Chapter 3 - The Man Who Knew Too Much
The message changed everything.
General Mitchell immediately ordered the house secured.
Military police surrounded the property.
My parents returned twenty minutes later.
My father looked furious.
"What is going on?"
I held up my phone.
"Someone threatened me."
His expression changed.
"What?"
"Where is the box?"
He stared at me.
"What box?"
"The box Marcus sent me."
"I don't know."
"You had it."
"No."
I knew he was lying.
The general stepped forward.
"Mr. Harrison, this is now a federal investigation."
My father went pale.
"What?"
"Cooperation is mandatory."
My mother started crying.
"I don't understand."
I looked at her.
"Where's Victoria?"
"I don't know."
"Where's Raymond?"
"I don't know."
Then my father's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
I saw the caller's name.
Raymond.
He declined it.
I stared at him.
"Why didn't you answer?"
He said nothing.
General Mitchell took the phone.
"Answer."
My father hesitated.
Then accepted.
Raymond's voice came through.
"Did she tell you?"
My father's eyes widened.
"Tell me what?"
Raymond laughed.
"She's going after the box."
I stepped closer.
"What do you know?"
Silence.
Then Raymond said:
"Ask your father what happened the night Marcus disappeared."
The call ended.
My father sat down.
I stared at him.
"What happened?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
My mother whispered:
"Harrison."
He looked at her.
"Enough."
She began crying.
"You promised."
My heart pounded.
"What did he promise?"
My father looked at me.
"We were told Marcus had become a liability."
"Who told you?"
He didn't answer.
"Who?"
He whispered a name.
"Raymond."
I stared.
My sister's husband.
A wealthy businessman.
A man I had never trusted.
"He approached us six months ago."
"Why?"
"He said Marcus had stolen something."
"What?"
"A government file."
I closed my eyes.
Marcus had been framed.
My father continued.
"Raymond said if we helped him locate the file, he'd make sure our debts disappeared."
I looked at my mother.
"You knew?"
She nodded through tears.
"That's why you treated me like this?"
My father looked ashamed.
"We thought you were protecting Marcus."
I laughed bitterly.
"You sent his pregnant wife into a freezing garage."
"We didn't know you were still military."
"Would that have changed anything?"
He couldn't answer.
Then a gunshot echoed outside.
Everyone froze.
General Mitchell pushed me behind him.
Another shot.
Military police shouted.
A black SUV sped away from the driveway.
The rear window shattered.
I stared after it.
"Raymond."
General Mitchell nodded.
"Probably."
Then he looked at my father.
"Where would he go?"
My father whispered:
"Marcus's storage facility."
I knew exactly where.
The place Marcus had rented under a false name.
May you like
The place no one in my family knew about.
Except Raymond.
