Chapter 15 - Ethan’s Last Meeting
Thomas Keller disappeared before police could arrest him.
His office was empty.
His home had been cleared.
His passport showed no international departure.
Detective Sloan believed he was still in Idaho.
For the first time, Dad appeared genuinely frightened.
“Keller knows everything.”
I faced him across a courthouse conference room two days later.
He had been charged with conspiracy, fraud, attempted custodial interference, identity theft, and several financial crimes.
More charges were possible.
He wore an orange jail uniform.
I had never imagined seeing my father like that.
“What does Keller know?” I asked.
Dad glanced at his attorney.
The attorney shook his head.
Dad ignored him.
“He knows where the money is.”
“What money?”
“The real money.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You stole millions and that isn’t the real money?”
Dad leaned toward me.
“Keller stole almost forty million from Ethan’s company over nine years.”
My breath caught.
“How?”
“Construction contracts.
Land acquisitions.
Tax structures.
He hid it everywhere.”
“And you knew?”
“Not originally.”
“When did you find out?”
“Six months ago.”
“Did you tell Ethan?”
“No.”
“Of course not.”
Dad looked angry.
“You think I wanted Ethan dead?”
“Yes.”
“I needed him alive.”
“Why?”
“Because Keller had begun moving money out of the country.
Ethan was the only person who could expose him without exposing all of us.”
I stared at him.
“You were stealing from the same man and needed him to save you.”
Dad looked away.
It was almost poetic.
“What happened the night Ethan died?”
Dad’s voice lowered.
“Keller asked Ethan to meet.”
“Yes.”
“Ethan secretly recorded it.”
My heart jumped.
“Where?”
“Garage File Seven.”
There it was again.
“What is it?”
“A backup folder Ethan created on a private server.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Because Carla found part of his notes.”
Dad swallowed.
“Garage File Seven contains the audio of Ethan’s meeting with Keller.”
“If Keller knows it exists—”
“He’ll destroy it.”
“Can he?”
Dad looked directly at me.
“Not without you.”
I froze.
“What does that mean?”
“Keller believed Ethan used a biometric encryption key.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Your voice.”
My pulse accelerated.
Dad continued.
“Ethan built the backup so only a passphrase spoken by you could unlock the archive.”
“Why?”
“Because he trusted you more than anyone.”
The words hit me hard.
My husband had built his last defense around my voice.
“What is the passphrase?”
Dad smiled sadly.
“That is the part Keller doesn’t know.”
“Do you?”
“No.”
I stood.
“This conversation is over.”
As I turned toward the door, Dad spoke again.
“Claire.”
I stopped.
“Keller may know where you’re staying.”
I looked back.
“How?”
“Because someone inside Walker Development has been feeding him information.”
“Who?”
Dad shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
That evening, I returned to the secure house.
The police officer outside was gone.
His patrol car remained.
The driver’s door stood open.
My heart began pounding.
I called Sloan.
Then I heard a sound from inside the house.
Noah crying.
I ran toward the door.
Margaret grabbed my arm.
“Claire, no.”
Then my phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
ONE PHRASE FOR YOUR CHILDREN.
GARAGE FILE SEVEN.
May you like
COME ALONE.
*
