Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
“I want to show you something,” she explains, sitting on the couch and pointing to her laptop.
I join her, curious. This feels like some kind of big reveal. I wonder what she’s found that requires my attention, and why her demeanor has suddenly changed. She gazes deep into my eyes, and I feel a confession coming on. She doesn’t disappoint.
“Nobody believes that my brother didn’t take his own life,” she sobs.
I want to reach out and pat her shoulder, but I stay frozen in place. I have to remind myself that this woman stole from my father. She’s a journalist who is on the hunt for dirt about my family. If she discovers anything that she can use against us, she’ll publish it and that could ruin my father. I must stay strong.
“So, I went to talk to Mr. Harlan. That’s my boss,” Sofia says. “But he was acting really strange, which got me thinking.”
“Okay,” I agree, not sure what her boss has to do with anything.
“He said that Danny was working on a story about geese,” Sofia exclaims.
“Geese?” I ask, confused.
“That’s right. But obviously that’s not right,” she contradicts herself. “He wouldn’t have been nearly so excited about geese as he was when he told me that he was going to tell me everything.”
“Wait,” I plead, putting my hands up to stop her. “I’m not following.”
“Here,” she says, opening the laptop. “Watch this.”
I shift my attention to the screen, abandoning all hope of unraveling her tale. There is a video file in the center of the monitor, and footage begins rolling the moment Sofia presses play. The camera remains steady, pointed up at an angle to capture the person sitting in front of it. A man, about Sofia’s age, with the same color hair and eyes, stares out at us. I’m startled by the resemblance at first, but then I realize that this must be her brother.
“That’s Danny,” Sofia says quietly.
“I can’t believe I’m leaving you this message,” Danny says. “It seems so overplayed. I hope that you never have to watch this, and I’ll just keep it at my desk until I get my next big story. But just in case…”
I glance over at Sofia and see that she’s crying. She’s watched this a dozen times already, but it still affects her. Without thinking, I reach over and take her hand. She gives me a sad smile, but nods toward the computer, hoping I’ll pay attention. I do as she asks, shifting my gaze back to her brother.
“You remember I told you I was working on a story,” Danny says. “Well, I found something big. This paper is being run by a man named Carlo Andretti. He’s the biggest shareholder but it’s way more than that. I think he’s using this paper to push for his own agenda. I notice Mr. Harlan pushing down some stories and digging others up unexpectedly. I’ve talked to a few of my colleagues who have similar reservations.”
My radar goes up at the mention of Andretti. He’s been a sworn enemy of my father for years. If he is the owner of Danny’s paper, and Sofia’s by extension, that could be bad. He’s in hiding, but I know he’s still around. This is how he got information about Marlena’s pregnancy. If he has a whole office full of reporters at his disposal, there’s no way we can hide from him.
“I didn’t realize that Harlan was in on it,” Danny says. “I told him everything before I realized it was too late. Now Andretti knows that I’m onto him. I hope I’m wrong, but in case I’m not, I’ve included all my research on this flash drive.”
The message ends with a story about Danny and Sofia as kids. He promises her that she’ll always have the memories of that day, no matter what happens. I sit back to digest the new information as Sofia closes the laptop. She gives me a moment, which I’m grateful for. I have so many questions, I just don’t know where to begin.
“I thought that your father killed my brother,” Sofia says finally, her voice breaking.
I hate that my father is the kind of man who can legitimately be considered a killer. I’ve never seen him kill anyone, but I’m sure he’s done it. In my own work for him, I’ve seen things I don’t ever want to speak of again. So, I can’t fault Sofia for her mistake. And I can’t apologize either.
“My father didn’t do this,” I say. At least I know that, if Andretti was the one under investigation by Sofia's brother, we had no stake in this.
“I know that now,” Sofia says. “He was very kind to me when I went to visit.”
“You mean when you stole his journal?” I snap, unable to keep the acid from my voice. I’m still hurt over what she did, even though I can understand it now.