Richard began to cry.
“No,” he whispered. “I swear to you, I didn’t hurt her.”
“Then what happened?”
He covered his face with both hands.
“I helped her leave.”
Emily stared at him.
“What?”
“Anna was in danger. She had discovered something about her biological father—something that made her afraid for her life. She begged us to help her disappear.”
“Then why tell the police she was missing?”
“Because someone was watching our house. We believed that if we told the truth, they would find her.”
“Who?”
Richard looked up.
And for the first time, Emily saw genuine terror in his eyes.
“Your grandfather.”
Chapter 5: The Secret Beneath the Secret
Emily had never met her maternal grandfather.
Her mother had told her he died before she was born.
Richard explained that Sarah’s father had been a powerful businessman who controlled much of the town. He had a reputation for generosity in public and cruelty behind closed doors.
Anna had discovered that he had been using his business to conceal serious wrongdoing. She had threatened to expose him.
Instead of listening, he had threatened her.
