PART 9 – THE TRUTH ABOUT MOM
The silence in the old forester's lodge was oppressive. I stared at my brother, whose face in the flickering light of the kerosene lamp was marked by years of fear and guilt.
“But what about Mom?” I asked with a fragile voice. “Did Mom know that too?”
My brother nodded slowly.
“Not immediately,” he replied. “At first she lived in the same illusion as you. But when father died last year, she started rummaging through the boxes in the attic. She found the documents I had missed back then. She discovered that father hadn't died of natural causes... he was poisoned by the people he worked with when he tried to step out of the syndicate.”
A cold shiver ran down my spine. “Poisoned? But the doctors said...”
“The doctors were bribed,” my brother said coolly. “Just like everything in this world is for sale. Mom tried to investigate the matter. She gathered all the evidence and put it in this red box. She wanted justice. But she forgot one thing...”
He pointed to the box on the table.
“...that the people father worked for never give up. They knew Mom had the documents. That's why they had to get rid of her. And that's exactly why they're after you now.”
My heart skipped a beat. “So Mom was murdered?”
“Yes,” my brother said quietly. “And if we aren't careful, we're next.”
I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out Mom's notebook. I placed it on the table and opened it to the last pages. There were no more diary entries there, but a list of names and addresses. And underneath, written with a trembling hand:
“If they find me, look for the man in Rotterdam. He is the only one with the power to stop them.”
“Who is this man in Rotterdam?” I asked my brother.
My brother looked at the name in the notebook. His eyes narrowed. This name was by no means unfamiliar to him.
“He is the only person who can expose the true boss of the syndicate,” he said grimly. “But to get to him, we need what is in this box. And that's precisely why they are hot on our heels.”
