Chapter 8: The Man Who Vanished Before I Was Born
I had always thought my father was a story.
Not a real person.
A story.
Like the ones Mom read to me before bed.
A person who existed somewhere before I remembered anything.
Whenever I asked about him, Mom would become quiet.
Not angry.
Not sad.
Just quiet.
Like the answer was too heavy to carry.
I used to think maybe he left because he didn’t want us.
Maybe he was somewhere far away.
Maybe he forgot my name.
But now I was sitting in our small apartment, watching Vincent Kane hold a photograph of my grandfather standing beside David Sterling, and I learned something worse.
My father didn’t leave.
Someone took him.
And Mom knew.
Vincent placed the photograph on the table.
“Emily.””
Mom looked up.
Her eyes were red.
“I know what you’re thinking.””
“I don’t think you know.””
His voice wasn’t angry.
But it was serious.
“You told me you were afraid because David threatened you.””
Mom nodded.
“Yes.””
“But you never told me this started before your daughter was born.””
She looked down.
“I didn’t think it mattered.””
Vincent looked at the photograph.
“Someone disappeared.””
Her silence answered him.
Mom sat on the couch.
I climbed beside her.
She wrapped her arm around me.
Like she was protecting me from a memory.
“My father’s name was Daniel Carter.””
Vincent listened.
“He worked in finance before he retired.””
Thomas looked surprised.
“Finance?””
Mom nodded.
“He was good with numbers.””
She looked at the papers on the table.
“He noticed things other people ignored.””
Vincent glanced at the purple circle.
“Like missing money.””
“Yes.””
Mom took a breath.
“My father started helping David Sterling when David opened his first restaurant.””
Thomas shook his head.
“So he knew him before all of this.””
Mom nodded.
“They were friends.””
That surprised me.
Because David Sterling didn’t seem like someone who had friends.
He seemed like someone who had people.
People who worked for him.
People who feared him.
But Mom’s face told me it was true.
“At first, David was different,” she said.
Thomas looked down.
“I said the same thing.””
Mom continued.
“My father believed in him.””
She laughed quietly.
“But my father believed in people too easily.””
Vincent asked:
“What happened?””
Mom looked at the photograph.
“About five years ago, my father found financial records that didn’t make sense.””
“What kind of records?””
“Transfers.””
“Between who?””
She hesitated.
“Companies connected to David.””
Vincent nodded.
“And?””
“He asked David about them.””
“What did David say?””
“That it was complicated.””
Mom looked at me.
“But my father knew numbers.””
She touched the table.
“He knew when something was wrong.””
Thomas looked at Vincent.
“The Black Ledger.””
Mom nodded.
“Yes.””
Vincent became still.
“My father called it something else.””
“What?””
“The second book.””
Nobody spoke.
“Because David kept two versions of everything.””
Thomas whispered:
“Public records and private records.””
Mom nodded.
“My father found the private ones.””
Vincent looked at the photograph.
“And then he disappeared.””
Mom closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
I held her hand.
“What happened to Grandpa?””
She looked at me.
And I could see she wanted to lie.
Parents do that sometimes.
They think lies can protect you.
But Mom never lied well.
“I don’t know.””
That answer hurt more.
Vincent noticed.
“You really don’t know?””
Mom shook her head.
“The last time I saw him was the night he came to our apartment.””
“When?””
“The night before he disappeared.””
The room went quiet.
“What did he say?””
Mom stared at the floor.
“He told me to leave Chicago.””
Vincent frowned.
“Why?””
“He said David wasn’t the real danger.””
Thomas looked up.
“Who was?””
Mom looked at the purple symbol.
“I never found out.””
Vincent picked up the photograph.
“Until now.””
Nobody moved.
Then Marcus spoke.
“Mr. Kane.””
Vincent looked at him.
“Yes?””
“We need to talk about the security issue.””
Vincent nodded.
“Go ahead.””
Marcus glanced at me.
Then lowered his voice.
“Someone accessed the building cameras.””
Vincent’s expression changed.
“When?””
“Thirty minutes ago.””
“How?””
“We don’t know.””
Thomas looked nervous.
“Someone is very good.””
Marcus nodded.
“Too good.””
Vincent looked back at the documents.
“They’re searching for the second piece.””
Thomas nodded.
“Yes.””
Mom looked confused.
“What exactly is the second piece?””
Nobody answered.
Then Thomas said:
“The original ledger page.””
“What makes one page so important?””
Thomas looked at her.
“Because it contains the name of the person above David.””
Mom froze.
“The person above David?””
Thomas nodded.
“David wasn’t the owner of everything.””
Vincent stared.
“Who was?””
Thomas looked away.
“I never saw their face.””
That surprised everyone.
“You worked for David.””
“Yes.””
“And you don’t know who controlled him?””
Thomas shook his head.
“David always met that person alone.””
“Where?””
“Different places.””
“Did you ever hear a name?””
Thomas hesitated.
Then:
“One.””
Vincent stepped closer.
“What name?””
Thomas looked at the floor.
“Adrian.””
The apartment went silent.
Mom’s face changed.
Vincent noticed.
“You know that name.””
She didn’t answer.
“Emily.””
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“Yes.””
“Who is Adrian?””
Mom looked at me.
Then away.
“He was my father’s business partner.””
Thomas stared.
“Business partner?””
Mom nodded.
“My grandfather trusted him.””
Vincent looked at the photograph.
“And now?””
Mom shook her head.
“Now I don’t know what he is.””
A cold feeling went through me.
Everyone was afraid of someone I had never met.
David.
Sarah.
The person behind the purple circle.
Adrian.
Too many names.
Too many secrets.
Vincent noticed me looking confused.
He walked over and crouched down.
“Rory.””
“Yes?””
“Do you remember anything about your grandfather?””
I thought.
“No.””
“Anything at all?””
I looked at Mom.
She looked surprised.
Then I remembered something.
“Maybe.””
Everyone turned.
“What?””
I looked at Mom.
“When I was little…”
I stopped.
Vincent waited.
“What did you remember?””
I touched my red hoodie.
“Mom had a picture.””
Her face changed.
“What picture?””
“The one she kept in the drawer.””
Mom stood quickly.
“Rory.””
“It had Grandpa.””
She froze.
“And another person.””
Vincent looked at her.
“Who?””
I shook my head.
“I don’t know.””
Mom walked toward the bedroom.
Slowly.
Like she already knew what she would find.
She opened the drawer beside her bed.
Inside were old papers.
Old photographs.
Things we rarely touched.
She searched.
Then stopped.
Her fingers found something.
A small photograph.
She brought it back.
Vincent took it.
Everyone gathered around.
The picture showed my grandfather.
Younger.
Smiling.
Standing outside a restaurant.
Beside him was David Sterling.
But there was another person.
A woman.
I didn’t know her.
Mom stared.
“I forgot about this.””
Vincent looked closer.
“Who is she?””
Mom shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
Thomas stepped forward.
Then he stopped.
His face changed.
“No.””
Vincent looked at him.
“What?””
Thomas pointed.
“The necklace.””
Everyone looked.
The woman in the photo wore a small purple circle necklace.
The same symbol.
Vincent’s eyes narrowed.
“Thomas.””
His voice became quiet.
“Who is she?””
Thomas looked terrified.
“I’ve seen her before.””
“Where?””
“At David’s private meetings.””
Mom whispered:
“You know her?””
Thomas nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
“Who is she?””
Thomas looked at the photograph.
Then at Vincent.
Then at me.
And his next words changed the entire room.
“She’s not connected to David Sterling.””
A pause.
“She’s the person David Sterling answers to.””
Vincent stared.
“Name.””
Thomas swallowed.
“Her name is Victoria Vale.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Vincent’s phone rang.
He answered.
The call lasted only a few seconds.
When he hung up, his face was different.
Mom noticed.
“What happened?””
Vincent looked at the photograph.
Then at me.
“The second piece.””
“What about it?””
“We found it.””
Everyone froze.
Thomas stepped forward.
“Where?””
Vincent’s eyes moved toward the window.
“Someone left it.””
Mom whispered:
“Who?””
Vincent looked down at the message attached to the photograph.
His voice became quiet.
“Victoria Vale.””
He turned the paper around.
There was a sentence written in purple ink.
Not a threat.
Not a warning.
May you like
An invitation.
*“Bring the girl. She deserves to know why her father disappeared.””*
