Chapter 4 - The Ghost Return
I stared at my supposed dead brother in absolute disbelief, my mind refusing to accept the impossible reality.
"David? How is this even possible, we buried an empty casket for you ten years ago," I stammered, tears forming in my eyes.
David offered a sad, heavy smile and walked toward me, his movements cautious and guarded.
"I had to disappear, Samantha, our father was involved with some very dangerous people before he died," David explained quietly.
He told me he had been watching over me from the shadows for years to ensure those dangerous people never targeted me.
"When I saw the rushed funeral notice Christopher posted online this morning, I knew something was horribly wrong," David said.
He quickly grabbed my arm and guided me toward a black SUV parked illegally behind the cemetery gates.
"We need to get out of here right now, Christopher will realize Pamela is missing and come back with backup," David warned.
We climbed into the vehicle, and David sped away from the graveyard just as Christopher's silver sports car pulled up to the front entrance.
I watched Christopher step out of his car, completely unaware that his perfect murder had just spectacularly failed.
"Where are we going, David? I need to go to the police and report my own husband for attempted murder!" I cried out.
David shook his head firmly, his eyes fixed intensely on the busy highway ahead.
"You cannot go to the police, Samantha, Christopher is not working alone," David revealed grimly.
He explained that Christopher had massive gambling debts with the same criminal syndicate that forced our father into hiding years ago.
"Christopher married you specifically to access the family trust fund to pay them off, and if the police get involved, they will kill you both," David warned.
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine as I realized my entire nine-year marriage had been a carefully constructed, deadly lie.
David drove us to a highly secure, heavily fortified safe house hidden deep in the mountains outside of San Diego.
He handed me a fresh set of clothes and a secure, untraceable cell phone to use for emergencies.
"We are going to take Christopher down ourselves, but we need undeniable proof of his financial crimes first," David stated.
I nodded bravely, finally feeling the terrifying victimhood wash away, replaced entirely by a burning desire for absolute revenge.
Suddenly, my secure burner phone buzzed loudly with an incoming text message from an unknown number.
May you like
I opened the message, and my blood instantly ran freezing cold.
The message read: "I know you are still alive, Samantha, and I have your old gravedigger tied to a chair."
