I stared at the photograph on Megan’s kitchen table.
Thomas Bell.
Julian.
Their hands locked in a handshake.
Both smiling.
And beneath it, Karen’s handwriting:
BELL IS NOT INVESTIGATING THEM.
HE IS PART OF IT.
For the first time since this nightmare began, my father looked genuinely unsettled.
Not frightened.
Not panicked.
Unsettled.
Marcus took my phone and enlarged the photograph.
“Can Megan photograph the back clearly?”
I texted her.
Seconds later, another image came through.
There was a date.
Almost six years ago.
Long before I married Julian.
Long before Rachel.
Long before BHC.
Dad said quietly, “Then Bell’s connection to them predates Karen’s complaint.”
Marcus nodded.
“And if Karen believed Bell was compromised, that explains why nothing happened.”
I looked at him.
“Can we prove it?”
“Not from one photograph.”
Again, Marcus pulled everything back to facts.
No assumptions.
No dramatic conclusions.
Only what we could actually establish.
But I knew one thing.
Julian had lied to me about Karen.
Karen had tried to warn me.
Karen had reported financial misconduct.
And the investigator she trusted already knew Julian.
My phone buzzed.
Megan.
I FOUND SOMETHING ELSE.
Then she sent a scanned page.
It was part of Project Cedar.
Old.
Faded.
Rows of dates.
Initials.
Numbers.
Payment codes.
Marcus immediately asked, “Can she send the entire document?”
I typed the request.
Megan replied:
THERE ARE 63 PAGES.
Dad said, “Have her preserve the originals.”
Another message:
I WILL.
Then:
BUT LOOK AT LINE 14.
I zoomed in.
DATE.
VENDOR.
AMOUNT.
INITIALS.
TB.
Thomas Bell?
Maybe.
Maybe not.
I refused to jump ahead.
But beside TB was a payment.
$18,000.
Two months later:
TB — $12,500.
Then:
TB — $20,000.
My stomach tightened.
Marcus said, “Initials alone prove very little.”
Dad nodded.
“But they give us something to compare.”
Megan sent another photograph.
This one showed handwritten notes on the margin.
Bell — “consulting.”
I whispered, “Karen thought he was being paid.”
Marcus answered carefully.
“Karen appears to have written that. We still need independent confirmation.”
Then my phone rang.
Julian.
I stared at his name.
Dad said nothing.
Marcus said, “You do not have to answer.”
I did.
“Hello?”
Julian sounded exhausted.

“Elena.”
“What?”
“Where are you?”
“You know where I am.”
“No. I don’t.”
“At my parents’.”
Silence.
Then:
“Did Daniel call you?”
“Yes.”
I heard Julian mutter something under his breath.
“What did he say?”
“That Cedar was a list.”
Julian went silent.
I continued.
“He told me to destroy anything Karen gave me.”
Still nothing.
“Why?”
“Elena, I need you to listen to me.”
“No. You need to answer me.”
“You don’t understand what Karen copied.”
“That’s exactly what Daniel said.”
“Because it’s true.”
“Then explain it.”
He exhaled sharply.
“Cedar wasn’t mine.”
I froze.
“What?”
“It wasn’t mine.”
Dad and Marcus both leaned closer.
I asked, “Whose was it?”
Julian hesitated.
Then:
“My father’s.”
The answer hit me completely sideways.
Julian rarely spoke about his father.
Robert Mercer had died before our wedding.
From what Julian told me, he had been strict, distant, and obsessed with business.
I asked, “Your father created Project Cedar?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“A private ledger.”
“For kickbacks?”
Silence.
“Julian?”
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
Dad asked quietly, “How long did it run?”
Julian heard him.
“Harrison, stay out of this.”
Dad replied, “No.”
Julian laughed bitterly.
“You think you can understand this from a few documents?”
“Then explain it.”
Another silence.
Then Julian said:
“My father used Cedar to track payments tied to contracts.”
“What kind of contracts?” I asked.
“Medical procurement.”
His industry.
His entire career.
I suddenly understood why Karen’s accusations had involved vendors.
This did not begin with Julian.
He inherited something.
But inheritance did not excuse what he had done to me.
I asked, “Why did you continue it?”
He snapped, “I didn’t.”
“Rachel saw the ledger.”
“She saw a copy.”
“With recent entries.”
“That doesn’t mean I made them.”
“Who did?”
Silence.
“Daniel?”
No answer.
“Brenda?”
Still nothing.
“Bell?”
Julian’s breathing changed.
Dad noticed.
“So Thomas Bell is involved.”
Julian said, “I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t need to.”
Julian’s voice dropped.
“Elena, stop saying his name on open calls.”
My blood ran cold.
“Why?”
“Because you have no idea who listens.”
Dad’s expression hardened.
“What does that mean?”
Julian ignored him.
“Elena, I am trying to keep you safe.”
I actually laughed.
“You stole my money.”
“I can replace it.”
“You forged my signature.”
“I can explain that.”
“You slept with Rachel.”
Silence.
“You lied about the houses.”
Silence.
“You let your mother witness a document I never signed.”
Silence.
“And now you’re protecting me?”
“Elena, those things are separate.”
“No. They’re not.”
“They are.”
His voice cracked for the first time.
“There are things I did because I was selfish. There are things I did because I was stupid. And there are things I did because once you are inside certain arrangements, walking away isn’t as simple as you think.”
Nobody spoke.
That was the closest Julian had come to admitting anything real.
I asked, “Were you afraid?”
Long silence.
“Yes.”
That answer surprised me.
“Of who?”
Julian whispered:
“Daniel.”
My heart skipped.
“Your brother?”
“Yes.”
Dad asked, “Why?”
Julian ignored him again.
I said, “Why were you afraid of Daniel?”
“Because he was closer to my father than I was.”
“What does that mean?”
“He knew the old network.”
“What network?”
“Vendors. Brokers. People who approved contracts. People who could make problems disappear.”
My skin prickled.
“Bell?”
Julian said nothing.
Then I heard a sound on his end.
A door.
Julian stopped breathing for a second.
“Elena, I have to go.”
“Where are you?”
“Don’t call me again tonight.”
“Julian—”
The call ended.
I immediately called back.
Straight to voicemail.
Dad looked at Marcus.
“Can we locate him?”
“Not legally without proper process.”
I hated that answer.
Then Megan sent another message.
KAREN WANTS TO SPEAK AGAIN.
Marcus said, “Put her on.”
Minutes later, Karen called.
Her voice was steadier this time.
“I heard you found the older copy.”
“We did.”
“Then you saw Bell.”
“Yes.”
Karen went quiet.
I asked, “Did Bell take money?”
“I believe so.”
“Believe or know?”
“Believe. I never had direct banking proof.”
Marcus nodded approvingly at the distinction.
Karen continued.
“But I saw Cedar entries using his initials. I saw calendar meetings. And I saw Bell leave Julian’s office carrying an envelope before he ever interviewed me.”
My stomach tightened.
“You told him about Cedar anyway?”
“I didn’t know who else to trust.”
“What happened after?”
“He asked for everything I had.”
“Did you give it to him?”
“Some.”
“Then?”
“He told me the case was complicated.”
Dad asked, “Did he ever follow up?”
“Once.”
“What did he say?”
“That he could not verify enough to proceed.”
“And then?”
“He warned me to be careful making accusations.”
Marcus asked, “Did that feel like a threat?”
Karen hesitated.
“At the time? Maybe not.”
“And now?”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
Then Karen said:
“Elena, there’s something I never told Megan.”
“What?”
“When I was gathering Cedar records, I found your husband’s name.”
I opened my eyes.
“You said Cedar started with his father.”
“It did.”
“But Julian was already in it?”
“Yes.”
“How old was he?”
“In his twenties.”
“What was beside his name?”
Karen paused.
“Transfers.”
“How much?”
“Not huge at first.”
“What does that mean?”
“Five thousand. Seven thousand. Ten.”
I felt sick.
“When?”
“Years before your marriage.”
So Julian had not been dragged into Cedar after marrying me.
He had been part of it long before me.
Whatever story he had just told about fear and being trapped might contain truth.
But it was not the whole truth.
Karen continued:
“Then his amounts grew.”
“How much?”
“By the time I found the ledger, Julian-linked entries were over ninety thousand.”
Dad asked, “Linked how?”
“His initials. Accounts he controlled. Companies connected to him.”
I whispered, “So he lied again.”
Karen said nothing.
She did not need to.
Then Marcus asked, “Karen, do you remember Daniel’s role?”
“Yes.”
“What was it?”
“He handled what Julian called cleanup.”
A chill ran through me.
“What does cleanup mean?”
“I never knew exactly.”
“Money?”
“Sometimes.”
“Documents?”
“Yes.”
“People?”
Karen went quiet.
Too quiet.
“Karen?”
Her voice lowered.
“I don’t want to speculate.”
Marcus said, “Good. Tell us only what you know.”
“I know that whenever an employee raised questions, Daniel appeared.”
My stomach tightened.
“How?”
“He would visit the office.”
“For what reason?”
“Officially, consulting.”
“And unofficially?”
“I don’t know.”
Dad asked, “Did he visit after you reported Cedar?”
“Yes.”
“How soon?”
“The next day.”
The room went still.
“What happened?”
“He met with Julian, Bell, and two executives.”
“Bell was there?”
“Yes.”
“Before Bell interviewed you?”
“Yes.”
That changed everything.
Bell had met with Julian and Daniel before interviewing Karen.
Karen continued.
“When I saw them together, I almost walked out.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I still thought maybe Bell was investigating them.”
I asked, “When did you realize he wasn’t?”
“The photograph.”
“The one Megan sent?”
“Yes.”
“I found it in an old corporate archive. It was taken years earlier at a private vendor retreat.”
Dad asked, “So Bell had a prior relationship with them.”
“Yes.”
Marcus said, “That still doesn’t prove criminal involvement.”
Karen replied, “I know.”
Then she said something else.
“But I have something that may.”
Everyone went silent.
“What?” I asked.
“A voicemail.”
“From Bell?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“After the settlement.”
“What did he say?”
Karen hesitated.
Then:
“He told me to let Cedar die.”
My hands went cold.
Marcus leaned forward.
“Do you still have it?”
“Yes.”
“Original device?”
“Yes.”
“Do not alter it. Do not forward the audio yet. Preserve the phone.”
Karen said, “I already did.”
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
But this time, not Megan.
A new number.
One sentence.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO JULIAN.
I showed Dad.
Another message arrived.
KAREN TALKING AGAIN IS A MISTAKE.
My heart pounded.
Marcus immediately started documenting the number.
Then another:
TELL HER TO STOP.
Karen heard us.
“What happened?”
I said, “Someone is texting me.”
“What are they saying?”
I read it.
Karen went silent.
Then she whispered:
“That happened before.”
Dad asked, “What do you mean?”
“When I first reported Cedar.”
“What happened?”
“I received messages.”
“From who?”
“Unknown numbers.”
“What did they say?”
Karen took a shaky breath.
“Stop asking questions.”
Pause.
“Think about your children.”
Another pause.
“And one message said, ‘People who dig into Cedar lose more than jobs.’”
My mother quietly sat down.
I asked, “Did you save them?”
“Yes.”
Marcus said, “We need all of that preserved.”
Then the doorbell rang.
Everyone jumped.
Dad looked toward the front hall.
Nobody was expected.
Marcus said, “Don’t open it yet.”
Dad checked the camera.
His face changed.
“What?”
He turned the screen toward us.
Brenda stood on the porch.
Alone.
No Lexus.
No purse.
Her hair was messy.
She looked terrified.
I walked toward the door.
Dad stopped me.
“Wait.”
Brenda rang again.
Then she looked directly into the camera.
And said:
“Elena, please open the door.”
Her voice cracked.
“Daniel is gone.”
I froze.
Dad opened the intercom.
“What does that mean?”
Brenda looked over her shoulder toward the street.
“He took everything.”
“What?”
“The boxes. The drive. The money.”
My heart started pounding.
“Where is Julian?”
Brenda started crying.
“I don’t know.”
Dad asked, “When did you last see him?”
“An hour ago.”
“Was he with Daniel?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Brenda pressed both hands against her face.
Then she said:
“They started fighting.”
“About what?”
“Julian wanted out.”
My stomach twisted.
Dad looked at me.
Brenda continued:
“He said Elena had found too much.”
She looked directly into the camera again.
“And Daniel told him nobody gets out of Cedar.”

PART 10 — NOBODY GETS OUT OF CEDAR

For a second, nobody moved.
Brenda stood outside my parents’ house, crying into the camera.
And her last sentence stayed in the air.
“Nobody gets out of Cedar.”
Dad opened the door, but only after Marcus told him to keep the chain latched.
Brenda looked smaller than I had ever seen her.
No expensive coat.
No polished makeup.
No sharp voice.
Just fear.
Real fear.
“Elena,” she whispered.
I stood several feet behind Dad.
“Where is Julian?”
“I don’t know.”
“You said you saw him an hour ago.”
“I did.”
“Then start there.”
Brenda looked toward Marcus.
“I’m not saying anything with him here.”
Marcus replied calmly, “Then you don’t have to come inside.”
She looked at me again.
“Please.”
I felt no sympathy.
Not yet.
“You witnessed my forged signature.”
Her face crumpled.
“I know.”
“You took my car.”
“I know.”
“You knew about Rachel.”
She looked down.
“I know.”
“You helped Julian hide my money.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I know.”
I stepped closer.
“So why should I trust one word you say now?”
Brenda whispered, “Because Daniel scares me more than you hate me.”
The sentence landed hard.
Dad removed the chain but stayed between us.
Brenda entered.
Mom stood across the room, arms folded.
She did not greet her.
Brenda sat on the edge of the sofa.
Her hands would not stop shaking.
Marcus opened a notebook.
“Start with Daniel.”
Brenda shook her head.
“This wasn’t supposed to become this.”
Dad said, “That is not an answer.”
She closed her eyes.
“Robert started Cedar.”
Julian’s father.
The same thing Julian had told me.
Marcus asked, “What was your role?”
“None at first.”
“At first?”
She looked down.
“Robert never trusted me with business.”
“Then what changed?”
“He got sick.”
Dad leaned forward.
“When?”
“About seven years ago.”
“What kind of illness?”
“Cancer.”
I remembered Julian telling me his father had died quickly.
Apparently that was another simplified story.
Brenda continued.
“Near the end, Robert started giving Daniel records.”
“Why Daniel?”
“He trusted him.”
“And Julian?”
“Robert thought Julian was too emotional.”
I almost laughed at the irony.
Marcus asked, “What did Daniel receive?”
“Account names. Vendor contacts. Codes. Payment schedules.”
“Cedar?”
“Yes.”
“Did Julian know?”
“Some of it.”
“Did you?”
Brenda hesitated.
“That is where I made my first mistake.”
I stared at her.
“First?”
She flinched.
“Robert told me there was money set aside.”
“For you?”
“For the family.”
“What kind of money?”
“I didn’t ask enough questions.”
Dad said, “You’re asking us to believe that?”
Brenda’s eyes filled again.
“At the beginning, yes.”
I did not believe her.
Not fully.
She continued.
“After Robert died, Daniel came to me.”
“What did he want?”
“He said Robert had left obligations behind.”
Dad asked, “Legal obligations?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“People who expected to keep getting paid.”
The room went silent.
Marcus wrote quickly.
“Who?”
“I don’t know all the names.”
“Bell?”
Brenda froze.
That was enough.
Marcus asked again.
“Thomas Bell?”
“Yes.”
My stomach tightened.
“How did you know him?”
“He came to the house twice before Robert died.”
“For what?”
“I wasn’t included.”
Dad asked, “After Robert died?”
“Daniel met with him.”
“Julian?”
“Sometimes.”
I asked, “So Julian was part of this from the beginning.”
Brenda looked at me.
“He was part of it before he understood all of it.”
“That sounds like an excuse.”
“It isn’t.”
“Then stop making it sound like one.”
She nodded slowly.
“You’re right.”
That surprised me.
Brenda had never admitted I was right about anything important.
Marcus asked, “What happened after Robert’s death?”
“Daniel took control of the old accounts.”
“What did Julian do?”
“He helped with vendors.”
“The kickbacks?”
Brenda closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
There it was.
No more careful language.
No more “investments.”
Kickbacks.
Dad asked, “How much money moved through Cedar?”
“I don’t know.”
“Estimate.”
“I can’t.”
“Thousands?”
“Yes.”
“Hundreds of thousands?”
“Yes.”
“Millions?”
Brenda stopped breathing for a moment.
My stomach turned.
Dad repeated, “Millions?”
She whispered, “Possibly.”
I sat down.
Everything suddenly felt much larger.
My forty-two thousand dollars had destroyed me when I first discovered it missing.
Now I was realizing it may have been just one tiny stream flowing into something enormous.
Marcus asked, “Why create BHC?”
Brenda answered, “To replace older entities that had become risky.”
My eyes narrowed.
“You and Julian own BHC.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Daniel didn’t want his name on another domestic company.”
“But his company received sixty-eight thousand dollars this morning.”
“Sutton Capital.”
“Yes.”
She nodded.
“That’s Daniel.”
I felt cold.
“So Rachel’s surname was used deliberately.”
Brenda looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
Rachel had not even known.
Her name had been used to make Daniel’s company look connected to her.
I asked, “Did Julian know?”
“Yes.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
My anger returned instantly.
“And neither of you told Rachel.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel chose the name.”
I stared at her.
“And everyone simply did what Daniel wanted?”
Brenda’s eyes lifted to mine.
“Eventually, yes.”
Dad asked, “Why?”
She did not answer.
He repeated, “Why is everyone afraid of him?”
Brenda looked toward the windows.
Then she whispered, “Because Daniel keeps insurance.”
Marcus frowned.
“What kind of insurance?”
“Evidence.”
“Against whom?”
“Everyone.”
Dad understood first.
“Blackmail material.”
Brenda nodded.
“Recordings. Emails. Payments. Photographs. Documents.”
My skin prickled.
“So Daniel controls people because he can expose them.”
“Yes.”
“Bell?”
She hesitated.
“I think so.”
Marcus immediately said, “Think or know?”
“Think.”
Good.
At least she finally distinguished the two.
I asked, “What does Daniel have on Julian?”
Brenda started crying again.
“Enough.”
“What?”
“Elena, please.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“What does he have?”
She pressed her hands together.
“Julian took money before he ever met you.”
“I know.”
“More than Karen found.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“Brenda.”
“Maybe two hundred thousand over several years.”
I felt strangely numb.
Of course.
There was always more.
She continued.
“Daniel kept records.”
“And after Julian married me?”
“He wanted to stop.”
I laughed bitterly.
“He stole my inheritance while trying to stop?”
Brenda flinched.
“That happened later.”
“Exactly.”
“He was trying to replace money he owed.”
“What?”
The room changed.
I leaned forward.
“Replace what money?”
Brenda looked toward Marcus.
He said, “Answer only if you choose to.”
She swallowed.
“Julian lost Cedar money.”
Dad asked, “How?”
“An investment.”
“How much?”
“About one hundred eighty thousand.”
My mouth went dry.
“When?”
“Almost two years ago.”
Around the time BHC appeared.
Around the time Julian started moving larger amounts from our accounts.
I finally understood.
“He used my money to cover what he lost.”
Brenda nodded.
My chest hurt.
“Did my inheritance go toward replacing Cedar funds?”
“Some of it.”
I stood.
Mom moved toward me, but I raised my hand.
I needed space.
Julian had not stolen my grandmother’s money to build our future.
He had not even stolen it only to buy houses.
He had taken it to cover money he owed inside a corrupt system.
I whispered, “And the houses?”
“Assets.”
“For what?”
“Some were meant to hold value outside the main accounts.”
“Whose idea?”
“Daniel’s.”
“Belmont Crest?”
“Julian suggested that one.”
“Why?”
Brenda did not answer.
I knew why.
Rachel.
Even inside the fraud, Julian had carved out something for his affair.
That somehow made it worse.
Dad asked, “What happened today?”
Brenda’s face changed.
Fear returned.
“Julian confronted Daniel.”
“Where?”
“At the storage facility first.”
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“What did they say?”
“Julian said it was over.”
“Meaning?”
“He said Elena knew about BHC, Karen was talking, Rachel had copied records, and the old files could not be hidden anymore.”
Marcus asked, “What did Daniel say?”
Brenda whispered, “He laughed.”
I felt a chill.
“Then?”
“He told Julian this wasn’t his decision.”
“What happened to the boxes?”
“Daniel took them.”
“And Rachel’s drive?”
“Daniel has it.”
My heart sank.
“What about my red binder?”
“Also Daniel.”
“Why did you help him?”
She started crying harder.
“Because I was afraid.”
I looked at her.
“You weren’t afraid when you witnessed my signature.”
That shut her up.
“You weren’t afraid when you drove my car.”
Silence.
“You weren’t afraid when you knew your son was sleeping with Rachel.”
Silence.
“You only became afraid when Daniel turned on Julian.”
Brenda looked destroyed.
Because it was true.
Her fear did not make her innocent.
It only meant she was finally experiencing the same helplessness she had expected me to tolerate.
Dad asked, “Where did Daniel take Julian?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Julian leave voluntarily?”
“At first.”
“At first?”
Brenda looked at me.
“They argued in the parking lot.”
“Then?”
“Daniel told him Bell was coming.”
Marcus stopped writing.
“Bell was coming where?”
“To meet them.”
My stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Tonight.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Dad asked, “Did you hear anything else?”
“Julian told Daniel he would tell Elena everything.”
I stared at her.
“What did Daniel say?”
Brenda’s lips trembled.
“He told Julian that if he talked, Elena would wish she had only lost forty-two thousand dollars.”
The room went completely still.
Dad asked, “Was that a threat against her?”
“I don’t know.”
Marcus immediately said, “Exact words matter. Do not interpret them.”
Brenda nodded.
“That is exactly what he said.”
Dad’s face hardened.
I felt strangely calm.
Perhaps I had run out of fear.
Then Marcus asked the question that changed the direction of everything.
“Brenda, you said Daniel keeps insurance on everyone.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
“I really don’t.”
“Physical files?”
“Some.”
“Digital?”
“Yes.”
“Cloud?”
“Probably.”
“Backup locations?”
Brenda looked toward me.
Then down.
“There is one place Robert used.”
Dad leaned forward.
“Where?”
“A safety deposit box.”
Marcus asked, “Which bank?”
Brenda swallowed.
“First Atlantic.”
“Account holder?”
She hesitated too long.
I noticed.
“So you know.”
“Elena—”
“Whose name?”
Brenda whispered:
“Yours.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“The box is under your name.”
My entire body went cold.
“I have never opened a safety deposit box.”
“I know.”
“Then how is my name on it?”
She began crying again.
“Julian.”
Dad stood.
“Forged documents?”
“I think so.”
I laughed once.
It almost hurt.
Another piece of my identity stolen.
Another signature.
Another account.
Marcus asked, “Why use Elena?”
Brenda replied, “Because she had no connection to Cedar.”
I looked at her.
Until they gave me one.
Dad said, “What is inside?”
“I never saw it.”
“Who accesses it?”
“Julian.”
“Daniel?”
“I don’t know.”
“Bell?”
“I don’t know.”
I asked, “Why are you telling us now?”
Brenda stared at me for a long time.
Then she said:
“Because Julian gave me something before Daniel arrived.”
She reached inside her coat.
Dad immediately stepped closer.
Brenda slowly pulled out an envelope.
She placed it on the table.
My name was written across the front.
ELENA.
I recognized Julian’s handwriting.
“When did he give you this?”
“This afternoon.”
“What did he say?”
Brenda’s voice cracked.
“He said if he didn’t call me by midnight, I had to give it to you.”
My heart started pounding.
I looked at the clock.
10:47 p.m.
Marcus put on gloves before touching the envelope.
He photographed it.
Then handed it to me.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
And a small brass key.
The paper contained only three lines.
Elena,
I know you will never forgive me.
You shouldn’t.
But if I disappear, the truth is in Box 417.
Below that was another sentence.
One that made me stop breathing.
DO NOT TRUST THOMAS BELL, EVEN IF HE SHOWS YOU A BADGE.
Then, at the very bottom, Julian had written:
Daniel didn’t create Cedar.
Dad read it over my shoulder.
Marcus stared at the page.
Brenda looked confused.
I whispered, “Then who did?”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
We all froze.
I answered on speaker.
“Hello?”
A man spoke.
Calm.
Professional.
“Mrs. Mercer?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Thomas Bell.”
Nobody moved.
He continued:
“I understand you’ve recently come into possession of materials related to Project Cedar.”
I looked at the warning in Julian’s letter.
DO NOT TRUST THOMAS BELL.
Bell continued.
“For your safety, I need you to give those materials directly to me.”
I said nothing.
Then he added:
“And Mrs. Mercer?”
“Yes?”
“Do not open Box 417.”