Chapter 16 - THE MAN WHO CAME BACK FROM THE DEAD
The voice from upstairs made every hair on my arms stand.
My father's voice.
The same deep tone.
The same slow rhythm.
The same slight rasp at the end of certain words.
For most of my life, that voice had meant safety.
Now it meant danger.
Michael raised his weapon.
Sarah pulled Lily behind her.
Mark stepped closer to me.
"Dad..."
"I know."
"No," Sarah whispered.
Everyone looked at her.
She was staring at the staircase.
"That's not Robert."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Sarah shook her head.
"I've heard that voice before."
Michael looked at her.
"Where?"
"On the recordings."
She looked terrified.
"He's been using Robert's voice."
A man's footsteps began descending.
Slow.
Unhurried.
Then he appeared.
He looked exactly like my father.
But Sarah was right.
There was something wrong.
His face was too smooth.
His eyes were different.
He smiled.
"Hello, Thomas."
I took one step forward.
"Who are you?"
He laughed.
"After everything we've been through, that's your question?"
"Who are you?"
He stopped at the bottom of the stairs.
"My name is Edward Bennett."
Michael raised the gun.
"You're dead."
Edward smiled.
"So is Robert."
The words struck me.
"Then why do you look like him?"
"Because we were brothers."
Sarah stepped forward.
"You're lying."
Edward looked at her.
"Am I?"
She stared at him.
"Robert had a scar on his left wrist."
Edward slowly raised his sleeve.
No scar.
Sarah whispered:
"You're not him."
Edward's smile disappeared.
For the first time, I saw his real face.
Cold.
Empty.
Calculating.
"Very good."
Michael raised the weapon.
"Where's Daniel?"
Edward laughed.
"Daniel works for me."
Mark tightened his grip on Lily.
"What do you want?"
Edward looked at the little girl.
"You know what I want."
"Stay away from her."
"She's worth forty-two million dollars."
"She's my daughter."
"No."
Edward's voice became colder.
"She's an asset."
Sarah stepped between them.
"She's a child."
"She's the beneficiary."
"She's your granddaughter."
Edward looked at me.
"She's the last piece."
I felt something snap inside me.
"You're not taking her."
Edward smiled.
"You still don't understand."
He pointed toward the boxes.
"Your mother didn't hide those documents to protect Lily."
He paused.
"She hid them to protect you."
I looked at the files.
"What are you talking about?"
"Robert wasn't running the network."
"Then who was?"
Edward looked at me.
"Your mother."
Silence.
I shook my head.
"No."
"She built the original system."
Sarah whispered:
"That's not true."
Edward looked at her.
"Ask her."
"She's dead."
Edward smiled.
"Is she?"
A sound came from behind us.
The steel door opened.
A woman stood there.
Old.
White hair.
A cane in her hand.
I couldn't breathe.
Sarah dropped to her knees.
"Grandmother?"
The woman looked at me.
"Thomas."
I stared at her.
My mother.
Alive.
After all these years.
She smiled sadly.
"I am sorry."
May you like
Then the lights went out.
A gunshot exploded through the room.
