Chapter 54 Question Needing Answers
\-Lucien-
“Run it again,” I murmured, my eyes never leaving the screen as the security footage played across the wall monitor for the third time.
The entire footage was grainy, but I was certain I’d be able to get a clue about whom the messenger from last night was.
“Slow it down,” I said.
The moment froze frame by frame as the hooded figure entered the lot.
“Zoom there,” I added, pointing at the corner of the screen.
The technician leaned forward typing quickly. “Enhancing.”
The image sharpened slightly, but it still wasn’t enough, so I asked him to zoom in a little closer.
At that moment, he leaned closer to the monitor, squinting.
“… Sir,” he slowly said. “That’s you. You were attacked. Are you alright?”
My eyes didn’t leave the screen. “I’m fine.”
The man nodded, suddenly uneasy. “Do you want me to flag the footage?”
“Export it,” I said instead. “Full file. No edits.”
He hesitated. “To a drive?”
“Yes,” I said firmly, then finally turned to him. “And keep this between us for now.”
The man straightened. “Understood, sir.”
“The original stays on the server,” I added. “Untouched.”
“Yes, sir.”
Half an hour later, I was on my way to the police station.
My mind went to the events of last night, and how anxious I was the entire night, waiting for his big surprise.
Revealing the explosion cover-up wasn’t something I’d anticipated.
“Big surprise? More like a big ruin.” My fingers tightened on the steering wheel.
Whoever that man was clearly had even bigger dirt on the Ashford family. If that was the case, then I needed to find him fast and get him on my side.
At the station, I presented my case with the flash, stating that the man had jumped me, so I had to defend myself.
The officer in charge squinted closer, suggesting that I had thrown the punches, claiming that the man seemed like the victim.
I had to affirm my claims.
“Sir,” I began, clearing my throat, “In the last 48 hours, there’s been a protest to have me fired, a man confessed to having attempted to murder me. So why then are you doubting my words?”
He grunted, leaning back as if deciding whether to believe me. “So you’re saying you want us to help you find this man?”
“Yes.
I was certain he was on their system.
“I see you collected an envelope, can I see it?!” The officer demanded.
Shit.
“It was nothing more than a threat attached with signed petitions to have me removed. I tore it, and burned it already.” I told the smooth lie.
He blinked at me. I couldn't tell if he believed my words.
“We’ve already submitted the footage to our IT specialist, it’ll take a while to run a background check and see if he pops up on our system,” he finally said.
I nodded, feeling a surge of hope surge through my chest. “I’ll wait,” I told him.
I waited for another half hour to get a disappointing response.
“He didn’t turn up on our system, and he was clever enough to avoid the cameras in the area. He’s like a ghost.”
After that, the officer let me off with a warning instead. “Next time, don’t tamper with evidence, come straight to a police station or call the damn cops.”
\--
I was going to give up that easily. Not when a thousand questions lingered on my mind.
My next stop was the listed address of the private asylum housing Ivana Easton. The file had shown that over the last couple of years, Ivana Easton had been moved.
Another handwritten annotation suggested that Vanessa moved her at the slightest bit of suspicion. And with a guardianship relationship, it was impossible for anyone to see her, let alone request a visit without Vanessa’s consent.
This was tricky, and quite shady too. But if it was part of the steps I needed to take to find my mother, I’d pursue all of them, down to the ends of the earth.
The drive to the outskirts of town was quite a lengthy one, but it was understandable that a place like this would be situated so far off.
When I finally arrived at the premises, I was surprised by how exposed it was. There was no security gate, only the rusted frame of one leaning uselessly beside the driveway. The fence that should have surrounded the property had collapsed in several places, sections swallowed by weeds.
A few cars were parked near the entrance, old sedans and a delivery van, proof that the place was still operating despite its neglected appearance.
Don’t they care about the safety of their patients? I wondered.
I drove past the building instead of pulling in and parked beneath a cluster of overgrown trees a short distance away, where the car wouldn’t be immediately visible from the front entrance.
From there, I had a clear view of the driveway.
Then I waited.
Like I was expecting something—or someone—to happen.
And just like I thought it would, it did.
The entrance door opened.
A man stepped out first, grinning from ear to ear. He was talking loudly, laughing with someone behind him.
My heart froze when that someone came into view.
My father.
I blinked once, certain my eyes were playing tricks on me. But no. There he was, standing on the steps of the facility like he belonged there, speaking easily with the man.
Then Vanessa appeared.
She stood just behind my father, composed and elegant as always, with a gentle smile on her face, the kind that made you forget she was capable of anything else.
It was too late to move closer. Driving nearer now would only draw attention.
So I took out my phone and started taking pictures.
My father reached inside his suit and pulled out a thick white envelope. Even from this distance, I could tell it was heavy. He shoved it into the man’s hand.
The man peeked inside, his grin widened.
He clasped my father’s hand, shaking it eagerly while nodding over and over like he’d just been handed the winning lottery ticket.
Bought.
Completely bought.
Vanessa moved then, guiding my father toward a black tinted car waiting nearby. My father slid into the back seat. She followed after him without hesitation, the door closing softly behind them.
The man remained where he was, still smiling as he waved them off, like a fool who’d just been paid.
I lowered the phone slowly.
What the hell was going on? My mind reeled.
And more importantly—
What was my father doing here?
My gaze drifted back to the building, now certain that Ivana was inside.
And now I had a new mission. I needed to get in there.
Because whatever secret they were burying in that place…I was going to uncover it.