Chapter 4 - A Dead Man's Warning
# Chapter 4 - A Dead Man's Warning
Daniel Mercer had been dead for two days, but his name was glowing on Evelyn's phone.
Leo stared at the screen while the silver pickup thundered down the highway. Behind him, Evelyn pressed her bloodstained hand against her shoulder. Beside him, Toby held two tracking devices, their tiny red and green lights blinking like sinister little eyes.
The phone rang a fourth time.
"Don't answer it," Evelyn whispered.
Leo glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
"Why?"
"Because whoever is calling knows we're together."
The phone stopped ringing.
For three seconds, the cab fell silent except for the engine and Toby's frightened breathing.
Then a message appeared.
DANIEL MERCER: If you want your son to live, stop driving toward Eastbridge.
Leo's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
Another message followed.
The hospital is waiting for you.
Evelyn leaned forward to read it.
Her expression changed from fear to something closer to recognition.
"Oh, God."
Leo looked at her.
"What?"
She shook her head.
"That was Daniel's emergency phone."
"Meaning?"
"He used it when he couldn't risk calling from his regular number."
"Who else had access?"
Evelyn hesitated.
"Adrian knew it existed."
Leo gave a humorless laugh.
"Of course he did."
The highway curved through a stretch of woodland. A green sign announced that Eastbridge was twelve miles away.
Leo glanced at Evelyn again.
Her fingers were trembling. Blood had soaked through the sleeve of her coat, but she was conscious and breathing steadily.
"How bad is the wound?"
"I think it went through the outside of my shoulder."
"Can you move your fingers?"
She flexed them weakly.
"Yes."
"Keep pressure on it."
Leo spotted a service station ahead and turned into the entrance.
Evelyn immediately protested.
"What are you doing?"
"Getting you help."
"The message said not to stop."
"The message said not to go to Eastbridge. There's a difference."
He parked beside the convenience store, away from the fuel pumps.
"Stay in the truck."
He took Evelyn's phone and stepped outside, keeping Toby in sight through the windshield.
The cold air cleared his head slightly.
He dialed emergency services.
When the dispatcher answered, he gave their location, explained that a woman had suffered a gunshot wound, and reported that armed men had attacked them at a motel.
He did not hide his name.
He did not hide the fact that he had recently been released from prison.
But he made one request.
"Please send medical help. There is a child here, and the people who shot at us may still be following."
The dispatcher instructed him to remain at the service station if it was safe to do so.
Leo returned to the truck.
Evelyn looked relieved when he told her an ambulance was coming.
That surprised him.
For the past hour, she had resisted every attempt to involve the authorities.
Now she seemed almost grateful.
"Why did you change your mind?" he asked.
She frowned.
"About what?"
"The police. You didn't want me calling them earlier."
"Because I didn't know who we could trust."
"And now?"
She looked at the blood on her hand.
"Now I don't want to die."
Leo had no answer.
He opened the first-aid kit he had purchased inside the store and helped her reinforce the pressure dressing with clean gauze.
Toby watched from the passenger seat.
"Is Mommy going to be okay?"
Evelyn managed a faint smile.
"I'm trying, sweetheart."
The boy looked away.
Leo noticed.
He had noticed every time Toby recoiled from his mother, every time the boy hesitated before answering a question about her.
Something had happened in that house.
Something more than a broken glass and a frightening stranger.
And Leo intended to find out what.
The ambulance arrived eleven minutes later.
Two paramedics examined Evelyn, checked her vital signs, and carefully transferred her onto a stretcher.
One of them, a woman named Claire, looked at Leo.
"Are you her husband?"
"Yes."
"She's stable at the moment, but she needs hospital assessment and treatment."
"Where are you taking her?"
"Mill Creek Regional Medical Center."
Leo hesitated.
The anonymous message had warned him away from Eastbridge.
Mill Creek was in the opposite direction.
That might have been a coincidence.
Or someone might have been trying to control where they went.
Evelyn reached toward him.
"Leo."
He stepped closer.
Her fingers closed around his wrist.
"Don't lose the key."
The paramedic glanced between them.
Leo lowered his voice.
"Is that really what matters right now?"
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
"You don't understand what it opens."
"Then tell me."
She looked toward Toby.
"Not here."
The paramedics began moving the stretcher.
Leo watched them load Evelyn into the ambulance.
Before the doors closed, she called out again.
"Leo!"
He approached.
She whispered, "Whatever Daniel told you about Toby, don't believe it."
Leo stared at her.
"Then tell me the truth."
Her expression twisted with anguish.
"I will."
The doors closed.
The ambulance pulled away, its lights flashing against the wet pavement.
Leo stood motionless.
He wanted to follow her.
He wanted to demand answers.
He wanted to hold her hand and believe that five years of separation had been nothing more than a terrible interruption in their marriage.
But Toby was waiting in the truck.
And somewhere, someone was using his son as bait.
Leo returned to the passenger door.
"Hey, buddy."
Toby looked up.
"Is Mommy gone?"
"She's going to the hospital."
"Are we going too?"
Leo hesitated.
"Not just yet."
The boy nodded.
Then he whispered, "Good."
Leo felt his chest tighten.
"Toby, why are you scared of Mommy?"
The boy stared at his lap.
"Because she gets different."
Leo crouched beside the open door.
"Different how?"
Toby twisted the sleeve of his oversized green jacket.
"Sometimes she's Mommy."
"And sometimes?"
The boy's voice became almost inaudible.
"Sometimes she says things Mommy wouldn't say."
Leo studied him.
"What kind of things?"
Toby looked toward the highway.
"She tells me Daddy did bad things."
Leo felt the words settle painfully inside him.
"Does she say that often?"
"Only when the man comes."
"What man?"
"The one with the black gloves."
Leo's blood ran cold.
"Does he come to your house?"
Toby nodded.
"At night."
"What does he do?"
"He talks to Mommy downstairs. Sometimes they shout."
Leo took a slow breath.
"And what does Mommy say afterward?"
Toby looked directly into his eyes.
"She says I shouldn't love you so much."
For a moment, Leo couldn't speak.
He had survived prison by holding on to the belief that his son loved him.
He had reread Toby's drawings until the paper nearly disintegrated.
He had counted the days until they could be together.
And now he was learning that someone had been trying to turn his own child against him.
"Listen to me," Leo said, taking Toby's small hands. "You don't have to choose between loving Mommy and loving me."
Toby's lower lip trembled.
"But she said you would be angry."
"I'm not angry with you."
"Even if I did something bad?"
Leo's heart sank.
"What did you do?"
The boy hesitated.
Then reached into his jacket.
From an inner pocket, he withdrew a folded piece of blue paper.
"I wasn't supposed to show you."
Leo unfolded it.
It was a drawing.
A house.
Three stick figures.
A woman, a boy, and a tall man standing near a black car.
The tall man had no face.
Above the house, Toby had drawn a large red X.
Leo turned the paper over.
A sentence was written in an adult's handwriting.
If Leo asks about the basement, tell him there isn't one.
Leo stared at the message.
"What basement?"
Toby began crying.
"The one under our new house."
Twenty minutes later, Leo and Toby sat inside the service station's small café.
Leo had purchased a sandwich, orange juice, and a packet of crackers for his son.
Toby ate slowly.
Leo barely touched his food.
The two transmitters lay inside a metal biscuit tin the cashier had given him after he explained that he had found suspicious electronic devices.
He had switched neither off.
Instead, he had left them with the responding police officer, explaining where they had been found.
The officer had recorded the information and taken them as potential evidence.
Leo also reported the man in the dark coat, the attack at the motel, and the possibility that someone had impersonated Evelyn in the missing-child report.
The officer listened carefully.
But when Leo mentioned Daniel Mercer, something changed in the man's expression.
"Daniel Mercer?" he repeated.
"Yes."
"The developer?"
Leo nodded.
"Why?"
The officer hesitated.
"His death was in the local news."
"I know."
"Then you should know there are questions about the circumstances."
Leo leaned forward.
"What questions?"
The officer glanced toward Toby.
"I can't discuss an active investigation."
"Was it suicide?"
"That's the initial report."
"And now?"
The officer closed his notebook.
"Mr. Vale, I'd advise you to remain available for further questioning."
Leo stared at him.
"Am I under arrest?"
"No."
"Then can I take my son somewhere safe?"
The officer studied him.
"There's an existing missing-child report involving you."
"My wife filed it under duress."
"That's what you're telling me."
"It's the truth."
The officer sighed.
"Family services will need to clarify the custody situation. For now, I'm arranging for a child-protection officer to speak with you."
Leo felt panic rise.
He had only just gotten his son back.
The thought of losing him again was unbearable.
But he also knew that running would make everything worse.
He nodded.
"All right."
The officer stood.
Then paused.
"One more thing."
Leo looked up.
"Yes?"
"How did you know Daniel Mercer was dead?"
Leo frowned.
"My wife told me."
"When?"
"About an hour ago."
The officer's expression became unreadable.
"Interesting."
"Why?"
The officer hesitated.
Then said, "Because the public announcement wasn't made until this morning."
Leo stared at him.
"Evelyn said he died two days ago."
The officer nodded slowly.
"That's correct."
"Then what are you saying?"
"I'm saying the family was notified privately. The investigation details weren't public."
Leo's mind raced.
Evelyn had known.
Daniel had supposedly called her the night before his death.
She had seen the letter in his office afterward.
But why had she been there?
And why had she been one of the first people to learn he was dead?
Before Leo could ask another question, the officer's radio crackled.
He stepped away to answer it.
Leo watched him go.
Toby tugged at his sleeve.
"Daddy?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we go somewhere else?"
Leo looked down.
"Why?"
The boy pointed toward the café window.
A silver pickup truck had just pulled into the parking lot.
Leo recognized the vehicle immediately.
Evelyn's truck.
The same truck he had left outside the service station when the ambulance arrived.
But now someone was driving it.
A man stepped out.
He wore a gray jacket and dark trousers.
His hair was neatly combed.
His face was clean-shaven.
Leo had never seen him before.
The man looked toward the café.
Then smiled at Toby.
The boy immediately ducked beneath the table.
Leo's pulse quickened.
"Who is that?"
Toby's voice shook.
"That's the doctor."
Leo stared at him.
"What doctor?"
"The one who came to our house."
"Why did he come?"
Toby began trembling.
"To make Mommy forget."
Leo felt a chill run through him.
"Forget what?"
Toby covered his ears.
"I don't want to talk about it."
Leo looked back toward the parking lot.
The man was speaking with the police officer.
He handed him something.
An identification card.
The officer examined it.
Then glanced toward the café.
Leo's stomach tightened.
A moment later, the man entered.
He walked directly toward their table.
"Mr. Vale?"
Leo stood.
"Who are you?"
The man extended his hand.
"Dr. Nathaniel Price."
Leo did not shake it.
"Why are you driving my wife's truck?"
Nathaniel's smile faded slightly.
"Mrs. Vale asked me to retrieve it."
"She's in the hospital."
"I'm aware."
"How?"
"I'm her physician."
Leo stared at him.
"Her physician?"
Nathaniel nodded.
"I've been treating Evelyn for several months."
"For what?"
"That's confidential."
Leo crossed his arms.
"Then why are you here?"
Nathaniel looked toward Toby.
"Because I'm concerned about the boy."
Leo stepped between them.
"He's fine."
Nathaniel's expression softened.
"Mr. Vale, I understand you've had a difficult morning."
"You don't understand anything."
"Perhaps not. But your wife contacted me before the incident at the motel."
Leo froze.
"When?"
"Early this morning."
"What did she say?"
Nathaniel hesitated.
"She was worried about your release."
Leo stared at him.
"Why?"
"She believed you might be experiencing severe emotional distress."
Leo gave a short, disbelieving laugh.
"Because I spent five years in prison?"
"Because of the circumstances surrounding your conviction."
"What circumstances?"
Nathaniel lowered his voice.
"Your wife told me you had become increasingly suspicious before your arrest."
Leo felt his anger rising.
"Suspicious of what?"
"People following you. Hidden financial conspiracies. Threats against your family."
Leo stared at him.
Those were exactly the things happening now.
Nathaniel continued.
"She said you believed people were watching your home."
Leo's hands curled into fists.
"Because they were."
Nathaniel glanced toward the officer standing near the entrance.
"Mr. Vale, I'm not here to argue."
"Then leave."
"I'd like to speak with Toby."
"No."
Nathaniel's expression hardened.
"Your wife has authorized me to assess his well-being."
Leo stepped closer.
"My son isn't going anywhere with you."
The officer approached.
"Everything okay here?"
Nathaniel turned toward him.
"Officer, I'm concerned that Mr. Vale may be under significant psychological stress."
Leo felt the trap closing.
A convicted man.
A missing-child report.
A physician questioning his mental state.
And a frightened little boy.
It was almost elegant.
Almost.
Except Nathaniel had made one mistake.
He had arrived in Evelyn's truck.
And Leo had never told anyone where the keys were.
"Doctor," Leo said quietly, "how did you start the truck?"
Nathaniel frowned.
"Excuse me?"
"The keys. I left them in my pocket when the ambulance took Evelyn."
For the first time, Nathaniel's expression faltered.
Leo continued.
"So how did you drive it here?"
Nathaniel recovered quickly.
"Mrs. Vale had a spare set."
"Where?"
"In her belongings."
"At the hospital?"
"Yes."
Leo nodded slowly.
"Then you went to the hospital, got the keys, drove back here, and somehow arrived less than thirty minutes after the ambulance left?"
Nathaniel said nothing.
The officer looked between them.
Leo turned toward him.
"Ask him for the hospital's name."
Nathaniel's jaw tightened.
"Mr. Vale—"
"Ask him."
The officer looked at Nathaniel.
"Which hospital?"
"Mill Creek Regional."
Leo nodded.
"Call them. Ask whether Dr. Nathaniel Price works there."
Nathaniel's expression changed.
It was subtle.
But Leo saw it.
The polished confidence disappeared.
For one brief moment, something cold and calculating emerged.
Then Nathaniel smiled.
"Of course."
He reached into his jacket.
Leo instinctively moved Toby behind him.
Nathaniel withdrew a phone.
He tapped the screen.
Then placed it on the table.
A photograph appeared.
Leo stared.
It showed Evelyn lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
Her shoulder was bandaged.
An oxygen tube rested beneath her nose.
Beside the bed stood a man in a dark coat.
Black leather gloves.
The same man who had followed them from Blackwood.
Leo's blood turned cold.
Nathaniel leaned closer.
His voice dropped so low that only Leo could hear.
"Now, Mr. Vale, I suggest you listen very carefully."
Leo looked at the photograph.
Then at Nathaniel.
"What do you want?"
"The brass key."
Leo felt the world narrow.
Nathaniel's smile disappeared.
"You have until noon."
"And if I refuse?"
Nathaniel glanced toward Toby.
"Then your son will learn what happened to his mother the first time she tried to leave us."
Leo's heart pounded.
"What does that mean?"
Nathaniel leaned closer.
"Ask Evelyn why she spent three months in a psychiatric hospital while you were in prison."
Leo stared at him.
He had never heard about any hospitalization.
Nathaniel straightened.
"Northstar Storage. Unit 317. Noon."
Leo's stomach dropped.
The storage facility.
The key.
The original records.
Nathaniel stepped back.
"Come alone."
Then he looked at Toby.
His expression softened into something almost affectionate.
"Hello, Thomas."
The boy went completely still.
Leo frowned.
"His name is Toby."
Nathaniel smiled.
"Of course."
He turned and walked toward the door.
Leo watched him leave.
Then he looked down at his son.
Toby's face had gone pale.
"Daddy?"
Leo crouched.
"What is it?"
The boy's eyes filled with tears.
"That's what the man in the basement calls me."
Leo felt a terrible chill.
"Thomas?"
Toby nodded.
"Why does he call you that?"
The boy hesitated.
Then whispered, "Because he says Toby isn't my real name."
Leo stared at him.
Outside, Nathaniel climbed into Evelyn's truck and drove away.
The police officer moved toward the window, speaking urgently into his radio.
Leo barely noticed.
His attention was fixed on his son.
"Toby," he said gently, "what else did the man in the basement tell you?"
The boy looked at him with frightened eyes.
"He said Mommy wasn't supposed to keep me."
Leo's throat tightened.
"What?"
Toby began crying.
"He said I belonged to someone else."
Leo pulled him close.
"No. You belong with your family."
But Toby shook his head.
Then he whispered the words that made Leo's entire world collapse.
"Daddy, he said you weren't supposed to know I was born."