“Voss took me to St. Vincent. I was unconscious for almost a day. When I woke up, a hospital administrator told me that the people responsible for the transport had already filed paperwork identifying me as a dead man.”
Bear felt a cold pressure settle in his chest.
“They had already decided you were dead?”
Michael nodded.
“They were preparing the record before I even woke up.”
Bear looked at Doc.
“And you helped him disappear.”
Doc spoke quietly.
“I did.”
Michael continued.
“Once I realized the paperwork was being manipulated, I knew that staying in the hospital was dangerous. Voss helped me leave. Doc helped arrange a temporary identity and medical care.”
Bear looked at Doc.
“Why didn't you call me?”
Doc answered this time.
“Because Michael believed that the person who arranged the accident had access to information about you.”
Michael nodded.
“He knew where you lived. He knew when you rode. He knew which people you trusted. I couldn't tell whether the information was coming from the club, from the hospital, or from somebody who had access to both.”
Bear's expression tightened.
“You thought Harold was behind it.”
“I suspected him.”
“And you were right?”
Michael looked down.
“I don't know how much he was responsible for.”
Bear stared at him.
“Harold was your president. He was my mentor. He helped raise money for our members' families. He came to our mother's funeral.”
“I know.”
“You're telling me he was involved in an operation that made people disappear?”
Michael nodded.
“I'm telling you I found evidence connecting his companies to the operation. I never found enough to prove exactly how much he knew.”
Bear looked at the boxes.
“And Thomas Keene?”
Michael's expression changed.
“Harold's son?”
Bear nodded.
“He handled some of the companies after Harold died. I believe he took over part of the operation.”
Bear felt anger rise.
“Then why didn't you go to the police?”
“I tried.”
“And?”
“The first person I spoke to warned someone before I could provide the evidence.”
Bear stared at him.
“You don't know who?”
“No.”
“Then you decided everybody was a suspect.”
Michael shook his head.
“No. I decided I couldn't afford to be wrong about the one person who could hurt you.”
Bear looked away.
He understood the fear.
He hated the decisions it had produced.
Both feelings were true.
Michael opened one of the duffel bags and removed a folder.
Inside were copies of financial transfers, hospital records, contracts, and photographs.
He placed them on the workbench.
“Harold used Northway to move money through shell companies. Some of the transactions were connected to construction contracts. Others involved medical transport records. He had contacts in hospitals, funeral homes, county offices, and private security firms.”
Bear examined the documents.
“And you found out.”
“Yes.”
“Then you went into hiding.”
“Yes.”
“Leaving me to believe you were dead.”
Michael lowered his head.
“Yes.”
Bear stood very still.
He wanted to shout.
He wanted to demand that Michael explain how he could have made such a terrible decision.
He wanted to tell him that fear did not excuse abandoning the people who loved him.
But beneath all of that, he felt something else.
Relief.
The kind of relief that made a person weak.
His brother was alive.
He could be angry with him tomorrow.
He could demand answers next week.
He could spend years working through the damage.
But he had his brother back.
For the first time in six years, that possibility was real.
Bear took a slow breath.
“Where's Lily's mother?”
Michael's expression changed immediately.
“Sarah?”
“We found her. She's safe.”
Michael closed his eyes.
“Thank God.”
“She's worried about you.”
“I know.”
“And Lily is worried about both of you.”
Michael looked up sharply.
“Lily is with you?”
Bear nodded.
“She came to the diner this morning.”
Michael's face drained of color.
“Alone?”
“Yes.”
Michael stood so abruptly that the workbench rattled.
“Where is she now?”
“With Mason's sister. We thought it was the safest place until we could understand what was happening.”
Michael pressed a hand against his mouth.
For a moment, he looked as though he might be sick.
“She walked all the way there?”
Bear nodded.
Michael turned away.
His shoulders began to shake.
Bear moved toward him.
“Michael.”
“I told Sarah I would meet Lily.”
“Where?”
“Outside the school.”
“What happened?”
Michael rubbed his face.
“I thought Mason's car was following Sarah. I went after it. Voss was supposed to watch Lily until I returned.”
Bear felt his stomach tighten.
“And?”
“Voss saw another vehicle and followed it. He thought Lily had already reached the school safely.”
Bear closed his eyes.
“So everyone thought somebody else was watching her.”
Michael nodded.
“Worst hour of my life.”
Bear looked toward the door.
He imagined Lily standing alone at the crossing, waiting for the light to change.
He imagined the fear in her eyes when the brace hurt.
He imagined her wondering whether the stranger she had been sent to find would believe her.
Bear looked back at his brother.
“You should have come to me sooner.”
Michael nodded.
“Yes.”
“You should have trusted me.”
“Yes.”
“You should have told me you were alive.”
Michael swallowed.
“Yes.”
Bear held his gaze.
“I'm not ready to forgive you.”
Michael looked down.
“I understand.”
“But I'm glad you're alive.”
Michael's face crumpled.
Bear stepped forward and pulled him into another embrace.
They stood that way for several seconds.
Then Bear released him and wiped his face.
“Now tell me everything else.”
Michael looked at the documents.
“There is one more thing.”
Bear closed his eyes.
“Of course there is.”
Michael did not smile.
“Harold wasn't working alone.”
Bear's expression hardened.
“Who was helping him?”
Michael looked toward the open garage doors.
“That's what I haven't figured out.”
Before Bear could ask another question, Mason's phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
Then his face changed.
“Bear.”
Bear turned.
“What?”
Mason lowered the phone.
“Lily's gone.”
For a moment, nobody moved.
Michael went pale.
Bear stared at Mason.
“What did you say?”
Mason swallowed.
“My sister called. A man arrived at her house carrying police identification. He told her there was an emergency and that Lily needed to be moved.”
Bear felt the room spin.
“Did she let him take her?”
“She thought he was an officer.”
Michael's breathing became ragged.
“Who knew where she was?”
Mason looked around the room.