Chapter 11 - RETURN TO LAKE BRIAR
Police reached Lake Briar before dawn.
Doreen was gone.
But she had been there.
The fireplace was still warm.
A mug of coffee sat beside the sink.
One bedroom closet stood open.
A section of floorboards had been removed.
Whatever had been hidden beneath them was gone.
Morgan called Abram from the cabin.
“You need to tell me what she might have kept here.”
“I didn’t even know Dad died there.”
“Think.”
Abram closed his eyes.
Memories.
Summer weekends.
Fishing poles.
Felix burning burgers.
Elias repairing the dock.
Doreen complaining about mosquitoes.
Nothing.
Then one image surfaced.
“My father had a safe.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Describe it.”
“Small.”
“Black.”
“He used to call it the lake box.”
“What was inside?”
“Cash.”
“Documents.”
“Emergency keys.”
Morgan looked toward the removed floorboards.
“We found bolt marks.”
“She took it.”
Abram knew.
“What would be in it after seven years?”
Morgan looked around.
“Something important enough to risk coming back for.”
The news spread by noon.
LOCAL BUSINESSWOMAN SOUGHT IN PREGNANT WOMAN’S CONFINEMENT CASE.
Reporters gathered outside the Mercer property.
Doreen’s photograph appeared on television.
Martin Vale’s photograph followed.
Martin had now been formally arrested on charges related to unlawful confinement, forgery, and obstruction.
He denied helping imprison Celia.
He blamed everything on Doreen.
Doreen had not been found.
Abram watched the coverage from Celia’s hospital room.
Celia muted the television.
“Stop.”
Abram looked at her.
“What?”
“You’ve watched the same report four times.”
“I’m trying to see if they say anything new.”
“They don’t.”
Celia touched his hand.
“Come here.”
He sat.
“You haven’t slept.”
“Neither have you.”
“I was locked in a shed.”
“What’s your excuse?”
Abram almost smiled.
Then Celia’s face changed.
She pressed her hand against her abdomen.
Abram stood immediately.
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“Celia.”
“Contraction.”
He reached for the call button.
She caught his hand.
“Wait.”
Thirty seconds passed.
The pain faded.
Abram stared at her.
“That’s the third one.”
Celia sighed.
“Fine.”
The nurse entered.
Two hours later, the obstetrician ordered Celia to remain hospitalized.
Stress and dehydration had triggered early contractions.
The baby was still stable.
But everyone became more cautious.
Doreen’s actions were no longer only part of the past six days.
Their effects were continuing inside Celia’s body.
Dana returned that afternoon carrying a folder.
“Good news.”
Abram looked up.
“We need some.”
Dana sat.
“The cloud provider recovered Celia’s deleted files.”
Celia nearly sat upright.
“All of them?”
“Not all.”
“But a lot.”
Abram stared.
“How?”
“Version history.”
Dana smiled.
“Apparently Doreen and Martin are better at intimidation than cloud architecture.”
Celia laughed for the first time since the rescue.
It lasted only seconds.
Then Dana opened the folder.
“The recovered records show a payment to Seth Rourke yesterday.”
Abram’s smile vanished.
“How much?”
“Twenty-five thousand.”
“For what?”
“No description.”
Dana turned another page.
“But there was also a hotel reservation.”
“Under Rourke’s name?”
“No.”
“Under Doreen’s.”
“Where?”
“Fairfax.”
Abram looked toward the deputies outside Celia’s room.
Morgan was called.
Within an hour, officers entered the hotel room.
Empty.
But they found something.
Photographs of Abram.
Celia.
Felix.
Dana.
Leonard.
Margaret.
Samuel.
Every witness.
Pinned to a board.
Some photographs had been crossed out.
Celia’s image had a red circle around it.
So did Abram’s.
Morgan photographed everything.
One item remained on the desk.
A handwritten schedule.
Hospital.
Diner.
Lake house.
Cemetery.
Abram stared at the final word when Morgan showed him.
“Cemetery?”
Morgan nodded.
“St. Matthew’s.”
“My father.”
“That would be my guess.”
“Why?”
“We’ve accelerated the exhumation request.”
Abram stared at her.
“You think she’ll try to remove evidence.”
“Yes.”
Police placed surveillance around the cemetery that night.
At 1:18 a.m., motion cameras triggered.
A dark pickup entered through the service gate.
Two men stepped out.
Neither was Doreen.
One was Seth Rourke.
The second carried digging equipment.
Deputies moved in.
Rourke ran.
He made it less than fifty yards.
The second man surrendered.
Inside the truck, police found shovels.
Plastic sheeting.
A portable grinder.
And Doreen’s missing pistol.
Morgan called Abram at 2:04 a.m.
“We have Rourke.”
Abram sat upright beside Celia.
“Where is my mother?”
“He says he doesn’t know.”
“Do you believe him?”
“No.”
“What was he doing at Dad’s grave?”
“He wants a lawyer.”
Abram looked toward Celia.
She was awake now.
Morgan continued.
“But the other man is talking.”
“What did he say?”
“He was paid to open the grave.”
“Why?”
“He was told there was jewelry in the casket.”
Abram almost laughed.
“Jewelry?”
“That’s what Rourke told him.”
“Do you believe that?”
“No.”
Morgan paused.
“And we found something else in the truck.”
“What?”
“A cremation container.”
Abram stopped.
“Empty?”
“Yes.”
His stomach tightened.
Morgan continued.
“We believe the plan may have been to remove your father’s remains.”
“And replace them?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Destroy them.”
Celia closed her eyes.
Abram felt rage rise.
Even dead, Elias was not allowed to keep evidence.
Morgan spoke again.
“The judge signed the exhumation order.”
“When?”
“Tomorrow morning.”
Abram looked toward the dark window.
“What if there’s nothing in the coffin?”
Morgan did not answer immediately.
“We’ll find out.”
At nine the next morning, Abram and Felix stood behind the cemetery barrier.
Neither spoke while workers raised the casket.
The metal exterior was badly corroded.
A forensic team opened it beneath a temporary enclosure.
Abram could not see inside.
Morgan entered.
She remained there for six minutes.
When she emerged, Abram knew from her face.
“What?”
Morgan removed her gloves.
“There are remains.”
Abram exhaled.
Felix covered his mouth.
“But?”
Abram asked.
Morgan looked toward both brothers.
“The remains are male.”
“Approximate age is consistent.”
“Then what?”
Morgan hesitated.
“There is evidence of a previous autopsy.”
Abram frowned.
“We were told there wasn’t one.”
“I know.”
“And there is something else.”
“What?”
Morgan looked toward the enclosure.
“The skull has a fracture.”
Felix stared at her.
“From burial?”
“The medical examiner says no.”
Abram felt the world narrow.
Morgan continued.
“It appears your father suffered significant blunt-force trauma before death.”
May you like
The heart-attack story had just collapsed completely.
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