Noah began to worry.
On Monday morning, a woman entered the diner.
She was in her late forties, professionally dressed, carrying a folder.
She walked straight to Noah.
“Are you Noah Carter?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Evelyn Grant.”
“Can I help you?”
“I believe you can.”
She opened the folder.
Inside was an old photograph.
Noah stared at it.
Three young men stood beside a construction truck.
One of them was Noah's father.
Daniel Carter.
Noah's father had supposedly died in a construction accident when Noah was six.
Noah had spent his entire childhood believing that story.
He looked at Evelyn.
“Where did you get this?”
“From Walter Hayes.”
Noah's heart started pounding.
“Who is Walter?”
Evelyn looked surprised.
“You don't know?”
“No.”
She closed the folder.
“Then I think you should sit down.”
Noah sat.
Evelyn explained that Walter had once worked as an investigator for a federal financial crimes unit.
Twenty-five years earlier, he had been assigned to investigate a construction company suspected of laundering money through government contracts.
Daniel Carter had been one of the company's accountants.
Daniel discovered that millions of dollars were disappearing.
He tried to report it.
Then he died.
The official report said accident.
Walter never believed it.
He had spent twenty-five years searching for proof.
Noah stared at the photograph.
“Why did he come here?”
“Because he found something.”
“What?”
“Your father left evidence.”
Evelyn placed another photograph on the table.
It showed Daniel standing beside Walter.
On the back was handwriting.
Noah recognized it immediately.
His father's handwriting.
If anything happens to me, find Walter.
Noah couldn't breathe.
“He knew?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't Walter tell me?”
“Because he believed someone was watching your family.”
Noah looked toward the door.
Richard Cole's face suddenly came to mind.
Evelyn nodded.
“Richard Cole's father owned the construction company.”
Noah understood.
“The diner.”
“What about it?”
“Why did Walter always sit in Booth Seven?”
Evelyn hesitated.