Chapter 12 - The Recording
Rebecca played the audio once.
Nobody asked to hear it again.
Charles Whitmore’s voice was unmistakable.
“He won’t die. Reese knows what he’s doing. We need Cole scared, injured, and separated from the girl. Not dead.”
Another man answered.
Martin Cole.
“That was not the agreement.”
Charles laughed.
“You wanted a solution. Don’t become moral after ordering the problem removed.”
Martin said, “I said get Grace out of his life. I did not say touch Nathan’s car.”
The recording ended.
Nathan sat very still.
His uncle had helped start the chain.
Charles had escalated it.
Grace had paid the price.
Lily had grown up without a father.
And Nathan had spent four years believing Grace chose to disappear.
Rebecca called federal investigators.
The case had moved far beyond a family dispute.
Threats, evidence theft, cyber intrusion, attempted fraud, possible assault.
Nathan asked Victoria, “Why give us this?”
She looked exhausted.
“Because my father is going to destroy me next.”
“That doesn’t make this noble.”
“I know.”
Grace finally spoke.
“Did you send the threat to my house three months ago?”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
“Did you know about it?”
“No.”
Nathan believed that answer less than he wanted to.
Daniel entered with a new report.
Someone had accessed the Cole guest-house cameras from an outside server twenty minutes earlier.
Nathan stood.
“Lily?”
“Safe. But the access came from a device registered to Whitmore Holdings.”
Rebecca closed her laptop.
“Charles knows Victoria talked.”
Nathan’s phone buzzed.
A message from Charles.
YOU HAVE MY DAUGHTER. I HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT.
Attached was a photograph of Grace’s mother sitting in a car.
Terrified.
May you like
Alive.
For now.
