I couldn’t move.
The man stood beneath the streetlight, exactly as he had appeared in the photograph.
Older now.
His hair was streaked with gray, but his face was unmistakable.
He knew my father.
And somehow, he knew me.
—You’ve been waiting six years?
—I asked.
The man nodded.
—Your father asked me to.
Adrian stepped in front of me.
—Stay away from her.
The man smiled.
—Still playing Daniel’s protector, Adrian?
Adrian’s expression hardened.
—You shouldn’t be here.
—Neither should you.
Evelyn stepped closer.
—Martin, what are you doing?
So that was his name.
Martin looked at her.
—Finishing something Daniel started.
—Daniel is dead.
—That’s why I’m here.
I looked between them.
—You all knew my father.
Martin’s eyes settled on me.
—Better than you think.
I felt anger rising again.
—Then stop talking around me.
Martin studied me for a moment.
Then he reached inside his coat.
Adrian immediately moved.
—Don’t.
Martin pulled out a small envelope.
Nothing else.
He held it toward me.
—Your father wanted you to have this.
I didn’t take it.
—What’s inside?
—Something he couldn’t tell you himself.
Adrian’s voice was low.
—Martin, give it to me.
Martin laughed.
—No.
—You don’t understand.
—Actually, I understand perfectly.
He looked at me.
—This belongs to Sophia.
I finally reached for it.
The envelope was old.
My father’s handwriting covered the front.
For Sophia.
Open only when Adrian is with you.
I stared at the words.
Then looked at Adrian.
—Why would my father want you here?
Martin answered before Adrian could.
—Because Adrian was there that night.
I swallowed.
—So was I.
Martin nodded.
—Yes.
—What happened?
He looked at Adrian.
—Ask him.
Adrian said nothing.
I turned toward him.
—Tell me.
—Not here.
—I’m tired of hearing that.
I held up the envelope.
—My father specifically told me to open this when you were with me.
Adrian stared at it.
Something flickered across his face.
Fear.
Real fear.
—Sophia…
—What?
—Don’t open it.
My heart sank.
—Why?
—Because if Daniel wrote what I think he wrote, everything changes.
Martin smiled sadly.
—That’s exactly why he wrote it.
I looked down at the envelope.
My fingers slipped beneath the seal.
Adrian reached toward me.
—Wait.
I pulled it open.
Inside was a single folded sheet of paper.
I unfolded it.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My father’s.
My eyes moved across the first line.
Sophia, if you’re reading this, then Adrian has finally told you enough to make you suspicious of everyone.
I looked at Adrian.
He looked away.
I continued.
That’s good.
You should be suspicious.
My hands trembled.
There are things I couldn’t explain when you were thirteen.
There are things I still cannot explain without putting you in danger.
I swallowed.
Then read the next sentence.
But there is one thing you must know.
Adrian did not cause my death.
I stopped.
Adrian closed his eyes.
I kept reading.
He tried to prevent it.
The world seemed to go silent.
I looked at Adrian.
—You tried to save my father?
He nodded once.
—Yes.
—Why didn’t you tell me?
—Because your father made me promise.
I looked back at the letter.
If Adrian tells you that he tried to save me, believe him.
But do not trust him completely.
My stomach tightened.
That sounded exactly like my father.
Trust no one.
Not even Adrian.
I continued.
Adrian knows what happened that night, but he does not know everything.
I looked at him.
—You don’t know everything?
—No.
The letter continued.
There was another person in the house that night.
I froze.
Another person.
Someone I trusted.
Martin looked down.
Evelyn’s expression changed.
I slowly turned toward her.
She shook her head.
—Sophia— —Were you there?
She didn’t answer.
My eyes moved to Martin.
Then Adrian.
Nobody spoke.
I read the next line.
If you ever meet Martin Carter, do not let him tell you the whole story.
My blood ran cold.
I looked at Martin.
His smile disappeared.
Adrian whispered: —Your father knew.
Martin’s face hardened.
—He knew too much.
I folded the letter.
—What did my father know?
Martin took a step forward.
Adrian blocked him.
—Don’t come closer.
Martin ignored him.
—Daniel discovered that the Blackwood family wasn’t the only family involved.
My chest tightened.
—What other family?
Martin looked at me.
—Yours.
I couldn’t understand.
—My family?
He nodded.
—Your father wasn’t investigating the Blackwoods.
He paused.
—He was investigating himself.
The words made no sense.
—You’re lying.
—I wish I were.
Evelyn stepped forward.
—Martin, enough.
—She deserves to know.
—Not like this.
I looked at Evelyn.
—Tell me.
She shook her head.
—Your father was involved with the Blackwoods long before you were born.
I stared at her.
—How?
Martin answered.
—Daniel Bennett worked for them.
—My father worked for the Blackwoods?
—For years.
Adrian interrupted.
—He wasn’t loyal to them.
Martin smiled.
—Not at first.
I looked at Adrian.
—What does that mean?
Adrian hesitated.
—My father hired Daniel to investigate people inside the company.
—And my father agreed?
—Yes.
—Why?
Adrian looked at the ground.
—Because he needed the money.
That hurt.
I had spent my entire childhood believing my father was just an ordinary man.
A good man.
A hardworking man.
Someone who had nothing to do with powerful families.
Now everyone was telling me he had been part of something much bigger.
I stepped away from them.
—So everything I knew about him was a lie?
Evelyn’s voice softened.
—No.
She approached me carefully.
—The person he was before you was not the person he became after you were born.
I looked at her.
—That’s supposed to make me feel better?
—No.
She stopped.
—It’s supposed to make you understand that people can change.
I looked at the letter again.
There was one final paragraph.
I hadn’t noticed it before.
The ink was darker.
Almost as if it had been written much later.
Sophia, if you ever discover the truth about October 14, remember this: the person who saves you may be the person who caused everything.
My breathing stopped.
I read it again.
And again.
Then I looked at Adrian.
He was staring at the same sentence.
—What does that mean?
—I asked.
He didn’t answer.
Martin did.
—It means someone you trust will eventually betray you.
—Who?
Martin looked directly at Adrian.
—Him.
Adrian’s expression changed.
—Don’t listen to him.
Martin laughed.
—Your father knew what you were capable of.
Adrian stepped forward.
—You weren’t there when it happened.
Martin’s face became cold.
—I was closer than you think.
Suddenly, headlights appeared at the end of the street.
Another car.
Then another.
Adrian looked behind us.
—We need to move.
—Why?
—Those aren’t police.
Martin folded his arms.
—They’re Blackwoods.
Evelyn grabbed my hand.
—Sophia, run.
I pulled away.
—I’m not running anymore.
Adrian looked at me.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he said: —Fine.
He pointed toward the alley.
—But stay beside me.
We moved quickly.
The sounds of doors opening echoed behind us.
Voices.
Footsteps.
I held the letter tightly.
We reached the end of the alley and stopped.
There was nowhere to go.
A tall black gate blocked the path.
Adrian looked around.
—Damn it.
I heard footsteps approaching.
Martin appeared behind us.
He wasn’t running.
He was smiling.
—There’s no need to be afraid.
Adrian glared at him.
—What did you do?
Martin reached into his coat again.
This time, he pulled out a small silver key.
My heart skipped.
The same kind of key I had seen in my father’s box.
—Your father gave me this six years ago.
He held it up.
—He told me to give it to Sophia when the time came.
I stared at the key.
—What does it open?
Martin looked at me.
—The place where he hid the real file.
Adrian stepped forward.
—Martin.
—It’s time.
Martin extended the key toward me.
I reached for it.
But before my fingers touched it, a voice came from behind us.
—Don’t.
I froze.
That voice.
I knew it.
Not from the university.
Not from the cemetery.
Not from the phone.
From a memory.
A rainy night.
A dark hallway.
My father’s frightened face.
I turned slowly.
A woman stood at the entrance of the alley.
She was holding an umbrella.
And I recognized her.
My mother.
But my mother had been living abroad for six years.
She had never once told me she knew anything about my father’s death.
She looked directly at me.
Then at the key.
And whispered: —Your father never wanted you to find that place.
Adrian stared at her.
—You came back.
My mother looked at him.
—Because I finally know who killed Daniel.
Silence.
My heart stopped.
—Who?
She looked at Martin.
Then Evelyn.
Then Adrian.
Finally, she looked at me.
—It wasn’t the Blackwoods.
She took a breath.
—It was someone in this alley.
I turned around.
Everyone was staring at one another.
And suddenly, I realized something.
There were four adults who knew what happened that night.
And one of them was lying.
The silver key was still in Martin’s hand.
Then the lights in the alley went out.
And someone whispered in the darkness: —Sophia, don’t trust anyone.