Chapter 12: What Was Buried in the Woods
We followed the sound through the trees.
Rain had begun falling, turning the path into mud.
Nathan could barely walk, but he refused to stop.
At the clearing, an excavator was tearing into the ground beside an old stone well. Eleanor stood near the machine, shouting instructions to one of her security men.
Rachel and her federal team arrived from the opposite side.
“Step away from the equipment!” Rachel ordered.
The security guard surrendere
d.
Eleanor did not.
She climbed onto the excavator and tried to drive it toward the open pit. Nathan pulled the emergency lever, stopping the machine only feet from the hole.
Federal agents dragged Eleanor down.
She screamed that the land belonged to her.
Rachel ordered the excavation to continue carefully.
Two hours later, investigators uncovered a sealed metal container.
Inside were Charles Vance’s remains.
They also found a second container.
It held medical records, financial ledgers, Rebecca’s original identification, and recordings Charles had made during the final months of his life.
Charles had discovered Eleanor’s crimes.
He intended to expose her.
On the final recording, he named her directly.
“If anything happens to me,” Charles said, “Eleanor is responsible.”
Eleanor was arrested for attempted murder, kidnapping, fraud, conspiracy, and the suspected killing of her husband.
Captain Mercer survived and agreed
to testify in exchange for protection.
It should have ended there.
But as agents escorted Eleanor toward a vehicle, she looked at Nathan and smiled.
“You found your father,” she said. “But you still don’t know who betrayed you.”
Nathan’s face hardened.
“Mercer diverted the plane.”
“No,” Eleanor replied. “Mercer followed instructions. The person who gave me your flight plan was someone you trusted completely.”
Her gaze moved past Nathan.
Toward Michael Grant.
May you like
Michael stood at the edge of the clearing, holding Nathan’s company documents.
Then he turned and ran.
