CHAPTER 5 â The Man Everyone Buried
Emma drove through the pouring rain with trembling hands.
The old Carter lake house had been abandoned for years. Since her father's funeral, no one in the family had dared return.
Or so she had believed.
As she pushed open the rusted gate, the house looked frozen in time.
The porch swing moved gently.
But there was no wind.
"Hello?" Emma called.
No answer.
She stepped inside.
Dust covered every piece of furniture.
Family photographs still hung on the wallsâexcept one.
The portrait of her father had been removed.
Instead, only a clean rectangle remained on the faded wallpaper.
Someone had been here recently.
Emma's heartbeat thundered inside her ears.
Then...
A floorboard creaked upstairs.
She slowly climbed the staircase, gripping a heavy flashlight.
The master bedroom door stood slightly open.
Inside sat an old wooden desk.
On top of it was a small leather journal.
Her father's handwriting.
She opened the first page.
If you're reading this, they finally came for you.
Emma nearly dropped the journal.
Each page described a criminal empire hidden behind Daniel's wealthy family.
Bribes.
Political corruption.
Shell companies.
Even suspicious "accidents" involving business rivals.
Then she reached the final page.
It read:
Never trust your Uncle Richard. He betrayed me first.
Emma froze.
Uncle Richard...
The man who had comforted her at her father's funeral.
The man who had walked her down the aisle only hours earlier.
Suddenly...
A shotgun clicked behind her.
"You should've stayed dead with your father," a familiar voice whispered.
Emma slowly turned around.
Standing in the doorway...
May you like
Was Uncle Richard.
Pointing a gun directly at her chest.
