The Photograph That Shouldn't Exist
Chapter 07 - The Photograph That Shouldn't Exist
Adrian studied the photograph until his hands hurt from gripping it.
Ethan looked older.
His hair was streaked with gray.
There was a scar along his jaw.
But it was unquestionably him.
Victor stood beside him outside a rural gas station.
Rachel shook her head.
"I've never seen this."
"Where did the trunk come from?"
"Ethan arranged for it to be delivered if something happened to him."
"When?"
"Nine years ago."
Adrian frowned.
"Then how did a photograph from six months ago get inside?"
Someone had opened the trunk.
Recently.
They searched the boxes.
Beneath a false wooden panel, Noah discovered a small digital recorder.
Rachel pressed play.
Static filled the unit.
Then Ethan's voice.
"If Adrian hears this, I was wrong about him."
Adrian stopped breathing.
The recording continued.
"Victor made me believe my brother stole everything from me. He forged the documents. He convinced me Adrian wanted me dead."
Rachel covered her mouth.
Ethan's voice grew weaker.
"I wasted years hiding from the only family I had."
Adrian closed his eyes.
"But Victor's bigger secret isn't the money."
The recording suddenly crackled.
Then Ethan said:
"Our father's death wasn't an accident."
The audio ended.
No explanation.
No evidence.
Nothing else.
Adrian sat down heavily.
Their father had died in a private plane crash twenty-two years earlier.
The investigation blamed mechanical failure.
Victor had been scheduled to fly with him.
He canceled that morning.
Rachel looked at Adrian.
"Do you understand now?"
Adrian did.
This wasn't simply about Ethan.
It wasn't simply about stolen money.
Victor had been inside the Cole family for decades.
And if Ethan had discovered the truth...
Victor had every reason to make him disappear again.
Noah suddenly pointed toward the storage-unit entrance.
May you like
A shadow moved beneath the door.
Someone was outside.
