Chapter 4 - The Woman Who Was Never Her Friend
The next morning, Nora's office was silent.
Jessica's desk was empty.
Lincoln's company had already issued a statement saying he was unavailable for comment due to a family matter.
Nora sat at her desk, staring at the restoration plans.
She couldn't concentrate.
Every line reminded her of the past.
Every wall seemed to hide a secret.
Her supervisor approached.
“You look terrible.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean exhausted.”
“Still not better.”
He hesitated.
“Nora, did you know Jessica had resigned?”
She looked up.
“What?”
“She submitted a resignation this morning.”
“Where is she?”
“I don't know.”
That answer made her uneasy.
At lunchtime, Nora received an email.
No subject.
One attachment.
A photograph.
She opened it.
Her blood ran cold.
It showed her father standing beside Marcus Vale outside Alder House.
Behind them stood a younger David Cole.
Three men.
One property.
One secret.
There was a handwritten message beneath the image.
ASK ETHAN WHY HIS FATHER DIED.
Nora immediately called Ethan.
He answered.
“Don't reply to the email.”
“I didn't.”
“Good.”
“Tell me about David.”
Silence.
Then:
“My father wasn't supposed to die.”
Nora closed her eyes.
“What happened?”
“He was meeting Thomas Whitmore.”
“Why?”
“To deliver evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
“A construction scheme worth hundreds of millions.”
Nora felt dizzy.
“What kind of scheme?”
“Properties bought cheap through intimidation. Historical buildings declared unsafe. Forced demolitions. Insurance fraud. Money routed through shell companies.”
“And my father found out?”
“Yes.”
“Did he have proof?”
“My father believed he did.”
“What happened to it?”
Ethan said:
“He gave it to your father.”
Nora looked at the architectural plans.
“Then my father hid it.”
“Probably.”
“Inside Alder House.”
“Possibly.”
Nora stood.
“We have to go there.”
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You don't understand what you're walking into.”
“I understand my father may have died protecting something.”
Ethan's voice softened.
“That's exactly why you shouldn't go.”
“I am going.”
A pause.
Then:
“I'll drive.”
Alder House stood on a hill beyond the city, surrounded by overgrown trees.
The building looked dead.
Broken windows.
Blackened bricks.
Vines creeping through the upper balconies.
Nora stared at it.
“My father loved this place.”
Ethan stood beside her.
“He probably knew someone would come back.”
They entered through a damaged side door.
The smell of wet wood and ash lingered.
Nora followed the old blueprint.
North wall.
Foundation.
She knelt.
Nothing.
Then she noticed a stone that sat slightly lower than the others.
“Here.”
Ethan helped lift it.
There was a metal box underneath.
Nora's hands shook.
Inside were three notebooks, an old flash drive, and an envelope.
The envelope contained a letter.
Her father's handwriting.
Nora unfolded it.
My little Nora,
If you are reading this, then I failed to keep the world away from you.
I am sorry.
There are people who believe money can erase truth.
They are wrong.
Truth survives.
Sometimes it survives inside walls.
Sometimes it survives inside people.
Trust those who protect others when no one is watching.
And never trust anyone who asks you to forget what you saw.
Nora began crying.
Ethan looked away.
She continued reading.
There is one person I believe can finish what David and I started.
His son may not know why.
But he will.
Nora slowly lowered the letter.
“It's you.”
Ethan stared at her.
“My father wrote about you.”
“Not me.”
“Your father.”
“No.”
She looked at the final line.
“He knew you would come.”
Ethan was silent.
A noise echoed from upstairs.
They both turned.
Footsteps.
Someone was inside.
Ethan motioned for Nora to stay behind him.
The footsteps stopped.
Then Jessica appeared at the end of the corridor.
Her face was pale.
“Nora.”
Nora's voice broke.
“You.”
Jessica raised both hands.
“Please.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You slept with Lincoln?”
“No.”
“Then why were you in his bedroom?”
Jessica cried.
“Because they made me.”
“Who?”
“Marcus.”
Nora felt a chill.
Jessica stepped forward.
“He threatened my brother.”
“What happened to him?”
“He disappeared three months ago.”
Nora stared.
“He's alive?”
“I don't know.”
Jessica wiped her tears.
“I thought if I did exactly what they said, they'd release him.”
“You ruined my life.”
“I know.”
“You made me believe I was worthless.”
“I know.”
“Why Lincoln?”
“Because Marcus knew you trusted him.”
Nora looked at Ethan.
“He used Lincoln?”
“Lincoln was trying to protect you,” Jessica whispered.
Nora's anger became confusion.
Jessica continued.
“Lincoln knew they were watching you. He started pretending he was involved because he believed he could get closer to them.”
“Then why cheat?”
“He didn't.”
Nora shook her head.
“I don't know what to believe.”
Jessica reached into her coat and pulled out a small key.
“He told me to give you this.”
Nora recognized it.
A storage key.
“What's there?”
“Everything.”
Before Nora could ask, a gunshot shattered a window.
Ethan pulled her to the floor.
Jessica screamed.
Another shot struck the wall.
Ethan grabbed the notebook and flash drive.
“Move!”
They ran through the back entrance.
By the time they reached the car, Ethan's shoulder was bleeding.
Nora stared.
“You're shot.”
“Grazed.”
“That's not nothing.”
“Drive.”
“I don't know where.”
He handed her the keys.
“To the storage facility.”
She started the engine.
May you like
Behind them, Alder House disappeared into the rain.
And somewhere inside that burning ruin, someone realized the truth was no longer safely hidden.
