CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 9
ANNA'S HIDDEN CAMERA
Ethan stared at the words in his own handwriting.
BLACK LEDGER — CREATED BY ETHAN CARTER.
He couldn't move.
The old train station seemed to disappear around him.
There was only the ledger.
The memory.
And the terrible possibility that everything everyone had told him was true.
Celeste held Sophie tightly.
"Now you understand."
Ethan looked at her.
"No."
Celeste's smile faded.
"No?"
"I understand that you've spent three years trying to make me believe I was a monster."
"You were."
"Then why did Anna protect me?"
Celeste didn't answer.
Ethan looked at Isabel.
"Why?"
Isabel lowered her eyes.
"Because Anna knew the truth."
"What truth?"
"That you didn't create the ledger."
Ethan froze.
Celeste's face changed.
"Isabel."
"You said you would tell him everything."
"Not this."
Isabel looked at Ethan.
"The page was forged."
Ethan's heart began pounding.
"By whom?"
Isabel looked at Celeste.
"Her."
Celeste stepped backward.
Ethan stared.
"Then what did I create?"
Isabel whispered:
"Nothing."
A siren sounded in the distance.
Celeste looked toward the windows.
"We need to go."
Ethan moved toward Sophie.
"Let her go."
Celeste tightened her grip.
"Stay back."
"Sophie."
"Daddy..."
"I'm coming."
Celeste raised a small device.
One button.
A red light blinked.
Ethan stopped.
"What is that?"
"A detonator."
Isabel's face went white.
"You wouldn't."
Celeste smiled.
"I don't need to."
She pressed the button.
Nothing happened.
Celeste frowned.
She pressed it again.
Still nothing.
Then she looked at the device.
The battery indicator was empty.
Ethan stared.
"You've been bluffing."
Celeste's face hardened.
Isabel suddenly rushed forward.
Celeste pushed Sophie away.
Ethan caught his daughter.
"Run!"
They ran.
The train station exploded behind them.
Not from the detonator.
From a gas line.
The blast threw Ethan against the ground.
Sophie screamed.
Ethan covered her body.
Smoke filled the air.
Through the smoke, Celeste disappeared.
Isabel was gone too.
Ethan struggled to his feet.
"Sophie?"
"I'm here."
"Are you hurt?"
"No."
He pulled her into his arms.
Marcus and the security team arrived seconds later.
"Sir!"
Ethan looked toward the burning station.
"Find them."
Marcus nodded.
"Who?"
"Celeste."
"And Isabel?"
"Both."
Marcus looked at the flames.
"We will."
Ethan looked down.
Something had fallen from Sophie's coat.
A small black object.
A camera.
He picked it up.
"What's this?"
Sophie shook her head.
"Mommy gave it to me."
Ethan froze.
"When?"
"Before she went away."
"What did she say?"
Sophie thought.
"She said Daddy would know what to do."
Ethan stared at the camera.
There was a small label attached to the back.
Three words.
FOR ETHAN ONLY.
Back at the mansion, Ethan locked himself inside the study.
Sophie sat outside with Marcus.
Elena stood near the door.
"Are you sure you want to watch it?"
Ethan nodded.
"Yes."
"You don't know what it contains."
"I need to know."
Elena looked at the camera.
"Anna hid it well."
"Where?"
"In Sophie's room."
"Why didn't she give it to me?"
"Because she didn't know if you were still being watched."
Ethan turned.
"By whom?"
"Everyone."
He inserted the memory card.
One file appeared.
VID_0317
Ethan pressed play.
The screen showed Anna.
Alive.
Sitting in a dark room.
She looked exhausted.
There were bruises on her face.
Ethan's breath caught.
"Anna..."
She looked directly into the camera.
"If you're watching this, Ethan, then I'm dead."
He closed his eyes.
Anna continued.
"Or they want you to think I am."
She paused.
"I don't know which."
Ethan leaned closer.
"I've hidden this camera because there are things I cannot put on paper."
She looked behind her.
Then whispered:
"Someone inside our house is working for them."
Ethan froze.
"Not Richard."
Not Celeste.
Not Jonathan.
"Someone you trust."
Anna's voice trembled.
"Someone you would never suspect."
She looked down.
"I found evidence."
She held up a small envelope.
"Bank transfers."
"Phone records."
"Travel documents."
"Photographs."
"Everything."
Ethan stared.
Anna leaned closer to the camera.
"But there's one problem."
She whispered:
"The evidence proves Ethan wasn't the mastermind."
Ethan stopped breathing.
"They want him to believe he created the ledger."
A pause.
"He didn't."
Ethan looked at Elena.
She was crying.
Anna continued.
"The ledger was created by Ethan's father."
Ethan's eyes widened.
"My father."
"Yes."
Anna looked terrified.
"But Ethan discovered it."
"He found the original ledger."
"He tried to destroy it."
"And that's when they came after him."
The recording glitched.
Then resumed.
Anna was crying.
"I need you to understand something."
She looked directly at Ethan.
"You were never their leader."
"You were their target."
Ethan's hands trembled.
"Then why did they make you believe otherwise?"
Anna answered:
"Because they needed you to protect them."
Ethan frowned.
"How?"
"They convinced you that the ledger belonged to you."
"They convinced you that Richard's father was your enemy."
"They convinced you that I betrayed you."
"And they made you believe you were responsible for the crash."
Anna wiped her tears.
"But none of that is true."
The screen flickered.
A timestamp appeared.
03:17 A.M.
Ethan's heart stopped.
The same number.
Room 17.
Again.
Anna continued.
"The truth is hidden beneath our house."
Ethan froze.
"Our house?"
"The original house."
"Not the mansion."
"The house where your father raised you."
Ethan stared.
"I found something there."
She leaned closer.
"A room."
"Room 17."
Ethan whispered:
"Again."
Anna nodded.
"I found the original ledger."
"And I found something else."
She reached into her coat.
A photograph.
She held it toward the camera.
Ethan recognized the people.
His father.
Richard's father.
Celeste.
Jonathan.
But there was someone else.
A woman.
Ethan couldn't identify her.
Anna pointed to her.
"She is the person behind everything."
The screen froze.
Ethan stared.
"Who is she?"
The video resumed.
Anna whispered:
"Her name is..."
The audio suddenly distorted.
Ethan jumped up.
"No!"
The recording cut out.
He restarted it.
Same thing.
The final word was missing.
He tried the file again.
Nothing.
Elena looked at him.
"Maybe there's another file."
They searched.
One folder.
Two.
Three.
Nothing.
Then Ethan noticed something.
The camera had a hidden compartment.
He opened it.
A micro-SD card fell out.
He inserted it.
A second video appeared.
ROOM17_FINAL
Ethan pressed play.
Anna appeared again.
But this time, she was standing in Room 17.
Behind her was the original ledger.
She opened it.
Page after page.
Names.
Payments.
Dates.
Codes.
Then she turned to the camera.
"Ethan."
"If you're watching this, you need to listen carefully."
She looked frightened.
"They know I'm here."
A noise came from behind her.
Anna turned.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
She locked the door.
Then returned to the camera.
"The person behind the ledger isn't who you think."
She opened a page.
At the bottom was a signature.
E.C.
Ethan's heart sank.
But Anna shook her head.
"These initials were forged."
She turned the page.
Another signature.
A.C.
"Also forged."
Another.
R.C.
"Forged."
She turned another page.
C.V.
Anna stared at it.
Then whispered:
"This one is real."
Ethan leaned forward.
"Who is C.V.?"
Anna looked into the camera.
"Celeste Varga."
The video suddenly stopped.
Ethan stared.
Elena whispered:
"Varga."
Ethan turned.
"That's Isabel's last name."
Elena nodded.
"And Richard's."
Ethan's eyes widened.
"Then Richard and Isabel..."
"They're siblings."
"Celeste is their mother?"
"No."
Elena looked at him.
"Celeste was their father's partner."
Ethan froze.
"Partner in the ledger."
"Yes."
He looked at the screen.
Everything connected.
Richard's father.
Celeste.
The Black Ledger.
Anna.
The crash.
But one thing didn't make sense.
"If Celeste was behind everything, why would she let Richard hunt her?"
Elena didn't answer.
Ethan looked at her.
"Why?"
"Because Richard doesn't know."
"Know what?"
"That Celeste killed his father."
Silence.
Ethan's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A man's voice said:
"You found the camera."
Ethan recognized it.
Richard.
"Where is my daughter?"
"She's safe."
"Where?"
"Listen."
Ethan said nothing.
Richard's voice became urgent.
"Celeste is coming for you."
"I know."
"No."
Richard sounded frightened.
"You don't."
"What don't I know?"
"She doesn't want the ledger."
Ethan frowned.
"Then what?"
"She wants the camera."
Ethan looked at it.
"Why?"
"Because it contains the one thing that can destroy her."
"What?"
Richard took a breath.
"Proof that she killed Anna."
Ethan froze.
"Anna wasn't killed in the crash."
"No."
"Then how?"
Richard's voice broke.
"She survived the crash."
"I know."
"She survived the hospital."
"I know."
"She survived Room 17."
Ethan stopped breathing.
"What happened?"
"She trusted Celeste."
A pause.
"And that was her mistake."
Ethan closed his eyes.
"Tell me."
Richard whispered:
"Celeste poisoned her."
The room became silent.
Ethan couldn't speak.
Richard continued.
"But before Anna died, she hid the camera."
"Where?"
"I don't know."
"You said it was the evidence."
"It is."
"Then why are you helping me?"
Richard went silent.
Finally:
"Because I want Celeste dead."
Ethan's jaw tightened.
"You tried to kill me."
"I thought you killed my father."
"I didn't."
"I know."
"When did you find out?"
"Tonight."
"Then why should I trust you?"
"You shouldn't."
Ethan frowned.
Richard continued:
"But we have the same enemy."
The call ended.
Ethan looked at Elena.
"Did Anna really die?"
Elena nodded slowly.
"Yes."
"How?"
"Poison."
"Who gave it to her?"
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
"Celeste."
Ethan looked down at the camera.
Then he noticed something.
A tiny reflection in the corner of the recording.
A mirror.
He paused the video.
Zoomed in.
There was a person standing behind Anna.
A woman.
Ethan enhanced the image.
His heart stopped.
The woman was Celeste.
But something was wrong.
She was holding a syringe.
And beside her stood another person.
Ethan zoomed closer.
The face became visible.
Jonathan.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
"Jonathan was there."
Elena nodded.
"He helped her."
"No."
Ethan replayed the scene.
Jonathan wasn't holding the syringe.
He was holding something else.
A folder.
Ethan paused the image.
The folder had a label.
PATIENT: ETHAN CARTER
Ethan stared.
"Why did Jonathan have my medical file?"
Elena whispered:
"Because the poison wasn't meant for Anna."
Ethan slowly looked at her.
"What?"
Elena pointed at the screen.
"Look at the syringe."
Ethan zoomed in.
The label was visible.
E.C.
His initials.
His heart stopped.
Anna hadn't been the intended victim.
Ethan had.
Celeste had intended to poison him.
But Anna had discovered the plan.
She had taken the syringe.
She had saved him.
Ethan's eyes filled with tears.
"She died for me."
Elena nodded.
"Yes."
Then the computer screen went black.
A new message appeared.
YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES.
Ethan stared.
Another line appeared.
BRING THE CAMERA TO THE OLD CARTER HOUSE.
Then:
COME ALONE.
And finally—
OR SOPHIE DIES.
Ethan stood.
Elena grabbed his arm.
"It's a trap."
"I know."
"Then don't go."
"It's my daughter."
"Ethan, think."
He looked at the camera.
At Anna's final recording.
At the evidence proving Celeste's guilt.
Then he looked toward the hallway.
Sophie was standing there.
She had heard everything.
"Daddy."
Ethan walked toward her.
He knelt.
"I need you to be brave."
Sophie nodded.
"Are you going somewhere?"
"Yes."
"Will you come back?"
Ethan hugged her tightly.
"I promise."
Sophie whispered:
"Mommy made the same promise."
Ethan froze.
"What?"
Sophie looked at him.
"She said she would come back."
"When?"
"Before she died."
Ethan's heart broke.
"Did she tell you anything else?"
Sophie nodded.
"She said if Daddy ever remembers..."
The girl paused.
"Remember what?"
Sophie whispered:
"Tell him to look under the floor."
Ethan stared.
"Which floor?"
Sophie pointed toward the study.
"Your father's old house."
Ethan's blood ran cold.
Then Sophie added:
"She said the real ledger isn't in Room 17."
Ethan looked at Elena.
"Where is it?"
Sophie answered.
"Under Daddy's bed."
And suddenly Ethan understood.
The camera wasn't the real evidence.
It was only the key.
May you like
The real secret had been hidden in his own home for three years.
Waiting for him to remember.
