Chapter 5 - THE LODGE
The lodge sat above a frozen lake near Lake Placid.
Julian's plane was on the strip.
His SUV was outside.
No Julian.
Inside the lodge, one room had been disturbed.
Adriana's old study.
A floorboard had been lifted.
Under it was a metal box.
Marcus recognized Adriana's handwriting.
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME.
Inside were three flash drives.
A key.
A photograph of Victoria.
And a letter.
Marcus,
If you are reading this, I was right to be afraid.
Do not trust Paul Renner.
Do not trust Julian Crest.
And if Victoria Lang ever comes near Sofia, keep her away.
Sofia had not been born when Adriana wrote this.
Adriana had been pregnant.
Four days before the crash.
Marcus kept reading.
Victoria is not who she says she is. She is tied to Julian by more than a past relationship. I found payments between them after she told me they were no longer in contact.
Adriana had discovered Victoria never truly left Julian.
The shelter story was partly staged.
Victoria used Adriana's access to learn how Vale charitable trusts worked.
Then she fed Julian information.
Adriana caught them.
She planned to expose both.
The flash drives contained copies of offshore transfers.
One account name appeared repeatedly.
ORCHID HOUSE.
"What's that?"
Ethan went pale.
"Adriana's shelter foundation."
Someone had siphoned donor money through the organization.
Julian controlled the vendor network.
Victoria recruited vulnerable women to create fake service invoices.
Adriana found out.
Then she died.
For two years he blamed himself for not insisting she stay home that night.
The truth was worse.
Someone may have chased her off the road.
A noise came from upstairs.
Police raised weapons.
A man stumbled into the hallway.
Julian Crest.
Bleeding from the side.
He collapsed.
"Who shot you?"
"Victoria."
"She's in jail."
"No."
He coughed.
"The woman in jail isn't Victoria."
Silence.
"What are you talking about?"
May you like
Julian whispered, "Victoria Lang died three years ago."
Then who had been living in his house?
