Chapter 15 - The Unseen Shadow
I walked down the porch steps toward courier driver.
"Delivery for Attorney Elena Vance," the driver called.
I signed the digital pad, taking the small box.
"Thank you," I said, looking at the label.
The brown cardboard package had no return address listed.
I walked back to the wooden porch table carefully.
Margaret looked up from her tea cup with curiosity.
"Who is the package from, Elena?" Margaret asked.
"I don't know, there is no address on box."
I pulled open the brown sealing tape with fingers.
Inside the box lay a sleek silver flash drive.
Beside the drive rested a single old photograph document.
I picked up the photograph with careful, trembling fingers.
The image showed an old military research facility building.
A compound located deep inside a remote forest mountain.
Standing in front of the building was a man.
A man wearing an immaculate, expensive dark tailored suit.
He held a newborn baby girl in his arms.
My blood ran completely ice cold in one second.
The man in the photo was my father.
The father I believed died twenty years ago today.
My father hadn't died of illness back then.
He was alive and standing outside the secret facility.
I flipped the photograph over to read back side.
A message was written in neat, elegant handwriting text:
"Hello, my brave daughter Elena."
"Victoria and Julian were executing my instructions all along."
"I created the trust fund to test your mind."
"You passed the test, my brilliant girl."
"Now it is time for you to take over."
"I am waiting for you at the mountain facility."
Pure, paralyzing, freezing terror flooded my entire body.
My own father was the ultimate global mastermind behind.
He had orchestrated Margaret's trust and my investigation.
The entire syndicate was a test for his daughter.
A test to see if I was strong enough.
Margaret dropped her tea cup onto the wooden deck.
The ceramic cup shattered into pieces on the floor.
"Elena... who sent that photograph to you?"
I plugged the flash drive into my mobile laptop.
A single video file opened on the screen display.
The video showed a live satellite camera feed above.
A feed pointing directly down at our front porch.
The live satellite camera feed zoomed in on porch.
It showed Margaret and me sitting at the table.
Whoever sent the box was watching us right now.
My heart pounded violently against my chest ribs.
I grabbed Margaret's arm, pulling her up fast.
"Get inside the house right now, Margaret!"
A slow, heavy floorboard creaked on porch outside.
Footsteps approached our heavy front oak entrance door.
The electronic deadbolt lock chimed with a soft beep.
The keycard reader flashed green on the door frame.
Whoever was outside held a master digital keycard.
The heavy oak front door swung open slowly inside.
A tall man stepped into the dimly lit hallway.
He wore an immaculate, expensive dark tailored suit.
His silver hair was styled neatly, his eyes cold.
His facial features were identical to mine in mirror.
It was my biological father, standing right before us.
He looked at my raised firearm and smiled warmly.
A chilling, terrifying smile of pure paternal pride.
May you like
"Lower the gun, Elena," my father whispered softly.
"The most shocking part is yet to come. Comment 'yes' so I can drop Part Two immediately!"
