Chapter 6 - THE WARNING
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
By then, the black SUV was gone.
Emma gave them the license plate.
The officer wrote it down.
"Do you know who the driver is?"
"No."
Sarah answered for her.
"But we believe he may be connected to Daniel Mercer."
The officer exchanged a glance with his partner.
"That name means something?"
Sarah nodded.
"Unfortunately."
They left after taking statements.
That evening, Margaret found an envelope beneath the apartment door.
No stamp.
No address.
Inside was a single photograph.
Emma and Margaret leaving the storage facility.
Taken from across the street.
On the back were four words.
STOP DIGGING.
Margaret's hands shook.
Emma took the photograph.
"We're not stopping."
Her mother stared at her.
"Emma."
"We can't."
"Your father tried."
"And he died."
Silence.
Emma looked toward the window.
"We need to finish what he started."
Sarah agreed.
The next day, she traced one of the account numbers.
The money led to a shell corporation.
That corporation led to another.
Eventually, the trail ended at an offshore account.
The account holder's name shocked them.
Victoria Hale.
But there was another authorized user.
Daniel Mercer.
Emma stared at the screen.
"He's guilty."
Sarah shook her head.
"Maybe."
"Maybe?"
"An account doesn't prove what he knew."
Emma's frustration grew.
"Then what will?"
"His own records."
They searched Daniel's office records through legal channels.
One document stood out.
A private agreement between Daniel and Victoria.
The date was three months before Emma met him.
It contained a clause about silence.
And a payment schedule.
Emma read the final paragraph.
If information concerning the Mercer accounts becomes public, responsibility will be transferred to Emma Carter.
Emma's blood ran cold.
"What is this?"
Sarah looked stunned.
"He planned to frame you."
Margaret covered her mouth.
Emma sat down.
All the pieces suddenly fit.
The lies.
The hotel.
The money.
The violence.
Daniel hadn't merely been hiding something.
He had been preparing an escape route.
And she was supposed to take the fall.
That night, Emma returned home alone.
She found Daniel sitting in the dark.
She stopped at the doorway.
"You broke into my apartment."
"I have a key."
"Not anymore."
Daniel stood.
"Emma, listen."
She didn't move.
"You planned to blame me."
His face fell.
"I never intended to use it."
"You prepared the paperwork."
"I was desperate."
"For what?"
"To get out."
Emma stared at him.
"Then get out."
Daniel looked at her.
For the first time, there were tears in his eyes.
"I don't want to lose you."
May you like
Emma's voice was quiet.
"You already did."
