Chapter 7 - Uncle MarkMark Hale arrived Thursday afternoon carrying pastries.
Vanessa had almost canceled.
Daniel convinced her not to.
“If he’s innocent, we need to know.”
“And if he isn’t?”
“We don’t accuse him.”
Vanessa hated every part of it.
Mark was forty-three, well dressed, easygoing, the kind of man who remembered birthdays and always knew which wine to bring.
Lily had called him Uncle Mark since she could speak.
He hugged her.
“You okay?”
She nodded.
He looked toward Noah.
“Heard you guys had some excitement.”
Noah said nothing.
Mark frowned.
“Everything all right?”
Daniel answered:
“Someone’s been sending Noah anonymous messages.”
Mark’s expression changed naturally.
“What kind?”
“Photos of Lily.”
The pastry box lowered slightly in his hands.
“You called police?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Vanessa watched her brother.
She wanted relief.
Nothing in his face looked guilty.
Mark sat in the living room.
“What do they want?”
“We don’t know.”
Daniel deliberately mentioned nothing about the trust.
Mark looked at Noah.
“Can I see the messages?”
“Police have his phone,” Daniel said.
Mark nodded.
“Smart.”
Then he asked:
“Did they say anything about Friday?”
Vanessa’s eyes snapped toward him.
Daniel stayed still.
“Why would you ask that?”
Mark blinked.
“Our meeting.”
“How would the anonymous sender know?”
“I have no idea.”
“You brought up Friday before we did.”
Mark laughed uneasily.
“Vanessa texted me that everything was falling apart right before our review.”
Vanessa frowned.
“I said there was a family emergency.”
“You said Friday might need to move.”
“That’s not the same.”
Mark spread his hands.
“Okay. I assumed.”
A plausible explanation.
Too plausible to mean anything.
Daniel changed subjects.
“Tell me about Harbor Ridge Capital.”
Mark looked toward Vanessa.
So she had told him.
His disappointment was obvious.
“I thought we were reviewing that tomorrow.”
“We can review it now.”
“No. We need statements.”
“Where is Lily’s four hundred eighty-seven thousand dollars?”
Lily sat upstairs with headphones on as agreed, but Noah remained nearby.
Mark lowered his voice.
“Invested.”
“In what?”
“A commercial redevelopment fund.”
“Address?”
“Several assets.”
“Manager?”
“Harbor Ridge.”
“Who owns Harbor Ridge?”
Mark sighed.
“You are not a beneficiary or trustee, Daniel.”
“No. I’m Lily’s stepfather asking why nearly half a million dollars cannot be accounted for.”
Mark’s jaw tightened.
“I can account for it.”
“Then do it.”
Vanessa stepped in.
“Mark.”
He looked at his sister.
She was frightened.
His expression softened.
“Nessa, Dad trusted me.”
“So did I.”
“You still can.”
“Then show me.”
Mark leaned back.
“The investment is temporarily illiquid. Harbor Ridge acquired a distressed retail property. Refinancing was delayed.”
“So the money isn’t missing?”
“No.”
“Then why isn’t it reflected correctly?”
“Accounting delay.”
Daniel almost laughed.
Mark looked at him.
“You think this is funny?”
“I think ‘accounting delay’ is a strange way to describe half a million dollars disappearing from a trust statement.”
“It didn’t disappear.”
“Then Friday should be easy.”
Mark stood.
“Yes.”
His eyes moved toward Noah.
Then Lily, who had appeared quietly at the staircase.
Mark smiled at her.
“Hey, kiddo.”
Lily did not smile.
“Did you know someone told me how much money was missing?”
Mark froze for half a heartbeat.
Daniel noticed.
Vanessa noticed.
Noah noticed.
Then Mark recovered.
“What?”
“Anonymous account.”
“That’s… disturbing.”
“How would they know?”
“I don’t know.”
“You know the amount.”
“So does your mother.”
“And the accountant.”
Mark nodded.
“Exactly.”
Lily continued:
“They also knew Noah bought shoes with Daniel’s card.”
Mark looked toward Noah.
“What shoes?”
Noah watched him carefully.
Mark laughed.
“You’ve been busy.”
Noah’s expression hardened.
Lily asked:
“Did you know?”
“No.”
Then Noah remembered.
Last summer, when Mark visited Sarah’s house in Colorado during a business trip, Noah had been wearing the expensive sneakers.
Mark joked:
“Your dad finally loosen the budget?”
Noah had replied:
“Something like that.”
Not proof.
But another point of access.
Mark gathered his coat.
“I think everybody’s nerves are shot. Let’s do tomorrow with the accountant and documents.”
Daniel said:
“No canceled meeting.”
“Of course.”
Mark walked toward the door.
Then stopped beside the mesh-router panel.
“You changed the Wi-Fi password?”
Daniel looked at him.
“Yes.”
“Good. Probably smart.”
“How did you know?”
Mark smiled.
“First thing police tell people in cyberstalking cases.”
Again plausible.
Again slightly too prepared.
After he left, Vanessa stared through the window.
“That’s my brother.”
Daniel said nothing.
She turned.
“Say it.”
“Say what?”
“That you think it’s him.”
“I think he has access to several pieces of information the sender used.”
“So do I.”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
Daniel paused.
“To some.”
“Noah?”
“To others.”
“Lily?”
“To almost none.”
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“So why Mark?”
“I didn’t say Mark.”
“You don’t have to.”
Upstairs, Lily opened her note.
Under KNOW she added:
Mark knows trust amount.
Mark knew Noah had expensive shoes.
Mark installed Wi-Fi.
Mark knew Friday meeting.
Then she created another heading.
Reasons Mark might NOT be involved.
He loves Mom.
He has always helped me.
He came over knowing police are involved.
He agreed to review statements.
She stared.
Loving someone did not prove innocence.
Neither did financial access prove guilt.
Then her phone buzzed.
Anonymous account.
Ask Uncle Mark why he wants tomorrow canceled.
Lily ran downstairs.
At the same moment Vanessa’s phone rang.
Mark.
She answered on speaker.
“Nessa, I’ve been thinking. Tomorrow is too emotional.”
Daniel stared.
Mark continued:
“We should postpone the trust review until things settle down at home.”
Vanessa’s face drained.
Lily slowly raised her phone.
Mark could not see the message she had just received.
Could not know what it said.
May you like
![92 The Girl They Called Broke Was a Billionaire’s Daughter—But Her Father’s Arrival Exposed a Secret Powerful People Had Buried for Years]](https://cdn.treeiq.biz/site_590/2026/11/clone-0-0915d882-53d7-4d17-b43a-a010ca1a1068.webp)
Unless he had sent it.
Or unless someone was watching him too.
Related Stories
