Chapter 19 - The Last Hidden Name
Richard Vale was arrested that afternoon.
Dr. Mercer was taken into custody shortly afterward.
Vanessa was questioned for fourteen hours.
She admitted pushing Martha into the pool.
She admitted altering medication schedules.
She admitted participating in the forged competency strategy.
But she denied knowing that Julian would actually be killed.
Julian did not know whether to believe her.
He no longer cared.
Three days later, investigators uncovered the tampering plan involving the Gulfstream.
A mechanic had been paid to loosen a critical hydraulic fitting after the wedding.
The mechanic claimed he believed the aircraft was being used in an insurance fraud operation.
He never knew Julian would be aboard.
Richard had paid him.
But one detail remained unexplained.
The payment authorization had required two electronic approvals.
Richard’s was one.
The second belonged to someone investigators had not identified.
Marcus called Julian late one evening.
“We found the second authorization.”
Julian sat in his father’s study.
“Who?”
Marcus hesitated.
“You should probably be sitting down.”
“I am.”
“The account belongs to a company registered in Switzerland.”
“Who owns it?”
“That’s complicated.”
“Marcus.”
“The beneficial owner is Nathan Hale.”
Julian froze.
Nathan Hale.
His uncle.
His father’s younger brother.
A man who had supposedly died twelve years earlier.
Julian stood so quickly the chair struck the wall.
“That’s impossible.”
“We thought so too.”
Nathan had disappeared during a sailing trip near Greece.
His boat was recovered.
His body never was.
He had been declared legally dead.
Julian remembered the funeral.
The empty coffin.
Martha standing beside his father.
Claire crying.
Richard delivering the eulogy.
Julian whispered.
“Nathan is alive?”
Marcus answered carefully.
“We found financial activity.”
“Where?”
“Monaco.”
Julian stared at the portrait of his father.
The conspiracy had not begun with Vanessa.
It had not even begun with Richard.
Someone else had been waiting behind both of them.
Julian called Martha.
She answered immediately.
“Julian?”
“Mom.”
Something in his voice frightened her.
“What happened?”
“When was the last time you saw Uncle Nathan?”
Silence.
Too much silence.
Julian felt cold.
“Mom?”
Martha whispered.
“Come to the house.”
“You knew?”
“Come home.”
Julian ended the call.
For the first time since the swimming pool, fear returned.
May you like
Because Martha did not sound surprised that Nathan might be alive.
She sounded terrified that Julian had finally discovered it.
