Chapter 7 - The Ninth Birthday Book
Nathan returned to New York without announcing Martin’s death.
Swiss police called it an unidentified street shooting.
Elias used his contacts to keep Nathan’s name out of the first reports.
They went directly to the original Cole estate.
Nathan had not slept there since his father died.
The house had been preserved exactly as Charles left it.
Portraits lined the walls.
Dark wood reflected the afternoon light.
Nathan remembered being eight years old and learning not to run through those halls.
He remembered Evelyn laughing when Charles was away.
He remembered her hiding chocolates inside library books.
He remembered believing that every family lived with silence at dinner.
Now he walked through the same house wondering how many secrets had been hidden behind its walls.
Elias followed him into the library.
Nathan searched the birthday shelf.
His mother had arranged every gift by year.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Nine.
Treasure Island.
Nathan removed the book.
Nothing happened.
He opened it.
The pages had been hollowed out.
Inside rested a small brass key.
Elias exhaled.
“Martin was telling the truth.”
Nathan removed the key.
Beneath it was another note in Evelyn’s handwriting.
THE TRUTH IS NOT IN THIS HOUSE.
Nathan flipped the paper.
On the back was an address.
A train station locker in New Haven.
Nathan looked at Elias.
“My mother had twelve years to tell you any of this.”
Elias stiffened.
Nathan continued.
“Why didn’t she?”
“I don’t know.”
“You were her lawyer.”
“I was also Charles’s lawyer.”
Nathan stared.
Elias did not look away.
“You’re wondering whether you can trust me.”
“Yes.”
“You shouldn’t.”
Nathan’s brow furrowed.
Elias removed his glasses.
“Trust evidence.”
“Not me.”
“Not Martin.”
“Not Grace.”
“Not Benjamin.”
“Not your memories.”
Nathan stared.
Elias continued.
“That is how people like Margaret survive.”
“They make relationships the evidence.”
“They make loyalty the evidence.”
“Then they manipulate loyalty.”
Nathan nodded slowly.
For the first time, Elias sounded completely honest.
They drove to New Haven.
Locker 419 sat at the far end of the station.
Nathan inserted the brass key.
The door opened.
Inside sat a red leather ledger.
Ledger Nine.
Nathan reached for it.
Elias grabbed his wrist.
“Wait.”
Nathan looked at him.
Elias pointed toward the hinge.
A thin wire ran behind the locker.
Nathan froze.
“Bomb?”
“Maybe an alarm.”
They stepped back.
Elias called a private explosives technician he trusted from federal litigation work.
Twenty-three minutes later, the technician inspected the locker.
“No explosive.”
Nathan exhaled.
“But there is a transmitter.”
Nathan frowned.
“What does it do?”
“Opening the ledger completes a circuit.”
“And then?”
“It sends a signal.”
“To where?”
The technician shrugged.
“Can’t tell from here.”
Nathan remembered the flash drive.
Everything had triggers.
Everything was designed to alert somebody.
He looked at the red ledger.
Grace had less than thirty hours.
“Disable it.”
The technician cut the wire.
Nathan opened the book.
The first page contained names.
Judges.
Doctors.
Senators.
Executives.
Police commissioners.
Each name had a number.
Payment amounts.
Dates.
Services.
Nathan felt sick.
Elias turned pages.
“This could dismantle half the state government.”
Nathan kept reading.
Then he found Grace Bennett.
Her name had three entries.
SURVEILLANCE.
MIGRATION CONTROL.
PATERNITY CONTAINMENT.
Nathan clenched his jaw.
Beside the third entry was a code.
V-17.
He searched the ledger index.
V-17 corresponded to Victoria Vale.
Nathan closed his eyes.
Victoria had personally authorized surveillance of Grace.
Then Nathan saw another code.
C-01.
He searched.
CHARLES COLE.
His father had approved it.
Nathan turned pages faster.
Evelyn Cole.
Her entry was different.
THREAT CLASSIFICATION.
REMOVAL AUTHORIZED.
Nathan stopped breathing.
Two codes appeared.
V-01.
MARGARET VALE.
And C-01.
CHARLES COLE.
His father had authorized his mother’s removal.
Nathan stepped backward.
Elias whispered.
“Oh God.”
Nathan could not look away.
There was another note beneath Evelyn’s entry.
EXECUTION FAILED.
Nathan stared.
“What?”
Elias leaned closer.
A second line followed.
SECONDARY ACTOR COMPLETED OPERATION.
No code.
No name.
Nathan’s pulse accelerated.
Margaret and Charles had authorized something.
But someone else had actually killed Evelyn.
That explained Martin’s final words.
Margaret ordered it.
Margaret didn’t kill her.
Both could be true.
Nathan flipped forward.
Benjamin Cross.
WITNESS.
STATUS: UNRESOLVED.
A recent handwritten note had been added.
Nathan stared at the ink.
Benjamin’s entry had been updated three weeks ago.
Ledger Nine had not been sitting untouched in this locker for twelve years.
Someone had been maintaining it.
Nathan looked at Elias.
“This is current.”
Elias nodded.
“Very.”
Nathan examined the handwriting.
He recognized it.
He had seen it on Christmas cards.
Birthday invitations.
Wedding planning notes.
Victoria.
Nathan stared at the letters.
“No.”
Elias looked.
Nathan pointed.
“That’s Victoria’s handwriting.”
Elias compared it with a text sample.
“Looks close.”
Nathan photographed the page.
His phone rang.
Victoria.
Nathan answered.
“Where is Grace?”
Victoria breathed slowly.
“I don’t know.”
“You have one opportunity.”
“Nathan, listen to me.”
“Where is she?”
“My mother has lost control.”
Nathan frowned.
“Of what?”
“Everything.”
Nathan looked at Elias.
Victoria continued.
“You think Margaret is running this.”
“She isn’t.”
“Who is?”
Silence.
Nathan heard a door close on Victoria’s end.
Then her voice dropped.
“My father.”
Nathan froze.
Victoria’s father, Samuel Vale, had died six years ago.
Officially.
Nathan laughed quietly.
“Try again.”
“I’m serious.”
“Samuel is dead.”
“No.”
Nathan stared.
Victoria began crying.
“My mother has been pretending he died.”
“Why?”
“Because he was supposed to disappear.”
“From whom?”
“Charles.”
Nathan’s mind raced.
“Where is Samuel?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I haven’t seen him in six months.”
“You’ve seen him since his funeral?”
“Yes.”
Nathan gripped the phone.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because he said he would kill me.”
Nathan glanced at Ledger Nine.
Victoria’s handwriting.
“Did you maintain Ledger Nine?”
Silence.
Nathan knew the answer.
“Victoria.”
“Yes.”
Elias looked at him sharply.
Nathan walked away from the technician.
“Why?”
“My father made me.”
“Bullshit.”
“You don’t understand him.”
“Then help me understand.”
Victoria’s breath trembled.
“He was the one who wanted Lily found.”
Nathan felt cold.
“Where is Grace?”
“I told you, I don’t know.”
“But your father does.”
“Yes.”
“Where can I find him?”
Victoria hesitated.
Then whispered.
“The old Vale psychiatric hospital.”
Nathan frowned.
“It closed ten years ago.”
“That’s why he uses it.”
“Grace is there?”
“I think so.”
Nathan looked at the clock.
“Why tell me?”
Victoria cried quietly.
“Because he told me this morning that Lily has to die.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
“And you suddenly developed a conscience?”
“No.”
Her answer surprised him.
“I’m scared.”
“At least that’s honest.”
Victoria inhaled.
“Nathan.”
“What?”
“There’s something else.”
“Say it.”
“Your mother didn’t die in the crash.”
Nathan stopped.
Victoria continued.
“She survived.”
The station noise disappeared around him.
“What?”
“She was alive when they pulled her from the car.”
Nathan could barely speak.
“How do you know?”
“Because my father was there.”
Nathan’s fingers tightened around the phone.
Victoria whispered.
“And according to him, Evelyn Cole was still alive three days later.”
Nathan stared into nothing.
“Where?”
Victoria answered.
“The hospital where Grace is being held.”
The call disconnected.
Nathan looked at Elias.
Elias saw his face.
“What did she say?”
Nathan closed Ledger Nine.
“We’re going to the Vale hospital.”
“Why?”
Nathan looked toward the train station exit.
“Because there’s a chance my mother was murdered there.”
He paused.
May you like
“And if Grace is there now, history is about to repeat itself.”
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