Chapter 3 - THE MAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD
For seven years, Élodie had visited her brother's grave every November.
She brought white lilies.
She cleaned the stone.
She told Gabriel about Mathéo's birthdays, school projects, and the little moments she wished her brother had lived to see.
Sometimes she sat beside the grave for hours.
Sometimes she cried.
Sometimes she simply talked.
Now, sitting across from Claire Beaumont in a quiet law office overlooking a narrow Paris street, she stared at a photograph that made those seven years feel like a cruel joke.
The man in the picture had Gabriel's eyes.
Gabriel's crooked smile.
The faint scar above his right eyebrow from a childhood bicycle accident.
He was standing outside a building with a red brick façade.
A newspaper lay on a nearby bench.
Its date was clearly visible.
February 18, 2020.
Three months after Gabriel's funeral.
Élodie touched the photograph.
“No.”
Claire said nothing.
“No, this isn't possible.”
“I had the image examined by a digital forensic specialist this morning. He found no obvious signs of manipulation in the copy, although we still need the original.”
Élodie shook her head.
“I buried him.”
“Did you see his body?”
The question struck like a physical blow.
Élodie remembered the hospital corridor.
The doctor.
The paperwork.
Laurent holding her shoulders.
She remembered being told that the crash had caused devastating injuries.
She remembered Laurent gently insisting that seeing Gabriel would only traumatize her further.
She had been twenty-nine, exhausted, and shattered by grief.
She had trusted her husband.
“No,” she whispered.
Claire leaned forward.
“Then we need to consider the possibility that Gabriel survived.”
Élodie stared at her.
“Why wouldn't he come home?”
“I don't know.”
“Why would he let me believe he was dead?”
“Perhaps he couldn't contact you.”
“Or perhaps he didn't want to.”
The thought hurt more than she expected.
Claire slid another document across the desk.
It was a copy of an old corporate registration.
The name at the top was Asterion Holdings.
Élodie recognized it.
Laurent had mentioned the company during their marriage.
He called it a private investment vehicle.
She had never asked questions.
She had been busy raising Mathéo, working, and keeping their home together while Laurent traveled constantly.
Claire pointed toward a section of the document.
“Your brother was listed as a compliance officer.”
“I know.”
“But look at the date his appointment ended.”
Élodie read it.
March 2, 2020.
Her brother's employment had officially ended more than three months after his supposed death.
“Maybe Laurent forgot to update the records.”
“Perhaps. But look at the signature authorizing the change.”
Élodie leaned closer.
The signature appeared to belong to Gabriel.
Her breath caught.
“Someone forged it.”
“That's possible.”
Claire placed a second page beside the first.
“This is where things become more complicated.”
The document showed a trust structure.
Asterion Holdings had established several accounts under a separate entity called The Saint-Clair Foundation.
The foundation supposedly funded educational programs for disadvantaged children.
Élodie remembered attending one of its charity dinners.
Laurent had given a speech about responsibility.
He had talked about how every child deserved a future.
She remembered applauding.
Now the memory made her nauseated.
Claire tapped the page.
“According to these records, Gabriel established a protected disclosure trust shortly before the accident.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means he arranged for certain evidence to be preserved independently. The documents suggest that access was divided among several people.”
“Who?”
Claire hesitated.
“One was Gabriel.”
“And the others?”
“Your name appears in the beneficiary instructions.”
Élodie stared at her.
“My name?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because the relevant documents were sealed under a confidentiality arrangement. I haven't yet verified who administered it.”
Élodie looked down.
“And Mathéo?”
Claire's expression changed.
“His name appears as a successor beneficiary.”
Élodie felt the room tilt.
Laurent hadn't simply wanted custody.
He wanted control over a child whose legal status might affect access to evidence and assets.
But why?
Claire continued.
“I'm not saying Laurent automatically controls anything because he has custody. He doesn't. But he may be trying to pressure you into signing documents that would give him authority he currently lacks.”
Élodie remembered the recording.
Once Élodie signs the inheritance transfer, the final obstacle disappears.
She told Claire everything.
The airport.
The memory card.
Mathéo's secret message.
The threats.
Gabriel's possible survival.
Claire listened without interrupting.
When Élodie finished, the lawyer's face had gone pale.
“We need to preserve the recordings and contact the authorities.”
“Will they believe us?”
“We'll give them evidence they can verify.”
“What about Mathéo?”
“We'll request urgent protective measures through the appropriate courts and coordinate with Canadian authorities. But we have to move carefully.”
Élodie looked at the photograph again.
“Claire, what if Gabriel really is alive?”
“Then we need to find him.”
A knock sounded at the office door.
Claire's assistant entered.
“There's a man downstairs asking for Mrs. Martin.”
Élodie stiffened.
“Who?”
“He says his name is Thomas Vasseur.”
Élodie stood.
“He called me at the airport.”
Claire exchanged a look with her assistant.
“Is he alone?”
“Yes. But he looks injured.”
“Bring him upstairs.”
A minute later, Thomas entered.
He was in his late forties, with graying hair, a torn jacket, and a fresh cut near his temple.
He looked like a man who had spent the morning running from something.
When he saw Élodie, he stopped.
“You look just like your brother.”
Élodie's throat tightened.
“Where is Gabriel?”
Thomas glanced at Claire.
Then back at Élodie.
“I need you to understand something first.”
“Where is he?”
“Gabriel tried to expose Laurent seven years ago. He discovered the foundation was being used to move stolen funds through shell companies.”
“Is he alive?”
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“I helped him disappear after the crash.”
Élodie grabbed the back of a chair.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“For seven years?”
Thomas nodded.
“Why didn't he contact me?”
“Because Laurent had someone inside the investigation. Gabriel believed that contacting you would put you and Mathéo in danger.”
Tears filled Élodie's eyes.
“Where is he now?”
Thomas reached into his jacket.
He withdrew a sealed envelope.
It was blue.
Exactly like the one mentioned in Mathéo's recording.
“Gabriel told me to give you this if Laurent ever tried to take your son.”
Élodie reached for it.
But Thomas held it back.
“Before you open it, there's something else.”
“What?”
“Gabriel didn't just discover financial crimes.”
Thomas swallowed.
“He discovered that Laurent had been using the foundation to obtain private information about vulnerable families. He was afraid that some of those families were being threatened into silence.”
Élodie's blood ran cold.
“And Mathéo?”
Thomas looked directly into her eyes.
“Your son found the evidence Gabriel couldn't safely retrieve.”
A terrible silence settled over the office.
Then Thomas said the words Élodie would never forget.
“Gabriel is alive, Élodie.”
She covered her mouth.
“But three days ago, he disappeared again.”
“Where?”
“Montreal.”
Élodie froze.
The same city Laurent had taken Mathéo.
May you like
Thomas lowered his voice.
“And the last message Gabriel sent me said he had discovered something about your son that Laurent has been hiding since the day Mathéo was born.”
