Chapter 8 - THE NEW TARGET
For one second, I forgot the wedding.
Forgot the cameras.
Forgot Bell beside me.
Forgot everything except my father’s voice.
“She isn’t trying to kill Julian anymore.”
“You.”
Bell was already signaling to officers.
“Dad, why me?”
“I heard them.”
“Who?”
“Preston.”
“Chloe.”
“Where?”
“They had me somewhere.”
His breathing sounded shallow.
“They argued.”
“About what?”
“Julian knows too much.”
I stared at the ceremony feed.
My brother stood beside Chloe.
She looked serene.
Beautiful.
Untouchable.
Dad continued.
“They said the trust works better if you go first.”
Of course.
If I died unmarried and without children, more assets would shift toward Julian’s branch.
Then Julian could marry Chloe.
Draw money.
Eventually die later.
It was horrifying.
And financially logical.
“Dad, stay on the phone.”
Bell whispered, “Trace is narrowing.”
“Can you hear traffic?”
Dad listened.
“Trains.”
“Anything else?”
“Water.”
“Smell?”
He laughed weakly.
“Ethan, I’m not a detective.”
“You watch too much television.”
Even then, he managed sarcasm.
That nearly broke me.
“Dad.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We’ll talk when we get you.”
“No.”
“Don’t do that.”
“I should’ve protected you.”
I closed my eyes.
“You should have.”
Silence.
Then I added, “You still can.”
His breathing shook.
“I wanted Julian to have everything.”
“I know.”
“You never needed me.”
That sentence hurt.
“Dad, I needed you.”
He became silent.
“You just confused competence with not needing anyone.”
Bell looked away.
Dad began crying quietly.
It was the first time I had heard my father cry since Grandma died.
“I’m sorry.”
“Stay awake.”
The trace completed.
Industrial riverfront.
Three possible warehouses with red service doors.
Police moved.
Then Dad whispered, “Someone’s here.”
“Hide the phone.”
Footsteps sounded.
A door scraped.
The call ended.
“Dad?”
Nothing.
Bell ran from the security room.
I followed.
Grant met us in the hallway.
“We have the location area.”
“I’m going.”
“No.”
“That’s my father.”
“You are now a potential target.”
“Exactly why I’m not staying here.”
She grabbed my arm.
“Ethan.”
I stopped.
“If what your father said is true, leaving secured premises is exactly what they may want.”
I looked toward the ballroom.
Chloe and Julian were exchanging vows.
The entire room was watching them.
Then I understood.
“Preston isn’t in the ballroom.”
Grant turned toward Bell.
“Find him.”
Security checked feeds.
Preston had disappeared four minutes earlier.
My skin went cold.
“Lock the venue.”
Grant hesitated only a second.
Then nodded.
Cedar Grove security quietly closed vehicle exits.
Nobody announced anything.
The ceremony continued.
Chloe said, “I do.”
Julian said the same.
Legally, they were married.
I hated that.
But the marriage gave investigators something important.
If Chloe attempted an immediate financial transfer afterward, the evidence became clearer.
The officiant announced them.
Guests applauded.
Julian kissed her.
I watched my brother kiss a woman he believed might be planning my death.
His acting was better than I expected.
The reception began.
Music.
Champagne.
Laughter.
Meanwhile, police searched riverfront warehouses.
At 6:32, they found Dad.
Alive.
Bound to a chair.
Dehydrated.
Bruised.
Alone.
He was taken to the hospital.
Relief nearly knocked the breath out of me.
Then Grant received another message.
Preston had left Cedar Grove through a service entrance before the lockdown.
A catering van had departed at 5:37.
He may have been inside.
“Where is he now?”
“We don’t know.”
That was not good enough.
At 7:15, Julian and Chloe entered the ballroom.
Guests cheered.
They danced.
Cut the cake.
Posed for photographs.
The surreal normalcy made everything worse.
I stayed inside a private room with detectives.
Then Chloe sent me a text.
I know you’re here.
I stared at it.
Grant read it over my shoulder.
“Don’t respond.”
Another message.
You always have to make everything about yourself.
Then another.
Come congratulate your brother.
Grant shook her head.
“No.”
I looked at the ballroom feed.
Chloe was dancing with Julian.
Her phone was nowhere visible.
Someone else might be sending messages from it.
Or she had scheduled them.
Then the fourth message appeared.
Unless you’re scared.
I laughed once.
“Subtle.”
Grant did not.
“Stay here.”
Twenty minutes later, the first dance ended.
Chloe whispered something to Julian.
He nodded.
She left the ballroom.
Camera eight followed her into the hallway.
She walked toward the east terrace.
Then stopped.
Looked directly at the camera.
And smiled.
My skin crawled.
Grant radioed officers.
Chloe stepped outside.
I watched another feed.
She stood alone near the stone balustrade.
Then took out her phone.
Mine rang.
Grant stared at me.
“Answer on speaker.”
I did.
“Hello?”
Chloe laughed softly.
“You’re close.”
“What do you want?”
“To talk.”
“We’re talking.”
“Face-to-face.”
“No.”
“You’re ruining my wedding.”
“I thought I was uninvited.”
“Julian made a mistake.”
“Interesting timing.”
Her voice became colder.
“You think you’re smart.”
“People keep telling me that this week.”
“Come outside.”
“No.”
“You should.”
“Why?”
She paused.
“Because I know where your father is.”
Grant’s eyes narrowed.
I replied, “So do the police.”
Silence.
For the first time, Chloe lost rhythm.
“What?”
“He’s alive.”
The line went quiet.
I watched her on the camera.
Her posture changed.
Only slightly.
Then she turned away from the terrace.
Grant said into her radio, “Move.”
Two officers approached from the hallway.
Chloe saw them.
She ran.
Not toward the ballroom.
Toward the kitchen.
Security feeds followed her.
She pushed through staff.
Dropped her shoes.
Ran through a service corridor.
Then disappeared into a linen storage area.
Officers entered seconds later.
Empty.
“What the hell?”
Cedar Grove staff pulled building plans.
An old service passage connected the linen room to the loading dock.
Chloe knew the venue better than we did.
By the time police reached the dock, she was gone.
Julian discovered her disappearance ten minutes later.
His face went blank.
“She ran?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
I looked at him.
“Because I told her Dad was alive.”
He closed his eyes.
That was all the confirmation he needed.
The reception stopped pretending to be normal.
Police quietly asked guests to remain inside.
Rumors spread.
Mom left for the hospital.
Julian sat alone in the groom’s room wearing his tuxedo.
“Married for ninety-three minutes.”
He laughed bitterly.
“Personal record?”
I sat across from him.
“We’ll annul it.”
“You say that like you’re my lawyer.”
“No.”
“You paid for one.”
That almost made me smile.
He looked down.
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“Everything.”
“That’s a long list.”
“I know.”
“I don’t need it tonight.”
“I do.”
I looked at him.
He swallowed.
“I let her convince me that you were the enemy.”
“You made that easy.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying that.”
He laughed.
Then became serious.
“I hated that you were always right.”
“I’m not always right.”
“You were about money.”
“Low bar.”
“You were about her.”
“I wasn’t.”
That surprised him.
“I didn’t know Chloe was doing this.”
“But you didn’t trust her.”
“I didn’t trust anyone who could spend eleven thousand dollars on a wall that pours champagne.”
He laughed again.
Then rubbed his eyes.
“I’m an idiot.”
“Yes.”
“Ethan.”
“You walked into that one.”
A knock interrupted us.
Detective Grant entered.
Her expression told me something had changed.
“We found Preston.”
“Where?”
“At O’Hare.”
“Leaving the country?”
“Trying.”
“Where was he going?”
“Cayman Islands.”
Of course.
“Did he have anything?”
Grant nodded.
“Three passports.”
“Cash.”
“Encrypted drives.”
“And documents tied to Bennett Capital.”
Julian stared.
“What about Chloe?”
“No sign yet.”
Then Grant looked directly at me.
“There’s something else.”
“What?”
“Preston had a printed itinerary.”
“For what?”
“A flight tomorrow morning.”
“Whose?”
She placed a plastic evidence sleeve on the table.
Inside was a reservation.
My name.
Ethan Hale.
One-way ticket.
Chicago to Zurich.
I stared.
“I never booked that.”
“We know.”
Julian frowned.
“Why would they buy Ethan a ticket?”
Grant turned the page.
There was another document.
A wire transfer.
Four hundred thousand dollars.
From a Bennett subsidiary.
Into an account opened in my name.
My mouth went dry.
“I don’t have that account.”
“We know.”
I stared at her.
Then everything clicked.
Fake financial records.
A one-way international flight.
Money transferred under my identity.
They were not only planning to remove me.
They were planning to make it look like I stole money and fled.
Grant spoke quietly.
“If they had succeeded, Ethan, everyone would have believed you disappeared because you were guilty.”
Julian stared at me.
I looked at the wedding reception still glowing beyond the closed door.
Then my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
My apartment door.
Taken from inside my hallway.
Below it were five words.
May you like
You should have stayed home.
Chloe was in my building.
