Before I could respond, the laptop screen suddenly lit up.
A video file began playing automatically.
My father appeared on the screen.
Alive.
Older than I remembered.
Tired.
But alive.
The recording date showed two days earlier.
My knees nearly gave out.
“Dad?”
The video continued.
“Julian, if you’re watching this, then everything happened exactly as planned.”
His eyes looked directly into the camera.
“I know you’re confused. I know you’re angry.”
The room became silent.
Even the agent watched.
“Listen carefully. I am not dead.”
My heart stopped.
“I staged my death because it was the only way to disappear.”
He leaned forward.
“If your mother knows where you are, leave immediately.”
I felt sick.
The video continued.
“For years I believed Eleanor was stealing from me.”
My mother’s name.
“Then I learned something worse.”
He swallowed hard.
“I was wrong.”
The FBI agent froze.
