Chapter 8 - The Father Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Emily stared at the cracked phone screen on the bus floor.
The man in the video looked older than the father she remembered. His hair had turned almost completely gray, and a deep scar crossed the left side of his neck.
But his eyes were the same.
Calm.
Watchful.
Unmistakable.
"That can't be him," Emily whispered.
Thomas picked up the phone and studied the image.
"It is."
Daniel watched them with an expression that was almost amused.
Emily turned toward him.
"You knew."
Daniel said nothing.
"You knew my father was alive."
His silence answered her.
The countdown beside Laura's chair continued falling.
3:36.
3:35.
3:34.
On the screen, Emily's father lowered his finger from his lips. He moved behind Dr. Ward and appeared to say something directly into her ear.
Dr. Ward stiffened.
Then the video suddenly froze.
The timer stopped.
Everyone inside the bus waited.
One second.
Two.
Three.
The feed vanished.
A black screen replaced it.
Thomas immediately called the police team heading toward the freight depot.
"No one enters until I give the signal," he said. "The location may be a decoy."
The officer beside Daniel frowned.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because David Carter never shows himself unless he wants someone to follow him."
Emily looked at Thomas.
"You called him David."
Thomas slowly lowered the phone.
"That was his real name."
"My father's name was Michael."
"Michael Carter was the identity he used after entering protective custody."
Emily struggled to breathe.
Every childhood memory now felt uncertain.
The quiet father who helped her with homework.
The man who disappeared on business trips.
The man whose funeral she attended without seeing his body.
All of it had been built on secrets.
Daniel spoke quietly.
"He didn't disappear to protect you."
Emily looked at him.
"He disappeared because he chose his investigation over his family."
Thomas stepped forward.
"Don't manipulate her."
"I'm telling the truth."
"You've never cared about the truth."
Daniel smiled.
"Neither did David."
A paramedic tried to guide Emily toward a seat, but she refused.
"I need to know why my father is with Laura."
Thomas looked toward the bus windows.
Police lights reflected across the rain-soaked street.
"I don't think he is holding her."
"Then why was he there?"
"Because he may have been trying to rescue her before we arrived."
Daniel laughed.
"You still believe he's the hero."
Thomas ignored him.
Emily's phone suddenly rang inside her fallen backpack.
Everyone turned.
She slowly picked it up.
Unknown number.
Thomas motioned for silence.
Emily answered.
"Hello?"
For several seconds, only static could be heard.
Then a familiar voice spoke.
Older.
Weaker.
But still recognizable.
"Emily, do not go to the freight depot."
Tears filled her eyes.
"Dad?"
The call ended.
Immediately afterward, the city bus exploded with the sound of alarms.
Every door locked automatically.
The lights shut off.
May you like
And a new message appeared across the driver's control screen.
YOU BROUGHT THE WRONG MAN.
