Chapter 6 - THE MAN WHO SOLD HER FATHER
Felix Mercer had always been kind to Cora.
That was the part she struggled with.
When her mother died, he'd brought flowers.
When Arthur suffered his stroke, Felix helped arrange transportation to appointments.
When Cora graduated from nursing school, he sent a card with a hundred-dollar bill inside.
She had thought him generous.
A family friend.
Someone who understood that widowers and their daughters sometimes needed help.
Now she wondered whether every kindness had been a payment toward silence.
Detective Keene obtained financial records through the investigation.
They showed that Northstar Fine Arts, the company claiming Arthur's debt, had been established long after Elena Whitaker died.
Its primary shareholder was Felix Mercer.
The debt documentation appeared fabricated.
Arthur's signature had also been reproduced on several questionable agreements.
Cora stared at the evidence.
"He never owed Felix anything."
Keene shook his head.
"We haven't established a legitimate basis for the debt."
She swallowed.
"Then he made me work at that auction for nothing."
"For a reason," Keene replied.
"What reason?"
"We're still investigating."
Julian found the answer in a set of photographs recovered from the auction venue.
The images showed Felix speaking to the gunman before the lights went out.
Then another photograph revealed something worse.
Felix had deliberately positioned Cora near Julian's table.
She was not simply a temporary server.
She had been placed where Julian would notice her.
Where he might recognize Elena's features.
Where the chaos would draw attention away from the painting.
Cora stared.
"He used me as a distraction."
Julian's expression darkened.
"Yes."
She folded her arms.
"Did you recognize my mother when you saw me?"
He hesitated.
"Something about you was familiar."
"And then?"
"Then somebody started shooting."
Cora looked away.
She wanted to be furious at Julian too.
He had treated her as an object.
A convenient way to misdirect an armed man.
But Felix had placed her in danger deliberately.
The distinction mattered.
That afternoon, Keene called with news.
Arthur Whitaker had been located.
Alive.
He was receiving treatment at a private rehabilitation facility under a name that wasn't his.
Cora nearly dropped her phone.
"Where?"
"Outside Philadelphia. We're arranging to speak with him and establish how he got there."
"Can I see him?"
"As soon as it's safe and appropriate."
She began crying.
For days, she'd imagined every terrible possibility.
Now she knew her father was alive.
But his disappearance raised another question.
Why had Felix gone to such lengths to hide an ordinary retired mechanic?
Two days later, Cora sat beside her father's hospital bed.
Arthur looked exhausted.
There was a bruise near his cheekbone.
But when he saw her, he began crying.
"Cora."
She crossed the room.
He held her tightly.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
She shook her head.
"You're here. That's all I care about right now."
For a long moment, they remained together.
Then Arthur said something that made her pull back.
"I should have told you about Adrian."
Cora went still.
"Adrian Voss?"
He nodded.
Her throat tightened.
"Where is he?"
Arthur looked toward the window.
Then whispered, "Your mother helped him disappear."
Cora stared.
"Why?"
"Because the people who tried to kill him were the same people paying Felix."
She felt cold.
Arthur continued.
"Adrian was going to expose an illegal shipment. Elena preserved proof. Felix promised to get him somewhere safe."
"And?"
May you like
Her father closed his eyes.
"Felix sold his location."
