"There is something else, Daniel. Your father knew Richard long before you became sheriff. They were partners in a private investigation business. Your father discovered that Richard was using the company to arrange illegal operations. He tried to expose him, but Richard threatened your family."
Daniel stopped breathing.
His father had known.
The man Daniel had admired throughout his childhood had been involved in a dangerous secret long before Emily disappeared.
The recording continued.
"I found an old letter written by your father. He said Richard had threatened to destroy everything he loved. He also said that if anything happened to him, Daniel must never trust the people who claimed to be protecting him."
There was a long silence.
Then Sarah spoke again, her voice shaking.
"Daniel, I think someone has been following me. I don't know how much time I have left. But I need you to understand one thing."
Her voice became softer.
"You were never supposed to be the lead investigator in Emily's case. Richard chose you because he knew you would trust the evidence he provided."
Daniel opened his eyes.
The truth was worse than he had imagined.
He hadn't simply been deceived by a criminal mastermind.
He had been selected.
Every witness, every report, every piece of evidence had been arranged to lead him toward a predetermined conclusion.
The investigation had been a performance.
And he had unknowingly played the leading role.
Suddenly, the recording changed.
A different voice appeared.
It was male.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
Michael Bennett.
"Sarah, you should have listened when I warned you."
Then came the sound of a chair moving.
Sarah replied.
"You're making a terrible mistake, Michael."
He laughed.
"No. The mistake was trusting Daniel."
Daniel froze.
A loud crash followed.
Then Sarah screamed.
The recording ended.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Daniel slowly removed the cassette.
Emily looked at him.
"Now you understand why I was afraid."
Daniel nodded.
He finally understood why Michael had remained beside him for so many years.
Why he had helped with the investigation.
Why he had comforted him after Sarah's death.
Michael had not been protecting him.
He had been watching him.
And he had probably been doing so from the beginning.
Daniel placed the cassette inside his jacket.
"We're taking this to the state police."
Emily shook her head.
"Your father said the state police were involved too."
Daniel looked at her.
"Then we'll find someone who isn't."
Before they could leave, Lily's voice came from the entrance.
"Grandpa?"
Daniel turned.
The little girl was standing beside the doorway.
He had told her to stay inside the car, but somehow she had followed them.
He rushed toward her.
"Sweetheart, what are you doing here?"
Lily held out a small piece of paper.
"I found this in the car."
Daniel took it.
It was a photograph of a man standing beside Sarah.
The photograph was old, but the face was recognizable.
It was Richard Carter.
On the back, someone had written a date.
The day Sarah died.
And beneath it were four words.
"She knew about the baby."
Daniel looked toward Emily.
Her face had gone completely white.
Because she knew something he didn't.
Something that had been hidden from him for fifteen years.
And it had everything to do with Lily.
The photograph remained in Daniel's hand as he stared at the words written on its back.
"She knew about the baby."
He read the sentence again, hoping he had misunderstood it.
But there was no mistake.
The photograph had been taken on the day Sarah died. Richard Carter was standing beside her, wearing a dark suit and looking directly into the camera. Sarah appeared uncomfortable, almost frightened.
Daniel turned toward Emily.
"What baby?"
Emily didn't answer.
"Emily, I'm asking you a question. What baby was Sarah talking about?"
Emily looked at Lily, who was standing beside the doorway.
"Not here," she whispered.
Daniel lowered his voice.
"How many more secrets are you keeping from me?"
Emily closed her eyes.
"I wanted to tell you. I swear I did. But I needed to be certain."
"Certain of what?"
"That Richard was really dead."
Daniel stared at her.
"He's alive. We've known that for days."
Emily shook her head.
"No, Daniel. I'm talking about something else. I needed to know whether the man we've been seeing is really Richard Carter."
The words made Daniel uncomfortable.
"What are you talking about?"
Emily took the photograph and pointed to the man's face.
"My father had an identical twin brother."
Daniel looked closer.
"An identical twin?"
"His name was Robert Carter. He disappeared when we were children. My father always told me he had died overseas."
"Are you saying the man in this photograph could be your uncle?"
Emily nodded.
"I don't know anymore."
Daniel examined the picture again.
The man looked exactly like Richard.
But if Emily was right, they might have been chasing the wrong person.
He put the photograph away.
"We need to find the original witness who identified the body."
Emily frowned.
"Laura Mitchell?"
"No. Someone else. The person who signed the identification documents."
Daniel remembered the original case file. A woman named Helen Parker had identified Emily's body at the morgue. She had been a family friend who claimed to recognize a distinctive birthmark on Emily's shoulder.
Helen had disappeared shortly after the trial.
At the time, Daniel had assumed she had moved away.
Now he knew better.
He returned to his car and searched the old case database. Helen Parker's last known address was listed as a small town nearly sixty miles away.
The address was outdated, but a relative's name appeared in the records.
Margaret Parker.
He searched for her telephone number and called.
An elderly woman answered.
"Hello?"
"Mrs. Parker? My name is Daniel Hayes. I'm a sheriff from the county."
There was a pause.
"Hayes?"
"Yes. I need to ask you about Helen Parker."
The woman immediately became quiet.
"I don't know anything."
"Please. It's important."
"She told me never to speak to anyone from your department."
Daniel closed his eyes.