Chapter 6 - The Kidnapping
They found Vivian's car abandoned beside the Charles River.
The driver's door was open.
Her purse lay on the seat.
Her phone was smashed beneath the tires.
Nadia stood beside the vehicle, studying the ground.
“Three people.”
Harrison looked at her.
“How do you know?”
“Two men. One woman.”
Margaret whispered:
“Eleanor.”
Nadia shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed toward the tire tracks.
“Eleanor drives a black Mercedes.”
Harrison frowned.
“So?”
“These tires belong to a Range Rover.”
A security officer approached.
“We found this.”
He handed Nadia a torn piece of fabric.
Nadia recognized it.
Daniel's jacket.
“He was there.”
Harrison's face darkened.
“Find him.”
Nadia was already walking away.
“Where are you going?”
“To the place Daniel thinks nobody knows about.”
“What place?”
“The Ashford boathouse.”
The old boathouse had been abandoned for years.
But Nadia knew Daniel had visited it three times in the previous month.
They arrived at midnight.
The building looked empty.
Nadia entered through the rear.
A voice shouted:
“Stop!”
She froze.
Daniel stood in the shadows.
He held a gun against Vivian's head.
Vivian's hands were tied.
“Drop your weapon,” Daniel said.
Nadia had expected this.
She slowly placed her gun on the floor.
Daniel smiled.
“You always were good.”
Vivian stared at him.
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You never loved me.”
Daniel's expression softened.
“I did.”
Vivian shook her head.
“No.”
“I loved the life you represented.”
He looked at Nadia.
“She understands.”
Nadia said nothing.
Daniel's voice became colder.
“Your father was supposed to die quietly.”
Nadia's eyes sharpened.
“You knew him.”
“Of course.”
“What happened?”
Daniel smiled.
“He trusted the wrong people.”
Nadia stepped forward.
“Who killed him?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Instead, Eleanor stepped from the darkness.
Nadia's heart sank.
Eleanor held another gun.
“Hello, Nadia.”
Vivian stared.
“You?”
Eleanor smiled.
“I'm sorry it had to end this way.”
“Why kill my mother?”
“Because she knew too much.”
“And my father?”
“Because he refused to cooperate.”
Nadia's voice dropped.
“You killed them.”
Eleanor shrugged.
“They were obstacles.”
Nadia looked at Daniel.
“And you?”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“I was paid.”
Vivian began crying.
“You were going to marry me.”
“Yes.”
“To steal my family's money.”
“Yes.”
“Then kill me?”
Daniel hesitated.
Eleanor answered for him.
“If necessary.”
Something changed inside Vivian.
Her tears stopped.
She looked directly at Daniel.
“You're going to regret this.”
Daniel laughed.
“You're tied to a chair.”
Vivian smiled faintly.
“No.”
Everyone froze.
Vivian lifted her hand.
A tiny red light blinked beneath her sleeve.
Nadia understood.
A transmitter.
Vivian had been recording.
Police sirens suddenly erupted outside.
Eleanor's face twisted.
“What did you do?”
Vivian smiled.
“I learned from the woman you called a maid.”
Nadia moved.
She kicked Daniel's weapon away.
Eleanor fired.
The bullet struck the wall.
Nadia tackled her.
The two women crashed onto the floor.
Eleanor fought desperately.
But Nadia was stronger.
Within seconds, Eleanor was pinned.
Police stormed inside.
Daniel dropped to his knees.
Vivian was free.
But before anyone could celebrate, Eleanor laughed.
“You think you've won?”
Nadia looked down at her.
Eleanor whispered:
“The trust has already been transferred.”
Harrison's face went pale.
“What?”
May you like
Eleanor smiled.
“Everything is gone.”
