His Last Secret

Chapter 9

I make the decision before Julian wakes up in the morning.

He deserves to be there when I find Margaret. But I can't risk him getting shut down again.

Margaret Webb lives alone now. Marcus moved out six months ago. The gossip mill at the estate was full of that detail.

A separation. I wonder if it was about the agency. About the secrets they kept for so long.

I drive myself. Julian's spare car. A gray sedan that doesn't draw any attention.

Rosewood Lane is quiet in the morning light. Old trees line the street. Small houses with well-kept yards.

Number forty-seven has a white picket fence. Rose bushes blooming in the front yard.

I park across the street and take a deep breath before getting out.

Then I walk up the path to the front door.

The door opens before I even knock.

Margaret Webb is older than I expected. Sixty, maybe. Gray hair pulled back tight. Eyes that have seen far too much.

"You're her."

"I'm sorry?"

"The accountant. The one digging into Elena's past."

"How do you know me?"

"Everyone knows you by now. The estate talks constantly. The Webbs have been part of that household for three generations."

"I need to talk to you about Hope's Promise Adoption Services."

Margaret's face closes up like a door slamming shut.

"I don't talk about that place. Ever."

"Elena died because of what happened there."

"I know that."

"Then help me figure out why."

"I can't help you."

"Margaret, there's a child out there. Julian's daughter. She doesn't know who she really is."

"Maybe that's for the best. Maybe ignorance is safer."

"Her mother is dead. Her father is looking for her."

"The father should have been looking six years ago when she was born."

"He didn't know she existed."

"He didn't want to know."

"That's not fair."

"Fair?" Margaret laughs bitterly. "Fair went out the window when Arthur Blackwood paid Sarah Mitchell to disappear."

"You knew Sarah?"

"Sarah was my niece."

The world stops spinning.

"Your niece?"

"My sister's daughter. She came to work at the estate because I got her the job. I thought it would be safe there. I thought she'd be protected."

"It wasn't safe."

"No."

Margaret's eyes fill with tears.

"Arthur Blackwood destroyed my entire family. He took my niece. He took her baby. And he paid everyone involved to keep quiet about it."

"Why did you stay working there after that?"

"Because I had no choice. Marcus worked for the Blackwoods his whole life. He was loyal to Arthur. Even after Arthur died, the loyalty remained."

"Where did the baby go after the adoption?"

"I don't know the exact location."

"But you were on the board of the agency."

"I was a figurehead. The real decisions were made by Arthur and Marcus."

"Elena knew the truth."

"Elena was the only one who tried to fix things. She tracked down the adoption records. She found the child."

"Where is the child now?"

"I don't know. She never told me the exact location. But she said the child was safe. Happy. With a good family."

"Then why was Elena killed if the child was already safe?"

Margaret looks away from me.

"Because someone found out she was going to tell Julian the whole truth."

"Tell him what exactly?"

"That he had a daughter. That his father stole her at birth. That the entire agency was a front for Arthur's control."

"A front for what?"

"For Arthur's control of Julian. Of the Blackwood legacy. Arthur couldn't stand the idea of an illegitimate heir being out there."

"He erased his own grandchild from existence."

"Yes."

I feel sick to my stomach.

"Who killed Elena, Margaret?"

"I don't know the name."

"But you have an idea who it might be."

Margaret's eyes meet mine.

"Someone inside the household. Someone who's been there the whole time watching everything."

"Alex?"

"Alex loved Elena. He wouldn't hurt her."

"Then who?"

"I can't say."

"You have to."

"If I say the name, I'm dead."

"Margaret."

The doorbell rings.

We both freeze.

Margaret looks through the curtain beside the door.

"It's Marcus."

She looks terrified now.

"He can't see you here at my house."

"Why?"

"Because he'll know I talked to you about the past."

"Then let me talk to him directly."

"No. You need to go. Out the back door right now."

"Margaret."

"Go. Now. I'll find you later. I'll tell you everything I know. But you have to go right this second."

She pushes me toward the kitchen.

I hear the front door open.

"Margaret? You home?"

Marcus's voice.

I slip out the back door into the garden.

I hide behind the garage and wait.

Fifteen minutes later, Marcus leaves in his car.

I don't see Margaret again after that.

But my phone buzzes as I get in my car.

"Meet me at the old agency building. Midnight tonight. I'll bring the original records. Come alone."

I read the message twice.

Then I drive back to the estate.

I don't tell Julian about the meeting.

Not yet anyway.

I need to think first.

Margaret is scared. More scared than she let on in the house.

But she's willing to talk. She has the records.

Elena trusted her. She was Sarah's aunt.

But she was also Marcus's wife.

And Marcus worked for Arthur for thirty years.

Can I really trust her?

I don't know the answer.

But I don't have a choice anymore.

Someone is killing everyone who knew the truth.

Margaret might be next on the list.

And I might be the only one who can stop it.