Chapter 4
Arthur could not speak.
The voice was older.
Rougher.
But unmistakable.
“Daniel?”
Ethan stared at him.
The officer motioned for Arthur to keep the caller talking.
Daniel laughed softly.
“You really believed I was dead.”
Arthur tightened his grip on the phone.
“Where are you?”
“Close.”
“What do you want?”
“You know what I want.”
Arthur walked toward the window but stayed away from the glass.
“You threatened my children.”
“No. Victoria frightened your children. That was her mistake.”
Arthur looked outside toward the patrol car.
Victoria was crying.
“You told her to do it.”
“I told her to create pressure.”
“You planted a tracker in Ethan’s backpack.”
“I needed to know where my family was.”
“They are not your family.”
Daniel went silent.
Then his voice became colder.
“You have my company. My house. My money.”
“I inherited those things after everyone thought you were dead!”
“And you never questioned your luck.”
Arthur remembered their father.
The old man had spent years searching for Daniel.
He had died still grieving.
“You let Dad die believing he lost you.”
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“Dad chose you long before the accident.”
“That’s not true.”
“You were always his favorite.”
Arthur almost shouted back, but Maya entered the room.
She was holding Ethan’s hand.
Arthur immediately lowered his voice.
“This ends tonight.”
Daniel laughed.
“No, Arthur. Tonight is when it begins.”
The call ended.
Police began working to trace the number.
Arthur turned toward his children.
“We’re leaving the house.”
“Where?” Ethan asked.
“Somewhere safe.”
The police arranged temporary protection.
Arthur packed only essentials.
As he carried bags downstairs, Ethan entered Arthur’s bedroom.
“Dad?”
Arthur looked up.
Ethan was holding an old photograph.
Two teenage boys stood beside a lake.
Arthur and Daniel.
“Is that him?”
“Yes.”
“He looks like you.”
Arthur took the photograph.
Once, Daniel had been his hero.
He taught Arthur how to swim.
How to ride a bike.
How to fight back against school bullies.
Then, sometime during their twenties, Daniel changed.
He became angry about money.
Angry about their father.
Angry about everything Arthur had.
Arthur had thought those problems ended when Daniel disappeared.
He was wrong.
A police officer drove Arthur and the children to a secure hotel.
Victoria remained in custody for questioning.
Arthur put Maya to bed first.
She refused to sleep alone.
So Ethan lay beside her until her eyes closed.
Arthur stood in the doorway watching them.
“You protected her today,” he said quietly.
Ethan shrugged.
“She’s little.”
“You’re little too.”
“I’m eight.”
Arthur almost smiled.
Then Ethan became serious.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Victoria said something yesterday.”
Arthur sat beside him.
“What?”
“She said soon we’d have a different father.”
Arthur felt cold.
“What exactly did she say?”
Ethan thought carefully.
“She said you wouldn’t be around forever.”
Arthur’s expression changed.
“Did she say why?”
“No.”
Arthur stood immediately and called the detective assigned to the case.
The detective listened.
Then he told Arthur something worse.
The insurance papers from Victoria’s box had been reviewed.
A life insurance policy had been changed three months earlier.
Arthur had never signed the change.
The beneficiary was Victoria.
But there was another document.
If Victoria died before collecting, the money transferred to a private trust.
The trust had one administrator.
Daniel.
Arthur hung up slowly.
Someone knocked on the hotel door.
Everyone froze.
The police officer outside checked through the peephole.
Then relaxed.
“Hotel staff.”
Arthur still felt uneasy.
The officer opened the door slightly.
A young employee stood outside with a tray.
“Room service.”
“We didn’t order anything.”
The employee looked confused.
“It was prepaid.”
Arthur stepped closer.
On the tray was a covered dish.
Beside it was a folded card.
The officer opened the card first.
May you like
Three words were written inside.
Welcome home, Arthur.
