Chapter 488
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Caitlin took the manila envelope from Hayden and pulled out several aged documents, the paper slightly yellowed from time
“What are these?” she asked, curiosity piqued as she flipped them over and read the contents.
It was a private agreement outlining how the assets of the Jonathan Family were to be divided.
“The contents… this actually involves my grandfather, Walter…”
The deeper Caitlin read, the more stunned she became. “The signature at the bottom… it’s…”
“Carlos,” Sebastian read aloud, his eyes narrowing.
He and Caitlin exchanged a look of disbelief.
“I found this while going through my father’s belongings,” Hayden said. “When I saw Caitlin’s grandfather’s name, I thought it might be connected to the Jonathan Family’s past.”
“It’s more than just connected,” Caitlin said, brow furrowed. “This agreement is deeply tied to what happened to my grandfather’s family. Timothy and Carlos must’ve had a hand in it. It was Carlos who handled the sale of Thompson Residence.
“The destruction of the Jonathan Family wasn’t random–Carlos is clearly involved.”
Hayden nodded. “Unfortunately, my father never revealed the truth before he died. That part of the story died with him. Tracking it down now will be difficult.”
“There’s only one way forward,” Sebastian said. “We need to find Carlos. He’s the key to everything.”
“Exactly. Carlos is the link,” Caitlin agreed.
Her mind raced as she recalled her time living in the old Yuncey estate, and more importantly, Timothy’s last words. A sudden realization struck.
“I think I know what Timothy was trying to say when he was dying.”
“What?” Sebastian asked.
“Remember the night of the fire at the Yuncey estate? Timothy had been stabbed, and before he died, he said Forrest’s name… and then he tried to say another word. Something like ‘Jar‘ or ‘John,‘ remember?”
“Right,” Sebastian nodded. “We never figured out what he meant.”
“I think… he was trying to say ‘Jonathan.‘ As in the Jonathan Family. He wanted to tell me the truth about what happened to them.”
“That makes sense,” Sebastian said. “People don’t waste words on their deathbed. He must’ve known the truth was about to die with him and wanted to pass it on to you.”
Caitlin’s thoughts moved faster now. “Then let’s go back. Why did Forrest kill Timothy? What was his motive?”
“The Silverstone police still haven’t found Forrest,” Hayden added. “So the motive has never been confirmed.”
“Fine. Let’s assume for a second…” Caitlin began, pacing the room, “that the fire wasn’t an accident. Forrest killed Timothy, then started the fire to cover it up–to destroy the evidence and the body.”
The two men nodded in agreement.
Caitlin turned sharply “Forrest was the butler. He’d been in the Yuncey estate for years. If he wanted to kill Timothy, he could’ve done it at any time. Why wait until I showed up?
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“ The only explanation is that my presence disrupted the balance. I was touching on something sensitive enmething that threatened que je
“Maybe Timothy had a change of heart and wanted to come clean. Maybe he was going to tell me everything at night. But forme depped form, ask, him before he could speak
“Very possible.” Sebastian agreed.
“It’s just a theory,” Caitlin said, “but it’s clear Forrest didn’t do this for money which means he was covering up something much bigger
Her eyes sharpened. “That something… could very well be this agreement.”
If Caitlin was right, Timothy’s murder and the fire weren’t isolated incidents they were part of a cover–up linked to the Jonathan Family’s destructier
“Do you have paper and a pen?” she asked Hayden.
“Yeah.” He handed her a blank sheet and a pen.
Caitlin started sketching out a chart–linking names, events, and theories. Sebastian and Hayden watched silently as her pen moved rapidly seroos the
page.
After a few minutes, she put the pen down.
“I’ve got it.”
“Got what?” Hayden asked.
“Forrest… he might actually be Carlos.”
Both men stared at her in disbelief.
“That can’t be,” Sebastian said. “If Forrest was Carlos, and he made all that money from the Jonathan Family’s downfall, why stay in the Yuncey estate as a servant for years?”
“Exactly,” Hayden agreed. “That part doesn’t make sense.”
“Okay, maybe not Carlos himself,” Caitlin conceded. “But what if Forrest was his subordinate? What if Carlos planted him in the Yuncey estate to keep an eye on Timothy?
“As long as Timothy kept quiet, Forrest could stay hidden. But if Timothy ever showed signs of spilling the truth, Forrest could eliminate him before anything got out.”
Sebastian nodded. “That makes more sense.”
“We’ve never been able to trace Forrest,” Caitlin said. “What if that’s because Forrest isn’t even his real name?
“He could’ve used a fake identity the entire time. That’s why no one can track him. He probably fled the country using another name the moment things
got hot.”
She paused, her tone darkening. “If Carlos represents a larger force, then everything I did at the Yuncey estate… they’ve known all along. Forrest was likely reporting back to him.
“And maybe–just maybe–Carlos is the one pulling all the strings behind the scenes. If he is… then my
mother might be in his hands right now.”
That possibility made both men fall silent.
They couldn’t help but be impressed by Caitlin’s deductions. Even if she didn’t have all the facts, she was piecing together the puzzle faster than anyone.
Sebastian finally broke the silence. “Carlos is the key. If we follow this thread and start investigating everything tled to him–his transactions , his contacts -we’ll find something.
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“If he sold Thompson Residence under his own name, he might’ve handled other Jonathan Family properties the same way we shouldre, a estate transfers from back then .”
Caitlin’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Exactly. If we follow the money trail, I’m sure we’ll find some kind of clue. We’re close–I can feel it ?
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