Chapter 9 - The Founder
Arthur Sterling had a grave.
Richard had visited it since childhood.
The headstone stood beside his grandmother’s beneath an enormous cedar tree on the north side of the family cemetery.
ARTHUR JAMES STERLING.
1918–1999.
FOUNDER.
FATHER.
VISIONARY.
Richard had delivered flowers there every Memorial Day.
Now he watched a living version of his grandfather smile from a hostage video.
Detective Ortiz immediately questioned the obvious.
“He would be one hundred and eight.”
Richard nodded.
“The man in that video is maybe eighty.”
Marcus looked closer.
“So it cannot be your grandfather.”
Richard stared at the face.
“No.”
Ortiz waited.
“Then who?”
Richard thought of family photographs.
Arthur had one son everyone remembered.
Conrad.
And one younger son.
Victor.
But there had been stories about another child.
Never discussed.
A scandal.
Richard’s grandmother had once mentioned a boy before being sharply corrected by Conrad.
Richard had been nine.
He had forgotten until now.
“My grandfather had a brother.”
Ortiz frowned.
“No.”
Richard corrected himself.
“A half brother.”
“Name?”
Richard struggled to remember.
“Alexander.”
Marcus looked at the ledger.
“A.”
Richard nodded slowly.
“Alexander Sterling.”
Ortiz began searching her database.
Richard continued remembering.
“My great-grandfather had an affair with a household employee.”
“Alexander was born before Arthur.”
“Family records barely acknowledged him.”
Marcus asked.
“What happened to him?”
“I was told he died young.”
Ortiz looked at her phone.
“No death certificate.”
Richard stared.
She continued.
“I have an Alexander James Sterling born in 1943.”
“That would make him eighty-three.”
“Which fits the man in the video.”
Richard sat.
Alexander had lived in the shadow of Arthur.
Then Arthur built Sterling Global.
Perhaps Alexander wanted what Arthur received.
Perhaps decades of blackmail and theft began there.
Ortiz searched further.
“Alexander changed his surname in 1962.”
“To what?”
“Vale.”
Richard’s head snapped up.
Marcus whispered.
“No.”
Ortiz showed them.
Alexander James Vale.
Richard looked at Adrian’s birth certificate.
Adrian Michael Vale.
“Adrian.”
He felt the pieces connecting.
“Alexander was Adrian’s father.”
Ortiz nodded.
“Which makes Vanessa Alexander’s granddaughter.”
Marcus looked stunned.
“So the man blackmailing Vanessa is her own grandfather.”
Richard thought of the recording.
Vanessa accusing “Victor” of killing her father.
The man had never corrected her.
He had let her believe he was Victor Sterling.
Why?
Because if Vanessa knew his true identity, she might understand that Adrian’s disappearance had been part of a deeper family war.
Richard opened the ledger.
Alexander had been behind Victor.
Victor had been behind Adrian’s disappearance.
But Adrian was Alexander’s own son.
That made no sense.
Unless Adrian had turned against him.
Richard returned to Conrad’s letter.
ADRIAN VALE DISCOVERED THE ACCOUNTS AND CAME TO ME.
Adrian had discovered his father’s criminal network.
Then tried to expose it.
Alexander ordered his own son removed.
Vanessa spent her life believing the Sterlings killed her father.
In truth, her grandfather had.
Richard whispered.
“She has been avenging the wrong man.”
Marcus looked at him.
“And Alexander made sure she did.”
Richard nodded.
The cruelty of it was almost elegant.
Alexander had taken Adrian’s daughter.
Filled her with hatred.
Pointed that hatred at Richard.
Then used her to dismantle Sterling Global from inside.
But something had changed.
Vanessa fell in love with Richard.
She had Ethan.
And whatever revenge she originally wanted became tangled with a family she had never intended to care about.
Then Alexander used Ethan against her.
Richard hated Vanessa for what she had done.
But he also began to understand the trap.
Not forgive.
Understand.
Ortiz spoke.
“We need to locate the factory.”
Richard looked at her.
“There are three old Sterling textile properties.”
“Which one?”
“The original.”
He stood.
“Outside Millbrook.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“I’m going.”
Ortiz immediately said.
“No.”
“My daughter is there.”
“That makes you emotionally compromised.”
“My daughter is seven.”
“That does not change procedure.”
Marcus moved closer.
Richard blocked him.
“Marcus.”
“Don’t.”
“Listen.”
Marcus’s eyes were red.
Richard understood perfectly.
“If you go in angry, Alexander uses it.”
“What would you do if Ethan were there?”
Richard did not answer.
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“Exactly.”
Richard looked toward Ethan’s room.
Then back.
“I would go.”
Marcus nodded.
“So am I.”
Ortiz exhaled.
“We are not staging an amateur rescue.”
Richard said.
“Then don’t.”
She stared.
“I will cooperate.”
“That is not what your face says.”
Richard almost smiled.
“No.”
“It probably doesn’t.”
Police began preparing the operation.
Meanwhile, Hannah sat beside Ethan.
The little boy had awakened after only an hour.
He was eating toast cut into small squares.
He seemed calmer.
Children sometimes returned to ordinary behavior with an almost painful speed.
Hannah watched him line the pieces along the plate.
“Lion.”
He said.
Hannah smiled.
“Yes.”
“Daddy find book?”
Her smile faded.
“How do you know Daddy found it?”
Ethan pointed toward the door.
“Blue lady said Daddy find.”
“When?”
“Wall.”
“What else did the blue lady tell you?”
Ethan thought.
“She say tell Daddy clock.”
Hannah leaned forward.
“What clock?”
“Big clock.”
“Where?”
“Grandpa clock.”
Hannah knew the manor contained many clocks.
“Which one?”
Ethan lifted his arms as high as he could.
“Big.”
The grandfather clock.
In the main foyer.
It had belonged to Arthur Sterling.
Hannah stood.
“Stay with Dr. Ross.”
She found Richard downstairs.
He was putting on a protective vest offered by Ortiz.
“Hannah?”
“Ethan remembered something.”
Richard stopped.
“What?”
“The blue lady told him to tell you about the grandfather clock.”
Richard looked toward the foyer.
They hurried.
The antique clock stood fourteen feet high.
It had remained in the manor since before Richard was born.
Richard opened its lower cabinet.
Nothing unusual.
Marcus checked behind it.
No hidden panel.
Hannah crouched.
“There’s something under the pendulum.”
A small piece of blue fabric had been wedged behind the base.
Marcus grabbed it.
“Elena’s dress.”
Richard examined the wood.
A tiny latch was hidden beneath the frame.
He pressed it.
A compartment opened.
Inside sat a memory card.
And a folded note.
Marcus took the note.
His wife’s handwriting.
IF YOU FIND THIS, ALEXANDER KNOWS I BETRAYED HIM.
DO NOT COME FOR ME UNTIL YOU WATCH THE CARD.
Richard inserted the memory card into a laptop.
The footage showed Elena.
She was sitting alone inside Room Seventeen.
“Richard.”
She looked directly into the camera.
“If Ethan got the recorder to you, then we still have a chance.”
Marcus whispered.
“Elena.”
She continued.
“Alexander has controlled Vanessa since she was a teenager.”
“He told her Adrian died because Conrad ordered it.”
“That was a lie.”
“Adrian discovered Alexander’s network.”
“He tried to expose his own father.”
“Victor kidnapped Adrian on Alexander’s order.”
“Conrad tried to rescue him.”
“He failed.”
Richard stared.
That confirmed his suspicion.
Elena continued.
“Vanessa does not know Alexander is her grandfather.”
“She believes he is Victor.”
“She believes Victor survived the boat accident.”
“She believes he kidnapped Olivia.”
“Some of that is true.”
Marcus leaned closer.
“What?”
Elena continued.
“Alexander took Olivia.”
“But I allowed him to think I was helping.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“I had no choice.”
“He threatened Marcus.”
“He threatened Olivia.”
“And eighteen months ago, I discovered something worse.”
She placed a document in front of the camera.
A death certificate.
Her own.
“My car crash was staged.”
“Not by Alexander.”
Richard frowned.
“By me.”
Marcus stopped breathing.
“I needed him to believe Elena Reed was dead.”
“So I could become someone else.”
She showed another identification card.
ELENA VALE.
Richard stared.
Elena had taken Vanessa’s family name.
“I infiltrated Alexander’s operation.”
“I found Olivia after he took her.”
“I could have run with her.”
Marcus whispered.
“Why didn’t you?”
The video answered.
“But if I ran, he would kill Richard, Ethan, Vanessa, and Marcus.”
“So I stayed.”
Marcus sank into a chair.
Elena continued.
“There is one more thing you need to understand before you go to the factory.”
“Alexander wants the ledger.”
“But not because it proves his crimes.”
“He wants it because something is hidden inside the binding.”
Richard picked up the black ledger.
Elena leaned closer to the camera.
“Conrad placed a data key in the spine.”
“It contains the access credentials to the real Sterling accounts.”
“Not Sterling Global’s public money.”
“Alexander’s network.”
“Billions.”
Richard’s eyes widened.
Elena continued.
“If Alexander gets that key, he can disappear permanently.”
“If he believes you have discovered it, he will trade almost anything.”
“Even hostages.”
Marcus looked at Richard.
That was leverage.
Then Elena said one final thing.
“Richard.”
“If Vanessa is still alive, do not tell her who Alexander really is.”
Richard frowned.
“Why?”
The video answered him.
“Because Vanessa already knows.”
The room went still.
Elena’s expression changed.
“She found out three days ago.”
“And since then, she has not been trying to escape Alexander.”
“She has been planning to kill him.”
The video ended.
Richard stared at the screen.
Then his phone rang.
Vanessa.
He answered instantly.
Her whisper came through.
“Richard.”
“Where are you?”
“I have maybe thirty seconds.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Yes.”
His jaw tightened.
“Julian?”
“Alive.”
“Olivia?”
“Alive.”
“Elena?”
A pause.
“You know.”
“Yes.”
Vanessa inhaled.
“Then listen to me.”
Richard waited.
“Do not come to the factory.”
“Why?”
“Because Alexander knows about the data key.”
Richard looked at the ledger.
“He thinks I have it.”
“No.”
Vanessa’s voice trembled.
“He knows Ethan does.”
Richard froze.
“That’s impossible.”
Vanessa whispered.
“Elena hid the key before she was captured.”
“Where?”
There was a sound in the background.
A door opening.
Vanessa spoke quickly.
“She put it inside Ethan’s recorder.”
The line went dead.
Richard slowly looked toward the evidence room.
May you like
The recorder was no longer there.
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