Chapter 14 - THE HOUSE ON BLACKWATER LAKE
The Bennett lake house stood behind iron gates and dead pine trees.
My grandfather had built it when my father was a child.
The property had no neighboring houses.
No cameras.
No reliable phone signal.
It was the perfect place for secrets.
Agent Grant’s team stopped half a mile away.
I wore a small transmitter inside my collar.
The real ledger remained with federal investigators.
I carried a copy made from high-resolution scans.
The brass key was hidden in my shoe.
My father opened the front door before I knocked.
He held a gun beside his leg.
“Come inside.”
The house smelled like dust and fireplace smoke.
Ava sat in the dining room with her wrists tied.
My mother stood beside her.
Blood marked the sleeve of my mother’s coat, but she appeared conscious.
“Give me the ledger,” my father said.
“Release them first.”
He laughed.
“You are negotiating with me now?”
“I learned from the best.”
He raised the gun.
“Do not flatter yourself.”
I placed the copied ledger on the table.
He flipped through the pages.
For a moment, I believed he would recognize it.
Then he reached the torn final page.
“Where is the rest?”
“That is how I found it.”
“You are lying.”
“Ethan said you removed the final page.”
“Ethan says whatever keeps him alive.”
Ava stared at me.
Her expression shifted toward the hallway behind my father.
Someone else was inside the house.
My father moved closer.
“Where is the key?”
“What key?”
He struck the table with the gun.
“The safe key.”
My mother stepped forward.
“Richard, she brought what you asked for.”
“Be quiet.”
“You promised to release Ava.”
“I promised nothing.”
He turned toward my mother.
“You were supposed to keep Emily obedient.”
“I tried.”
“You failed with both children.”
My mother looked at me.
Then she looked back at him.
“No.”
“We failed them.”
The words hung in the room.
My father’s expression became empty.
“You think one guilty confession changes what you are?”
“No.”
She slowly moved between him and Ava.
“But I am finished helping you.”
He raised the gun toward her.
I lunged for the table.
A crash sounded from the hallway.
Ethan stumbled into the room.
His hospital gown was hidden beneath a stolen coat.
A bandage covered his forehead.
He held a metal lockbox against his chest.
My father lowered the gun in shock.
“How did you get here?”
Ethan smiled weakly.
“You taught me never to trust the police.”
He placed the lockbox on the table.
“I have the final page.”
My father took one step toward him.
Ethan stepped back.
“I want ten million dollars and a plane.”
“You are in no position to demand anything.”
“I sent copies to three reporters.”
“That is a lie.”
“Then shoot me.”
My father stared at his son.
Ethan stared back.
For the first time, they looked exactly alike.
My father smiled.
“You finally became useful.”
Ethan opened the lockbox.
Inside was an envelope bearing my grandfather’s seal.
And beside it was a portable drive.
My father reached for both.
Ethan grabbed the gun.
They struggled.
A shot exploded through the room.
May you like
Ava screamed.
My mother fell to the floor.
