."
"And?"
Laura hesitated.
"He sounded frightened."
Daniel frowned.
"Frightened of what?"
"He wouldn't say over the phone."
"He only repeated one sentence."
"What sentence?"
Laura looked directly into Daniel's eyes.
"'Tell Mr. Carter to come quickly.'"
"'Some people have started asking questions again.'"
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Who?"
"He didn't know."
"But he believed someone had been watching his house."
---
### Across the State Line
Nearly three hours later, Daniel's black SUV crossed into Vermont.
The farther he drove from the city, the narrower the roads became.
Rolling green hills replaced skyscrapers.
Dense forests surrounded the highway.
The peaceful landscape felt strangely at odds with the growing sense of danger in his chest.
His phone rang.
Michael.
"Where are you?"
"Almost there."
"I've got bad news."
Daniel tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
"What happened?"
"I hired a cybersecurity firm to examine those anonymous text messages."
"And?"
"They were routed through multiple servers."
"Professional."
Daniel wasn't surprised.
"Anything else?"
Michael hesitated.
"One of the security analysts recognized the method."
Daniel waited.
"It's commonly used by private intelligence firms."
His stomach tightened.
"You mean investigators?"
"Worse."
"Corporate espionage."
Daniel glanced toward the passenger seat where Emily's folder rested.
This was becoming much bigger than a canceled wedding.
---
### The Farmhouse
Harold Mercer's home sat at the end of a winding dirt road surrounded by towering maple trees.
It looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Daniel parked and stepped out.
The front door stood slightly open.
His pulse quickened.
"Mr. Mercer?"
No answer.
He climbed the porch steps carefully.
The screen door creaked in the wind.
Inside...
The house was silent.
"Mr. Mercer?"
Still nothing.
Daniel slowly entered.
The living room looked untouched.
A coffee mug sat on the table.
The television remained on.
A chessboard rested beside an armchair, pieces frozen in the middle of a game.
Everything suggested the owner had left only moments earlier.
Then Daniel noticed something.
The mug.
Coffee still steamed gently from the cup.
Someone had been here.
Recently.
Very recently.
A sudden crash echoed from somewhere behind the house.
Daniel ran toward the back door.
Outside, muddy footprints crossed the yard.
He followed them into a small barn.
"Mr. Mercer!"
A weak voice answered.
"Back here..."
Daniel rushed deeper inside.
Behind stacks of old hay bales sat an elderly man with a bleeding cut above his eyebrow.
His hands trembled.
"You came..."
Daniel knelt beside him.
"What happened?"
"They were here."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"They searched the house."
"They wanted my files."
Daniel helped him sit upright.
"Did they find them?"
The old man slowly smiled.
"I've been doing this for forty years."
"They searched where amateurs search."
Daniel frowned.
"Where are the files?"
Harold pointed toward an antique red toolbox sitting beneath a workbench.
"False bottom."
Daniel opened the toolbox.
Inside lay several weathered folders sealed in plastic.
Each one bore the same label.
Carter Investigation.
Harold let out a shaky breath.
"I knew she'd come back someday."
Daniel looked at him.
"Vanessa?"
The old investigator nodded.
"She wasn't using that name back then."
Daniel's heart skipped a beat.
"What?"
Harold studied him carefully.
"The woman following your family..."
"...introduced herself as Victoria Stone."
Daniel stared at him.
"You're sure?"
"I never forget a face."
---
### Boston
At that exact moment, Marcus Hale stood outside Harold Mercer's empty farmhouse.
He looked at the fresh tire tracks leading away from the property.
Then at the open front door.
His phone rang.
Vanessa.
"Tell me."
Marcus sighed.
"We're too late."
Silence.
Then...
"Is Mercer dead?"
"No."
"But someone got to him first."
Vanessa's voice became dangerously quiet.
"Daniel?"
"Most likely."
She closed her eyes.
"So he knows."
"Not everything."
"Yet."
Marcus glanced at the muddy footprints disappearing into the woods.
"But if Mercer kept the original files..."
"...he's about to learn who you really are."
Vanessa's breathing slowed.
When she spoke again, her voice carried no emotion.
"Then it's time for Phase Two."
Marcus frowned.
"What phase?"
"You don't need to know."
Before he could respond...
She ended the call.
---
### The Hidden File
Back inside the barn, Harold carefully opened the oldest folder.
The paper inside had faded with age.
He handed Daniel a single photograph.
"This is where everything started."
The image showed a luxury charity gala held nearly eight years earlier.
Daniel recognized himself immediately.
Emily stood beside him wearing an elegant navy-blue gown.
Three-year-old Lily was asleep in Emily's arms.
Then he noticed another figure standing across the ballroom.
A young brunette in a black evening dress.
She wasn't looking at the stage.
She wasn't looking at the guests.
She was looking only at Daniel.
Harold pointed toward the photograph.
"That woman wasn't invited."
Daniel looked closer.
"How do you know?"
"Because I threw her out."
"What?"
Harold nodded.
"She'd used a fake press credential."
Daniel felt a chill run through his body.
"Why was she there?"
Harold's answer came slowly.
"She told security she wanted an interview."
"But after I questioned her..."
"...she admitted she'd only come to watch you."
Daniel's voice was barely audible.
"She was stalking me."
Harold didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he reached into the folder and removed one final document.
A photocopy of a driver's license.
The name printed across the top wasn't Vanessa Blake.
It wasn't even close.
It read:
Victoria Elaine Stone.
Daniel's eyes widened.
"What is this?"
Harold looked at him gravely.
"The identity she used before she became Vanessa Blake."
The room fell silent.
Daniel stared at the license.
If this document was genuine...
Then the woman he had almost married wasn't simply hiding secrets.
She had built her entire life on a lie.
And somewhere...
Behind the name Vanessa Blake...
May you like
The real Victoria Stone was still waiting to be uncovered.
End of Chapter 9
