Chapter 14: The Two Faces of Lucas Kane
Chapter 14: The Two Faces of Lucas Kane
The room erupted with confusion.
Richard Bennett shot to his feet.
"That's impossible."
Samuel Grayson didn't look surprised.
"No."
"It's unexpected."
"But not impossible."
Adrien turned toward the security officer.
"Explain."
The officer nodded.
"The driver regained consciousness for less than a minute."
"He insisted Mr. Pierce was attacked yesterday afternoon."
"By whom?"
"He didn't know."
"He said several masked men intercepted the limousine."
"They forced the vehicle off the road."
"What happened then?"
"The driver was struck from behind."
"When he woke up..."
"...he was tied up inside the trunk."
"And Jonathan?"
"Gone."
Adrien looked at Samuel.
"You said Jonathan was Lucas Kane."
Samuel rubbed his forehead.
"I said the documents identified him as using that legal identity."
"But now..."
"...I'm beginning to think Evelyn wanted us to question everything."
Adrien frowned.
"You think there's another explanation?"
Samuel nodded slowly.
"There usually is when the evidence seems too perfect."
Cora quietly spoke from across the room.
"Evelyn used to tell me something."
Everyone looked at her.
"What?"
"'The first answer is usually the one someone wants you to believe.'"
Adrien felt another piece of the puzzle shift.
If Jonathan had truly been Lucas Kane...
Why kidnap him?
Unless...
He wasn't the mastermind.
Only another piece on the board.
The head of security's phone buzzed again.
He answered quickly.
After only a few seconds, he looked up.
"Sir."
"We found Jonathan Pierce's abandoned limousine."
"Where?"
"Less than ten miles from the bank."
"Anything inside?"
"Yes."
"What?"
"A leather briefcase."
Samuel's eyes widened.
"Bring it here."
"It's already on the way."
Twenty-five minutes later, two detectives entered the conference room carrying an evidence container.
Inside was a dark brown briefcase.
The brass initials J.P. were engraved on the clasp.
Adrien recognized it immediately.
Jonathan had carried that same briefcase for years.
The detectives placed it on the table.
"The lock wasn't damaged."
"It was still closed."
Adrien carefully opened it.
Inside were neatly organized folders.
A fountain pen.
A pair of reading glasses.
And a small digital recorder.
Samuel picked it up.
"The battery is dead."
The detective handed him a charging cable.
Within minutes, the device powered on.
Only one recording remained.
The timestamp showed it had been made yesterday.
Samuel pressed play.
Jonathan Pierce's voice filled the room.
If I don't survive this...
...someone finally figured out who I really am.
Adrien looked at Samuel.
Neither man interrupted.
The recording continued.
My name is Jonathan Pierce.
But that wasn't always true.
I accepted that identity twenty-eight years ago.
Because the real Jonathan Pierce was already dead.
Richard covered his mouth.
Michael stared at the speaker.
Jonathan continued.
I didn't kill him.
I was hired to replace him.
The room froze.
Hired.
Not born.
Not inherited.
Replaced.
Samuel whispered,
"Witness protection..."
Jonathan answered as if he had heard him.
No.
Something much darker.
I was recruited by men who believed identities were assets.
Names could be bought.
Families could be rewritten.
Lives could disappear.
Adrien felt cold.
Jonathan continued.
I spent years pretending.
Then I met Evelyn.
She discovered the truth by accident.
Instead of exposing me...
She asked why.
Another pause.
For the first time, emotion entered Jonathan's voice.
She was the first person who saw me as a human being.
Not as a weapon.
Cora quietly wiped away another tear.
"That sounds like Evelyn."
Jonathan continued.
I tried to leave the organization.
They don't allow that.
When Evelyn began collecting evidence...
I secretly helped her.
Samuel suddenly leaned forward.
"He wasn't betraying her."
"He was protecting her."
Adrien nodded slowly.
Everything was changing again.
Jonathan's voice became urgent.
If you're hearing this...
...then Lucas knows I've turned against him.
The room became still.
Adrien stared at the speaker.
"Lucas..."
Jonathan continued.
You've been chasing the wrong man.
Lucas Kane was never my identity.
It was my handler's.
The man who created me.
The man who created dozens of people like me.
Another pause.
Then came the sentence that changed everything.
His real name is...
Static exploded through the recording.
The audio crackled violently.
Jonathan's voice disappeared.
Samuel quickly adjusted the volume.
"Come on..."
For several long seconds, only static filled the room.
Then the recording returned.
...find Eleanor Brooks.
She knows where he keeps the archive.
The recording ended abruptly.
Adrien frowned.
"Who's Eleanor Brooks?"
Samuel looked thoughtful.
"I've never heard the name."
The detective cleared his throat.
"We have."
Everyone turned.
"Eleanor Brooks is a retired investigative journalist."
"Where does she live?"
The detective looked uncomfortable.
"She disappeared three years ago."
Adrien's shoulders dropped.
"So another dead end."
"Not exactly."
The detective opened a folder.
"We never found a body."
Samuel's eyes narrowed.
"Missing?"
The detective nodded.
"Officially."
"But there were rumors."
"What kind of rumors?"
"People claimed someone had seen her recently."
"Where?"
The detective slid a photograph across the table.
It showed an old lighthouse standing alone on a rocky shoreline.
A date was written on the back.
Three weeks earlier.
"This picture was taken anonymously."
"The woman in the photograph resembles Eleanor Brooks."
Adrien picked it up.
Standing near the lighthouse was a gray-haired woman wearing a long navy coat.
Her face was partially turned away.
But one detail stood out.
She was carrying a worn leather satchel.
Samuel suddenly leaned forward.
"I know that bag."
Adrien looked up.
"You do?"
Samuel nodded.
"Evelyn gave it to Eleanor years ago."
"So she knew her."
"Yes."
"They worked together."
The room fell silent again.
Adrien carefully slipped the photograph into his coat pocket.
"We're going to that lighthouse."
Before anyone could respond, the detective's phone rang.
He answered immediately.
His expression changed within seconds.
"What is it?" Adrien asked.
The detective slowly lowered the phone.
"We just received an anonymous tip."
"About Eleanor?"
"No."
"About your estate."
Adrien's pulse quickened.
"What happened?"
The detective looked directly at him.
"While we were here..."
"...someone broke into the Vance mansion again."
"And this time..."
He paused.
"They didn't steal anything."
Adrien frowned.
"What did they do?"
The detective took a slow breath.
"They left a child's music box..."
"...on Lily's bed."
The room went silent.
Cora's face turned completely white.
Because she recognized it immediately.
May you like
It wasn't the music box they had opened earlier.
It was an identical copy.
