CHAPTER 9 — THE TRUTH MY FATHER NEVER TOLD ME
Just when I thought there could be no more secrets...
Harold Whitmore quietly spoke again.
"Daniel..."
"I still haven't told you why I kept searching for you."
I frowned.
"I thought it was because of the fraud."
He slowly shook his head.
"No."
He reached into his briefcase and removed a sealed envelope.
"This arrived five years ago."
"The day after you left for Saudi Arabia."
"It was addressed to you personally."
I looked at the handwriting.
My father's.
My father had died twelve years earlier.
"What is this?"
Harold answered softly.
"Your father left strict instructions."
"He told me to give you this only if something terrible happened within the family."
My heart pounded as I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
My son,
If you're reading this, it means I failed to protect you.
There is something you never knew.
Gertrude is not your biological mother.
The words blurred before my eyes.
"What..."
Harold nodded sadly.
"It's true."
"My father adopted you when you were three."
"Your biological parents died in a highway accident."
"My father never wanted you to feel different, so he kept the truth hidden."
I couldn't breathe.
Sarah squeezed my hand.
The letter continued.
I loved you as my own son.
But Gertrude never accepted the adoption.
She stayed only because she wanted my money.
If I die before exposing her, she'll eventually come after everything—including you.
Forgive me for not telling you sooner.
Inside the safety deposit box at First National Bank is the original will.
Only you know the key's hiding place.
A key.
Suddenly I remembered.
When I was ten years old, my father had given me an old pocketknife.
Inside its wooden handle...
there had always been a tiny brass key.
I had carried that knife to Saudi Arabia for luck.
It was still inside my suitcase.
Harold looked directly into my eyes.
"That safety deposit box has never been opened."
I whispered,
"What's inside?"
Harold answered quietly.
"The evidence that proves this mansion..."
He paused.
"...and nearly every property Gertrude controls..."
"...never legally belonged to her."
At that exact moment, a police officer's radio crackled.
"We've located Gertrude Foster."
Everyone looked up.
The officer's face was grim.
"But there's a problem."
"What problem?" I asked.
He swallowed hard.
"She's taken Jamie."
May you like
The world stopped.
My son was gone.
