Chapter 11 - The Shadow PartnerLater that afternoon, after Detective Hayes departed, I walked down the wooden steps of the porch toward the rocky shore. The tide was low, exposing dark, jagged stones beneath the churning foam.
Marcus was waiting by the water’s edge, skipping smooth pebbles across the surface of the gray waves.
"You knew, didn't you?" I asked, coming to a halt a few feet away from him.
Marcus didn't turn around immediately. He tossed one last stone, watching it skip four times before sinking beneath the surf. Then he turned, his piercing eyes meeting mine.
"I suspected," Marcus admitted. "My father was the engineer who held those original patents, Arthur. The man Julian murdered thirty years ago."
I felt the air leave my lungs. I took a step back, the shock rippling through my seventy-two-year-old limbs. "Your father... then why did you save me? Why help me put Julian away instead of taking your revenge on me?"
"Because you were just as much a pawn in Julian's game as my family was," Marcus said steadily, stepping closer. "Ruth loved you, Arthur. Even under Julian's thumb, she tried to keep you safe from the truth. When I watched you stand up to Vanessa and Grant in that burning hallway... I realized you didn't know anything about the syndicate."
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"So you became my shadow," I said softly.
"I became your shield," Marcus corrected. "And now that Julian is locked away, there's only one loose end left."
