Vanessa Hayes stared at the photograph of her uncle, Michael, standing beside her father outside the Blackwell property.
Michael held a thick envelope.
On the back, someone had written: ONE OF THEM LEFT WITH THE AGREEMENT. THE OTHER NEVER CAME HOME.
“One of them left with the agreement,” Vanessa whispered. “The other never came home.”
Adrian Blackwell examined the photograph beside her.
“Your uncle may have taken it,” he said. “But that doesn't mean he was responsible for what happened afterward.”
“Then why did he disappear?”
“Perhaps he was running from someone. Or perhaps he was trying to protect himself.”
Vanessa turned toward him. “You always find a reason to defend everyone.”
“I'm not defending him. I'm reminding you that suspicion isn't proof.”
Before she could respond, Luc
