Chapter 13 - The Father's Letter
We were packing the final boxes at the old mansion.
I walked into my late father's private study room.
The room smelled of old leather and polished mahogany.
I walked over to the heavy wooden desk center.
In the bottom drawer, behind a false wooden panel,
I found a small, rusted metal lock box.
I used a screwdriver to pry the metal lid open.
Inside lay an old handwritten letter from my father.
The letter was dated fifteen years ago today.
I unfolded the yellowed paper with careful fingers.
My father's familiar handwriting filled the white lines:
"My dearest son Ethan,"
"If you are reading this, I am long gone."
"I discovered Margaret's secret accounts five years ago."
"She was laundering money for a covert syndicate."
"A syndicate known as the Blackwood Network."
"I tried to stop her, but she threatened you."
"If anything happens to me, look for Blackwood."
"They operate out of Chicago and New York."
"Margaret is merely their local puppet, Ethan."
"The real leader is someone inside our family."
My heart skipped a beat as I read the lines.
My father hadn't died of a natural heart attack.
He was silenced by the syndicate my mother served.
And Margaret was just a middle enforcer in network.
The real mastermind was still free out there.
A family relative operating from the shadows.
I grabbed the letter, running out to my car.
I called Agent Harris on my mobile phone fast.
"Agent Harris! I found a letter from my father!"
"He names a syndicate called the Blackwood Network!"
Agent Harris's voice came back sharp, urgent, and heavy:
"Ethan, do not go back into that house!"
"We just intercepted a signal from Blackwood servers!"
"They know you found your father's letter!"
"A vehicle is heading toward your location right now!"
I slammed my foot on the accelerator pedal fast.
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I needed to get back to Emma and baby Clara.
📖 Chapter 14 brings a high-speed pursuit on the coastal highway. Follow the story right now. 👇
