Chapter 9 — Hannah’s Last Secret
The recording hissed.
Station announcements echoed around us.
Erin’s voice continued.
“The crash happened because Hannah Mercer pulled the steering wheel.”
My stomach turned.
“No.”
Maisie gripped the edge of the locker.
Caleb stared at the floor.
Erin explained that Hannah had been meeting Adrian Cross in secret.
Not romantically.
She had been working with him.
Hannah was a financial analyst at a small insurance firm. She had discovered that Cross Medical Transport was billing the state for patients who did not exist.
Millions of dollars.
Fake routes.
Forged signatures.
Dead people listed as active passengers.
She contacted Adrian, believing he wanted to expose his own company.
He did.
But for a price.
The night of the crash, Hannah met Adrian and Caleb to collect financial records.
Caleb drove.
Adrian sat beside him.
Hannah sat in the back.
When Adrian admitted he planned to sell the evidence to a competitor rather than give it to police, Hannah tried to take the bag.
Adrian grabbed her.
Caleb turned around.
The car crossed the center line.
Hannah pulled the wheel to avoid an oncoming vehicle.
They struck the highway divider.
A truck hit the passenger side.
Hannah died.
Erin arrived first because Adrian called her to clean up the evidence.
She removed the files.
Then she helped Adrian and Caleb construct the lie that Adrian had been driving distracted.
The story protected Caleb from prison.
It also hid Hannah’s investigation.
I turned to my brother.
“You let me believe she died because of a text message.”
Caleb’s voice cracked.
“I thought the truth would destroy you.”
“That wasn’t your decision.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Maisie looked at the recorder.
“Why did my mother help them?”
Erin answered as if she had expected the question.
“Because Adrian was Maisie’s father.”
Maisie dropped the recorder.
It hit the concrete floor.
Nobody moved.
Caleb whispered, “I’m sorry.”
Maisie backed away.
“No.”
Dana reached for her.
Maisie shoved her hand aside.
“No.”
Adrian Cross.
The man whose company had threatened Erin.
The man hunting the evidence.
The man connected to Hannah’s death.
He was Maisie’s father.
The recorder continued playing from the floor.
“Adrian knew Maisie existed. He also knew she had been born with a severe leg condition. He wanted me to end the pregnancy. When I refused, he disappeared.”
Maisie covered her ears.
I stopped the recording.
Too late.
A man’s voice spoke behind us.
“You should have kept playing.”
We turned.
Adrian Cross stood at the end of the locker aisle.
He wore a dark coat and no expression.
Two men stood behind him.
The detectives reached for their weapons.
Adrian lifted a small remote control.
“I wouldn’t.”
A red light blinked inside the open locker.
Bomb.
Adrian looked at Maisie.
For the first time, father and daughter faced each other.
He studied her prosthetic leg.
Then he said, “You look like your mother.”
Maisie’s voice shook.
“You look worse.”
May you like
Adrian smiled.
And pressed the button.
