Chapter 6: My Granddaughter Was the Next Person on Their List
I was on my feet before Margaret finished speaking.
“Sophie is alone?””
“According to the security report, yes.””
“Call her.””
Margaret dialed immediately.
No answer.
She tried again.
Nothing.
I grabbed my phone and called my granddaughter myself.
It rang four times.
Then someone answered.
“Hello?””
It wasn't Sophie.
My blood turned to ice.
“Who is this?””
A man's voice responded.
“Mrs. Whitmore.””
Victor Shaw.
My head of security.
The man who had supposedly protected my family for nineteen years.
“Where is Sophie?””
“She's safe.””
“Put her on the phone.””
“I'm afraid that won't be possible.””
I looked at Margaret.
She was already contacting the private investigator.
“Victor, listen carefully. If you hurt my granddaughter—”
He interrupted me.
“You really should have stayed dead, Eleanor.””
My fingers tightened around the phone.
“You worked for me.””
“I did.””
“I trusted you.””
“That was your mistake.””
“Where is Sophie?””
He laughed quietly.
“Your son wants to speak with you.””
A second voice came through.
Julian.
“Hello, Mother.””
I closed my eyes.
“What have you done?””
“Nothing Sophie can't recover from.””
“Put her on the phone.””
“First, I need something.””
“What?””
“The original documents Catherine left behind.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“What documents?””
“Don't insult me. You know exactly what I'm talking about.””
“I don't have them.””
“Then find them.””
“Where is Sophie?””
Julian sighed.
“Mom, you're making this unnecessarily difficult.””
I heard movement in the background.
Then a faint voice.
“Grandma?””
Sophie.
My heart nearly stopped.
“Sweetheart?””
“Grandma, I'm okay.””
Julian snatched the phone away.
“That's enough.””
I heard a sharp sound.
Then silence.
“JULIAN!””
He returned.
“Twenty-four hours, Mom. Bring us Catherine's original evidence, and Sophie goes home.””
“And if I don't?””
His voice became frighteningly calm.
“Then you'll lose another daughter.””
The call ended.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
Then I turned toward Margaret.
“Call the authorities.””
She nodded.
“Already done.””
“Tell them my granddaughter has been abducted.””
“I have.””
I looked at Mateo.
“Get the car.””
He was already moving.
Margaret caught my arm.
“Eleanor, you cannot go there.””
“That's my granddaughter.””
“Victor is armed. Julian is desperate. We need to let the authorities handle this.””
I looked at her.
“You think I haven't spent enough time letting other people handle things?””
“I'm trying to keep you alive.””
“And I'm trying to keep Sophie alive.””
The argument ended when Margaret's phone rang.
It was the private investigator.
He had accessed the exterior cameras at my estate.
The footage showed Victor arriving at 3:42 p.m.
He entered through the side gate.
Four minutes later, Julian's car appeared.
A second vehicle followed.
The footage showed three men entering the house.
Only two came out.
Sophie wasn't among them.
I closed my eyes.
“Where did they take her?””
The investigator checked the remaining cameras.
“There was a vehicle heading west toward an old Whitmore warehouse.””
I frowned.
“Which one?””
“Warehouse Six. Near the industrial district.””
I knew the property.
It had been acquired twenty years earlier and converted into a storage and distribution facility.
It had been closed for renovations the previous year.
No regular employees worked there.
I looked at Margaret.
“That's where they're taking her.””
“Eleanor, wait for the police.””
I shook my head.
“Then help me get there before they move her again.””
Mateo took the driver's seat.
Margaret called the authorities and sent the warehouse location.
I sat in the back, clutching my phone.
Every minute felt like an hour.
I kept remembering Sophie as a little girl.
The first time she called me Grandma.
The afternoon she fell off her bicycle and refused to cry because she wanted to prove she was brave.
The day she graduated from college.
She had hugged me and whispered, “You're the reason I believe women can do anything.””
I had smiled.
Now she was paying for my mistakes.
When we reached the warehouse district, we parked two streets away.
The building stood behind a rusted metal fence.
A single security light illuminated the entrance.
Two vehicles were parked outside.
One belonged to Julian.
The other belonged to Victor.
Mateo looked at me.
“Stay here.””
“No.””
“Eleanor, please.””
“I am not leaving my granddaughter.””
He studied my face.
Then he nodded.
We approached the building carefully.
A side door was slightly open.
Inside, I could hear voices.
Julian was speaking.
“Where's the drive?””
Victor answered.
“She doesn't have it.””
“She must know where it is.””
“What if she really doesn't?””
Julian laughed.
“Then we make her remember.””
I felt sick.
We moved farther inside.
Through a narrow opening, I saw Sophie sitting on a metal chair.
Her hands were tied.
Her face was pale.
Victor stood behind her.
Julian paced in front of a workbench.
I took a step forward.
Mateo grabbed my arm.
“Wait.””
Then Julian spoke again.
“You know what your grandmother did, Sophie?””
She lifted her chin.
“She built a company.””
He laughed.
“She built an empire by taking what belonged to other people.””
“That's not true.””
“Your mother believed that too.””
Sophie looked at him.
“Don't talk about Mom.””
Julian leaned over her.
“Your mother should have minded her own business.””
I felt my body go cold.
He continued.
“She thought she could expose Grandpa. She thought she could destroy everything we had built.””
Sophie spat at him.
Julian slapped her.
I nearly screamed.
Mateo caught me before I could move.
Then a voice came from behind the workbench.
“That's enough, Julian.””
Richard stepped into view.
My husband.
He looked older than he had on the boat.
His hair was disheveled, and his shirt was untucked.
He held a glass of water.
“Don't damage the girl,” he said.
“We still need her.””
I felt something break inside me.
“Need her for what?”” Julian asked.
Richard looked at Sophie.
“Her grandmother will come for her.””
Julian smiled.
“Exactly.””
Richard placed the glass on the table.
“Once Eleanor brings the original evidence, we can finish this.””
I stared at him.
They were using my granddaughter as bait.
The same way they had used the boat trip to trap me.
The same way they had used my trust for forty-six years.
Mateo leaned close.
“We need to wait for the police.””
I nodded reluctantly.
Then I heard Sophie's voice.
“Grandpa?””
Richard turned.
“What?””
“Did you kill my mother?””
The room went silent.
Julian stopped pacing.
Richard stared at her.
“Don't be ridiculous.””
“Then why did you say she should have stayed quiet?””
Richard stepped closer.
“Your mother was confused.””
“Was she?””
“She was interfering in things she didn't understand.””
Sophie lifted her head.
“She understood enough to know you were stealing.””
Richard's face changed.
For the first time, I saw the anger beneath his carefully maintained appearance.
“You sound just like her.””
“Good.””
He raised his hand.
I couldn't stay hidden anymore.
I stepped into the doorway.
“Don't you dare touch her.””
Every head turned.
Julian's face went white.
Richard dropped his glass.
It shattered against the concrete floor.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Julian whispered:
“Mom?””
I walked toward them.
My clothes were dry now. My hair was neatly tied back. My injured shoulder still hurt, but I stood straight.
“Hello, Julian.””
He stared at me as though he were looking at a ghost.
“You're supposed to be dead.””
“I was.””
I stopped a few feet from him.
“Your father watched me drown. You smiled while I begged for help.””
Julian's jaw tightened.
Richard took a step forward.
“Eleanor, listen to me.””
I looked at him.
“You've had forty-six years to talk.””
He swallowed.
“You don't understand what happened.””
“I understand enough.””
I turned toward Sophie.
“Sweetheart, are you hurt?””
She shook her head, tears running down her face.
“I'm okay, Grandma.””
Julian suddenly laughed.
“You think this is some dramatic reunion? You have no idea what you've walked into.””
I looked at him.
“I know exactly what I've walked into.””
He gestured toward Victor.
“Get her.””
Victor moved.
Then a voice boomed from outside.
“POLICE! PUT YOUR HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!””
The warehouse exploded into movement.
Victor reached inside his jacket.
Mateo shouted.
“Don't!””
Two officers rushed through the side entrance.
Victor dropped to his knees.
Julian tried to run toward the rear exit, but another officer blocked him.
Richard stood completely still.
For the first time in forty-six years, I saw my husband look genuinely afraid.
An officer freed Sophie.
She ran straight into my arms.
I held her so tightly that she began crying against my shoulder.
“I'm sorry,” I whispered.
“It's not your fault.””
“I should have protected you.””
“You came.””
I kissed the top of her head.
“Always.””
Across the warehouse, Julian was being handcuffed.
He looked at me.
“Mom! Tell them this is a misunderstanding!””
I didn't answer.
“Mom, please!””
Richard suddenly spoke.
“Eleanor, you need to tell them about the documents.””
I turned.
“What documents?””
His face tightened.
“The evidence Catherine left. If you give it to the authorities, you'll destroy the company.””
I stared at him.
“I'm more concerned about destroying the people who killed my daughter.””
Richard shook his head.
“You don't understand. There are people involved who are far more powerful than us.””
I stepped closer.
“Who?””
He looked toward Julian.
My son was struggling against the officers.
Then Richard lowered his voice.
“The person who ordered Catherine's death wasn't me.””
I stopped breathing.
“What did you say?””
Richard swallowed.
“I didn't plan the accident. I only helped cover it up.””
“Who planned it?””
He glanced toward the entrance.
Then he whispered:
“Your daughter discovered that the forty million dollars wasn't the only money missing.””
I stared at him.
“What else?””
Richard's face crumpled.
“She discovered that someone had been stealing from Whitmore Global for twenty years.””
“Who?””
He looked directly into my eyes.
And before he could answer, an officer approached.
“Mrs. Whitmore, we need you to come with us. There's been another development.””
“What development?””
The officer held up a clear evidence bag.
Inside was a small gold necklace.
Catherine's necklace.
The same one Vanessa had been wearing.
I looked at it.
“Where did you find that?””
“In Mr. Whitmore's vehicle.””
My husband went pale.
The officer continued.
“There's a memory card hidden inside the pendant.””
My heart began pounding.
“What's on it?””
“We haven't reviewed everything yet.””
He paused.
“But the preliminary examination suggests it's a recording.””
I looked at Richard.
He was trembling.
Then he whispered something I would never forget.
“Eleanor, don't listen to it.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
His eyes filled with tears.
“Because Catherine recorded the person who ordered her death.””
May you like
And just as the officers led him away, he turned back toward me.
“It's someone you've trusted even more than you've trusted me.””
