Chapter 6 - THE ALLY
The hotel was quiet, out of the way. I paid in cash, gave a false name, and took us to a room on an upper floor away from elevators and exits. Once the door was locked and chained, I finally let myself breathe.
Noah fell asleep almost immediately on the small double bed, exhausted. I sat beside him in the dim lamplight and opened the files from the drive again. I bypassed the emails and financial records for now. I went straight to the list of names Claire had compiled.
At the very top, in bold letters, sat the name of the man I had trusted most after my wife died. Robert Sterling. My late wife’s own uncle. My former mentor. The man who had encouraged me to marry Vanessa.
My head spun.
Robert had introduced us. He had told me Vanessa was trustworthy, respectable, perfect. He had pushed for the engagement. He had known exactly what he was doing.
And beneath his name, written in Claire’s handwriting, was a note: He has a conscience. He is terrified. He wants to come forward but fears for his own family.
I stared at those words for a long time. If Claire was right… then Robert was the weak link. He was the one person inside their circle who might be willing to help.
I looked at the time. It was past midnight. But I could not wait. Every minute I delayed was another minute they had to find us and cover their tracks.
I found his private number in the contacts file. I hesitated, then dialed.
He answered on the fifth ring, his voice groggy and suspicious. “Who is this?”
“It’s Adrian,” I said.
Silence on the line. Then his voice dropped lower. “Adrian? Where are you? They have been looking for you everywhere. Vanessa called an emergency meeting. She claims you have been acting erratically, that you kidnapped Noah and are threatening to disappear. They are preparing to file missing person reports in the morning.”
Ice flooded through me. They were turning it all upside down. Making me the villain.
“She is lying,” I told him. “I found the drive, Robert. Claire’s drive. I have everything.”
The silence that followed stretched on for so long I thought he might have hung up.
“Where did you find it?” he asked finally, his voice barely a whisper.
“Inside Noah’s bear. She hid it there. Robert… she left a note. She said you wanted to come forward. That you were afraid. If that is true… help me.”
“I am not afraid for myself,” he said, and his voice cracked. “I am afraid for my grandchildren. For your son. Adrian, listen to me. You cannot trust the police. You cannot trust the courts. Half of them belong to the group. If you walk into the open, you will both be killed.”
“Then tell me who I can trust,” I said. “Help me expose them. Help me give Claire justice.”
Robert hesitated. Then he spoke quickly, his voice urgent.
“Meet me at the harbor. At the old docks. Warehouse seven. At four o’clock in the morning. Come alone. Tell no one. And Adrian… bring the drive. If we are to end this, we need every piece of evidence Claire left behind.”
The call ended.
I sat beside the sleeping boy, staring at the black screen of my phone. Was this a trap? Or my only hope? Vanessa had worked with Robert. They were family. But Claire had believed he could be turned. She had written that note believing he was their best chance.
I looked down at Noah. If I walked into that meeting and did not return… who would protect him?
I stood up, walked to the desk, and made three copies of every file on the drive. I hid one in the lining of Noah’s jacket. One inside my shoe. And one remained in my pocket. If they took one… they would not take them all.
I kissed Noah’s forehead. “Stay here. Lock the door. Do not open it for anyone until I come back. No matter what they say.”
He mumbled something in his sleep and rolled over.
May you like
I checked the time. Three forty-five.
It was time to go find out if Robert Sterling was an ally… or the final betrayal.
