CHAPTER 13 Justin’s Journal Revealed the Truth He Never Said Out Loud
CHAPTER 13 Justin’s Journal Revealed the Truth He Never Said Out Loud
The room fell silent.
No one reached for the notebook.
It sat inside the evidence bag like it carried its own weight.
I couldn't take my eyes off it.
Justin had kept a journal?
For years, he had barely written birthday cards.
He always joked that he hated putting his thoughts on paper.
Now I was looking at a leather notebook that apparently belonged to him.
Luke glanced at the FBI agent.
"Has anyone opened it?"
The agent shook his head.
"Not yet."
"Why not?"
"We wanted the chain of custody documented."
He placed the evidence bag on the conference table.
"It was recovered from a locked compartment inside Regency House."
David Mercer stared at the notebook.
"I've been inside that building."
He swallowed.
"I've never seen that room."
The agent looked at him.
"According to the search team, the compartment was hidden behind a bookcase."
Rebecca frowned.
"So someone wanted to make sure nobody found it."
The agent nodded.
"Exactly."
An evidence technician carefully photographed the notebook.
Every angle.
Every page edge.
Every fingerprint.
Only then did he put on fresh gloves and unzip the evidence bag.
He slowly opened the cover.
Inside the front page was a single handwritten sentence.
If this journal is ever found, I've already failed.
I felt my stomach tighten.
That was Justin's handwriting.
There was no doubt.
Luke quietly read over the technician's shoulder.
The first pages contained dates.
Meetings.
Addresses.
Names.
Nothing emotional.
Just facts.
Rebecca leaned closer.
"He's documenting everything."
Luke nodded.
"Like an investigator."
David looked uneasy.
"He wasn't doing that when I knew him."
The technician carefully turned another page.
Everything changed.
February 14
Vanessa says trust must be earned.
She says loyalty matters more than honesty.
I told her she's wrong.
She laughed.
The room remained quiet.
Another page.
March 3
Today I signed papers I should never have signed.
I convinced myself I could fix everything later.
That lie became easier every day.
Nathan looked at me.
"He's admitting responsibility."
I nodded.
Quietly.
He was.
Another page.
April 18
Clara asked why I've been working so late.
I lied again.
She believed me.
Watching her trust me hurts more than I expected.
I closed my eyes.
Those words hurt.
Not because they erased what happened.
But because they confirmed he had known exactly what he was doing.
Every lie had been deliberate.
Luke turned another page.
June 7
Today I met Maya for the first time.
I held her for almost an hour after Clara fell asleep.
I promised her I'd become the father she deserved.
I'm already breaking that promise.
Tears formed in my eyes before I realized it.
I wiped them away quickly.
I wasn't crying because I forgave him.
I wasn't.
I was grieving the man I believed I had married.
The journal continued.
Most entries described financial transactions.
Meetings.
Code names.
Property deals.
Everything Rebecca had already suspected.
Then one page stopped everyone.
It wasn't dated.
Only titled.
Exit Plan
Luke immediately looked at Detective Harris.
"This page matters."
The detective nodded.
The technician carefully flattened the paper.
Justin had written a numbered list.
1. Copy financial records.
2. Hide duplicate evidence.
3. Protect Maya's future.
4. Keep Clara away from Regency.
5. Find someone outside the company.
6. If discovered... release everything.
Rebecca quietly whispered,
"He was planning to expose them."
David nodded.
"I think so."
"But too late."
Another folded paper slipped from between the pages.
The technician unfolded it carefully.
It wasn't handwritten.
It was printed.
A flight reservation.
Destination:
Boston, Massachusetts.
Departure:
Nine days after the clinic incident.
Passenger:
Clara Reynolds
My breath caught.
"I never booked that."
Luke looked at the ticket.
"No."
"You didn't."
The return ticket was missing.
There wasn't one.
Nathan frowned.
"So Justin planned for Clara to leave Arizona."
David slowly nodded.
"He was trying to get you away."
I shook my head.
"Without telling me?"
Luke answered before David could.
"He probably knew you wouldn't go voluntarily."
That sounded painfully true.
If Justin had suddenly told me to leave the state with Maya, I would have demanded an explanation.
Instead...
He had hidden a plane ticket inside a secret journal.
Detective Harris looked at the remaining pages.
"There aren't many left."
The technician carefully turned another page.
The handwriting changed.
It became rushed.
Messier.
Almost desperate.
Three weeks ago
They know someone is talking.
Vanessa thinks it's David.
She's wrong.
If they ever suspect me, Clara can never know why.
David looked genuinely surprised.
"He never told me that."
Luke frowned.
"He was protecting you too."
David nodded slowly.
"Apparently."
The final written page contained only one sentence.
No date.
No explanation.
Just eight words.
Trust the accountant before you trust anyone else.
Everyone looked toward Rebecca.
She blinked.
"Me?"
Luke frowned.
"Did Justin ever contact you directly?"
Rebecca thought for several seconds.
Then her expression changed.
"Wait."
"What?"
"I met him."
"When?"
"Six months ago."
Luke looked confused.
"You never mentioned that."
"Because I didn't know who he was."
She rubbed her forehead.
"He introduced himself under another name."
"What name?"
She answered slowly.
"James."
Justin had used a false name.
Not to deceive Rebecca for money.
Apparently...
To protect his identity.
Detective Harris closed the notebook.
"I think we've seen enough for today."
The FBI agent carefully sealed it back inside the evidence bag.
"We'll continue processing it."
David stood.
"I should tell you something."
Luke looked at him.
"What?"
David hesitated.
"I wasn't the first person Justin tried to contact."
The room became quiet again.
"Who was?"
David looked directly at Rebecca.
"You."
Rebecca stared at him.
"What?"
"He asked for your help months ago."
"I never received anything."
David nodded.
"Because the message never reached you."
Luke crossed his arms.
"How do you know?"
David answered without hesitation.
"Because I intercepted it."
Everyone froze.
"You?"
Luke asked.
David lowered his head.
"I thought I was protecting everyone."
"I was wrong."
Before anyone could ask another question, an FBI agent rushed back into the room.
"Detective Harris."
"What is it?"
"We've identified the fingerprints from the family photograph."
The detective immediately stood.
"Who do they belong to?"
The agent looked around the room.
His expression was unusually tense.
"There were three unidentified prints."
"Yes."
"We identified one."
Luke waited.
"So?"
The agent took a slow breath.
"It belongs to Elaine Porter."
David's face lost all color.
"The recruiter from Regency?"
The agent nodded.
"Yes."
I felt a chill run through my body.
Elaine Porter hadn't just known about my family.
She had been inside my house.
Inside my husband's office.
And somehow...
She had touched the one family photograph Justin seemed desperate to protect.
Then the agent revealed one more detail.
"We also recovered traffic camera footage."
Luke looked up.
"From when?"
"The night the photograph disappeared."
"Was Elaine alone?"
The agent slowly shook his head.
"No."
"She wasn't."
"Who was with her?"
The answer stunned every person in the room.
"A woman."
He placed another surveillance still on the table.
I looked at the blurred image.
Then my heart nearly stopped.
Because even through the grainy photograph...
I recognized the coat.
The scarf.
The way she carried her purse.
May you like
It looked exactly like...
My mother-in-law, Patricia Reynolds.
