At Millbrook General Hospital, Samuel Whitaker lay beneath warm blankets while a nurse adjusted the equipment beside his bed. His injuries weren't life-threatening, but the assault had left him exhausted. He seemed more concerned about the people who attacked him than his own condition.
When Daniel entered the room, Samuel turned toward the doorway.
For a moment, neither man spoke.
Then Daniel whispered, “Uncle Sam?”
Samuel's eyes filled with tears.
“Danny.”
Daniel gripped the bedrail.
“You're alive.”
Samuel nodded.
Daniel looked furious.
“My father buried an empty coffin because of you. My mother cried for years. We were told you drowned in the river!”
Samuel lowered his head.
“I know.”
“Where have you been?”
The old man closed his eyes.
“Trying to survive long enough to come home.”
Ethan stood beside his father, confused.
He had heard stories about Samuel Whitaker, his grandfather's closest friend. Daniel always called Samuel his uncle, although they weren't related by blood. Samuel had served in the Army with Daniel's father, Robert Brooks, and later helped him establish a small trucking business.
According to the family story, Samuel disappeared during a storm in 1996. His truck was found abandoned near the river, and authorities believed he'd drowned.
But the man lying in the hospital bed was unmistakably Samuel.
Daniel pulled up a chair.
“Start talking.”
Samuel glanced toward Ethan.
“Not in front of the boy.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“My son saved your life. He deserves to know why three men were beating you.”
Samuel studied Ethan's face.
“You look like your grandfather.”
Ethan smiled uncertainly.
“People say that.”
Samuel reached toward the red scarf around his neck.
“Robert used to wear one just like this.”
“My mom knitted it before she died,” Ethan explained.
Samuel's expression softened.
“Then I'll take good care of it.”
Daniel leaned forward.
“Samuel, why did everyone believe you were dead?”
The old man looked toward the closed door.
“Because someone wanted me to disappear.”
“Who?”
Samuel hesitated.
“The people who stole your father's company.”
Daniel stared.
His father had lost the trucking business shortly before Samuel vanished. Robert spent the rest of his life working odd jobs, convinced he'd been cheated by former partners.
Daniel always believed the company failed because of bad investments.
Samuel shook his head.
“It wasn't bad luck.”
He reached beneath his hospital pillow and removed a folded piece of paper.
Inside was an old photograph showing Robert Brooks beside three men and a fleet of trucks.
Samuel pointed toward the man standing on the far right.
“His name is Victor Harlan.”
Daniel recognized him immediately.
Victor Harlan was now Millbrook's wealthiest businessman.
And his company owned the building where Samuel had been attacked.