Chapter 6: The Man My Father Tried To Expose
The name on the page made my entire body go still.
*Daniel Cross.*
For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
I looked at the document.
Then at Daniel.
Then back at the document.
“No.””
The word came out before I could stop it.
Daniel’s face changed.
Not surprise.
Not confusion.
Fear.
“Emily…”
“Don’t.””
My voice shook.
“Don’t say my name like you’re shocked.””
I held up the paper.
“My father wrote this.””
Daniel remained silent.
“He wrote your name.””
The room became unbearably quiet.
Lauren slowly stepped away from Daniel.
“You knew?””
Daniel looked at her.
“Lauren, it’s not what you think.””
I almost laughed.
“That’s exactly what everyone says when it’s exactly what I think.””
Daniel ran a hand over his face.
“I can explain.””
I stared at him.
“Then explain.””
He looked at the floor.
For the first time since I met him, Daniel Cross looked like a man who had run out of places to hide.
“I knew your father.””
The answer hit harder than I expected.
“How?””
Daniel sat down.
“Before I became lead investigator on Victor Hale’s case, I worked with your father.””
I frowned.
“You never mentioned that.””
“Because I didn’t know who you were.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Your last name changed.””
I froze.
“What?””
He nodded.
“Your father’s original records were under your family name before your mother remarried.””
I stared at him.
“You knew him.””
“Yes.””
“And you knew he was investigating Victor.””
“Yes.””
My anger grew.
“Then why is your name on his final notes?””
Daniel looked at the paper.
“Because your father was wrong.””
The sentence shocked me.
I stepped closer.
“You’re saying my father lied?””
“No.””
“Then what?””
Daniel took a deep breath.
“Your father discovered something dangerous.””
He pointed at the document.
“But he didn’t know who was involved.””
I looked down.
“Then why write your name?””
Daniel’s eyes became distant.
“Because he suspected me.””
Nobody spoke.
Finally, Lauren asked:
“Were you involved?””
Daniel looked at her.
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
Too immediate.
I watched him carefully.
“Then prove it.””
He looked at me.
“What?””
“Prove you weren’t.””
Daniel stayed silent.
That silence hurt.
Because after everything, I still wanted to believe him.
But believing people was how I ended up here.
I had believed Victor.
I had believed his words.
His confidence.
His carefully created image.
I wasn’t making that mistake again.
Daniel stood up.
“Your father left something else.””
“What?””
He walked toward the cabinet.
“The reason he suspected me.””
He removed another file.
“This was found after his death.””
I looked at Lauren.
“Found by who?””
She answered quietly.
“Me.””
I turned.
“You?””
She nodded.
“Daniel gave it to me years ago.””
I looked between them.
“You two have been hiding things from me since the beginning.””
Neither denied it.
I opened the file.
Inside were copies of emails.
The first one was from my father.
The second was from Daniel.
I read the messages.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Then I understood.
My father had been working with Daniel.
Not against him.
The notes were not an accusation.
They were a warning.
Daniel’s name appeared because he was the person my father trusted most.
I looked up.
“Why did you let me think you were guilty?””
Daniel’s expression broke slightly.
“Because I needed to know if you were ready.””
I stared at him.
“Ready?””
“For the truth.””
I closed the file.
“No.””
My voice was cold.
“You don’t get to test me.””
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“You’re right.””
For the first time, he admitted it.
“I should have told you everything.””
I looked at the documents.
“My father knew Victor was dangerous.””
“Yes.””
“He knew about the network.””
“Yes.””
“And he knew something about me.””
Daniel nodded.
“Yes.””
“What?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then said:
“Your father didn’t just discover Victor’s crimes.””
I waited.
“He discovered why Victor chose certain people.””
I frowned.
“Certain people?””
“People connected to his past.””
I felt uneasy.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel pulled out another document.
A list.
Names.
I recognized several.
Marcus Reed.
Lauren Whitmore.
Daniel Cross.
Then mine.
My name was last.
I looked at Daniel.
“Why am I on this list?””
He answered quietly.
“Because Victor knew your father left something behind.””
I felt a chill.
“What?””
Daniel looked at Lauren.
She didn’t want to say it.
But she did.
“Evidence.””
I stared.
“Where?””
Nobody answered.
Then my phone vibrated.
A message.
Unknown number.
I looked down.
One sentence.
*YOU’RE LOOKING IN THE WRONG PLACE.*
A second message appeared.
*YOUR FATHER DIDN’T HIDE THE EVIDENCE FROM VICTOR.*
A third.
*HE HID IT FROM YOU.*
I felt my hands go cold.
Daniel saw the messages.
“He knows.””
Lauren looked worried.
“He knows we found the connection.””
I looked up.
“How?””
Nobody answered.
Then I noticed something.
The messages weren’t just threatening.
They were personal.
They referenced things only someone close to my father would know.
Someone who knew his habits.
His thoughts.
His secrets.
I whispered:
“Victor didn’t send these.””
Daniel looked at me.
“What?””
I showed him the phone.
“This isn’t Victor.””
Lauren frowned.
“Why?””
“Because Victor never knew my father.””
I pointed at the message.
“This person knows him.””
The room became silent.
Then Daniel walked toward the documents again.
He flipped through the pages.
Suddenly, he stopped.
“What?””
He didn’t answer.
“Daniel?””
He turned the paper around.
A small note was written at the bottom.
A sentence.
One I had never seen before.
*If Emily ever discovers the truth, the person who helps her will be the one who betrayed me.*
I looked at Daniel.
My heart sank.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel stared at the words.
Then slowly looked at Lauren.
She noticed.
“Why are you looking at me?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
And that scared me.
Because the person who had been protecting me.
The person who helped expose Victor.
The person who seemed like an ally.
Was suddenly the only person in the room nobody trusted.
Lauren stepped back.
“Daniel.””
His voice was barely a whisper.
“Your father didn’t fear Victor the most.””
I looked at him.
“Then who did he fear?””
Daniel raised his eyes.
And the answer changed everything.
“He feared the person who helped Victor build the entire operation.””
The lights suddenly went out.
The room went dark.
A second later, every phone on the table received the same message.
One message.
From the same unknown number.
*ASK LAUREN WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT YOUR FATHER DIED.*
I looked at Lauren.
Her face had gone completely pale.
May you like
And this time…
She didn’t deny anything.
