Chapter 15 - CALEB'S LAST REPORT
Clare laughed once because the alternative was crying.
"My mother never told me who my father was."
Marcus looked at her, then at Ellie.
"So she's my niece."
Ellie blinked. "Are you family?"
Marcus crouched.
"If you want me to be."
She handed him the latch toy.
"Fix the blue one."
He did.
Dominic watched from across the room.
For a family built on secrets, the simple answer felt almost violent.
Later, investigators opened Caleb Rowan's recovered personnel file.
Inside was his original report.
He had traced Black Harbor routes, Adrian's shell companies, Lake Briar, and Peter Sloan's payments.
At the end, Caleb had written:
IF SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME, DO NOT LET THEM CALL IT AN ACCIDENT.
Clare read it twice.
Vincent pointed to another note.
Caleb had also flagged a canceled flight Dominic was supposed to take three months before the Lower Wacker crash.
The plane had failed inspection before takeoff.
Arthur stared at the page.
"Adrian denied that one."
Dominic looked at him.
"Then who did it?"
Arthur shook his head.
"I don't know."
A detective entered with evidence from Caleb's old apartment.
One envelope.
Addressed to Dominic.
Never mailed.
Dominic opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
A man stood beside Dominic's private plane the night before the mechanical failure.
Not Adrian.
Not Peter.
Not Gerald's decoy.
Dr. Samuel Mercer.
Samuel stared at the photograph.
Then whispered, "That isn't me."
Dominic looked at him.
May you like
Samuel's face had gone white.
"It's Nathan."
