Chapter 5 - The Thirteen Year Search
Richard scoffed. “Touching.”
Alexander ignored him. “When I took control after my father died, most records involving Gabriel had vanished. I had a corporation built on fraud and no admissible proof.”
“You could have told me,” I said.
“I tried. I sent letters.”
“I never received them.”
“I hired investigators. I found you eight years ago.”
I stared at him. “Then why wait?”
Alexander looked toward Sofie. “Because Richard found you first. The investigator I hired died in a traffic accident two days after reporting your location.”
Richard’s smile disappeared. “The police ruled it accidental.”
“They were wrong.” Alexander pointed at my father’s letter. “Read the final numbers.”
I looked down. The sequence suddenly seemed familiar.
11-04-19-88. 07-16-20-13.
They weren’t account numbers. They were dates. July 16 was my birthday. The first sequence belonged to someone born November 4, 1988.
Richard Blake.
I stared at him. He saw recognition in my face.
“Numbers prove nothing,” Richard said.
Sofie tugged my sleeve. “Mommy, the key is like Grandpa’s.”
I lifted the brass key. It had no teeth. Only a crescent-shaped tip. My heart began hammering. The puzzle box in my living room.
“The archive is at my apartment,” I said.
Alexander nodded. “Then we go together.”
Richard moved toward the door. “I’m coming.”
“No,” Alexander said.
May you like
Richard smiled. “You don’t control this anymore.”
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