Chapter 33: Drake

“So she’s dead then?” Drake asked Martin, his hand trembling over the folder, as he stared at the picture of the shallow grave.

“As of right now, that’s still up for debate.” Martin replied lighting his tobacco pipe.

“How so?” Drake asked, still staring at the folder, not sure if he wanted to turn to the next page.

“It’s all in the portfolio.” Martin replied nodding towards the folder on the table. “ I can still summarize if you want.”

“No, that’s okay Martin.” Drake responded, “I just need a moment to gather my wits.”

“Tobacco?” Martin asked handing his pipe towards Drake.

“No thanks, never been a fan of the stuff.” Drake replied, finally mustering the courage to turn to the next page, he glanced over it before closing the folder once again.

“I do have one question, not pertaining to Amelia’s case.” Drake said speaking up again.

Martin looked over at Drake, “Yeah, and what’s that boss.”

“Lydia’s folder said Lydia Hunt, that was the last name Mia Novella gave me when she introduced Lydia and I, but when we spoke later that day Lydia said her last name was Gulbransen, did you check both last names?”

Martin chuckled, “Miss Lydia’s got you wrapped her finger.”

Drake couldn’t help but smile. Normally Martin was a straightforward, this is business, type of guy, so when Martin rarely let his personality show, Drake didn’t mind it. He often thought Martin would make a great friend and had thought to invite him on multiple outings, but Martin had always declined, stating their relationship needed to stay business professional.

“Yeah, she does.” Drake said smiling. “The relationship started out as a fake for both of us, but somehow she managed to make me fall for her, and let me tell you, I fell hard. We’re getting married soon, and I couldn’t be happier. I just need to find the right time to tell her, that this isn’t a marriage of connivence on my end, that this is the real deal.”

Martin nodded while listening to Drake, but didn’t comment further on his relationship with Lydia, instead he responded to Drake’s initial question. “Gulbransen is Lydia’s mother’s maiden name. Lydia changed her last name to Gulbransen right after she turned eighteen so there isn’t much paper trail on the last name. It shows that a Miss Lydia Gulbransen enrolled at West Manhattan Community college in 2012, dropped out in 2014. It states she worked part time at a dinner called Ruth’s, where she then worked full time before quitting. Once Lydia quits, she disappears from the radar. If anyone were to search for Lydia Gulbransen suspicions would arise due to her brief history under that name. But if you search Lydia Hunt, you’ll find her birth certificate, where she attended school, where she grew up. You’ll find out information about her mother’s accident, and how Lydia worked for a quaint little boutique shop called Novella Mia that sells recycled jewelry. You find her name attached to yours in every single tabloid. For security purposes, Lydia Gulbransen no longer exists.”

“Is it really that easy to make a person disappear?” Drake asked, possibilities running through his mind.

“It depends on the situation.” Martin responded, “With Lydia having changed her name at the age of eighteen and then not really doing anything under her new name, it was easy to get rid of her identity as Lydia Gulbransen. Why do you ask?” Martin asked.

“I never thought having her name changed would make a difference until just now, but Amelia did change her name. When she first started working for my family her name was Amelia Kirkpatrick. I can’t remember when but at some point while living with us, she changed her name to Amelia Chesterfield, she said something about an old family member having tracked her down, and had planned on using previous information on Amelia to blackmail the Whittenberg estate.”

“Hmm..” Martin said stroking his chin as he thought, “Once you go over those documents in that file, you’ll see that from what I could gather Amelia Chesterfield died the night she wrote you that letter; though there was no body ever found, all the evidence points to her death. Give me a bit to look into Amelia Kirkpatrick and see if that name resurfaces anywhere. Amelia Kirkpatrick, may have been a dummy name Amelia was using when she was first employed by your family.”

“Okay, Drake replied nodding, hoping this new information would help answer some questions regarding Amelia’s disappearance.

“Oh and Drake,” Martin said, while walking towards the door to exit the room, “The contents in that folder, Amelia isn’t the girl you thought she was. Don’t let what’s in that folder tarnish your memory of her.”

Drake’s hand once again hesitated on the folder. Did he really want to know the information that folder contained.

“I’m heading out now, I have a jet to catch back to Manhattan so I can begin looking into this new lead. I have a man scheduled to pick you up and take you back to your penthouse suite in Providenciales. He’ll be here at 1500 hours sharp, and I advised for him to only wait fifteen minutes. He’ll pick you up where we left the jet ski.”

“Okay,” Drake nodded, pulling his phone out and setting an alarm for 2:50pm. He understood the need to keep this shelter a secret and had decided that he would wait on the beach for his driver to arrive. Drake heard the door shut, announcing Martin’s departure before he turned his attention back to Amelia’s folder.

***Amelia Chesterfield, Female, Born 01-10-1975 to Martha Greene and Bryan Chesterfield, in Durham North Carolina City Hospital***

***Amelia attended school at Granger Falls Elementary. Her mother Martha Greene divorced her father Bryan Chesterfield after her sister Julia Chesterfield died from a drowning at the river behind the home. Martha blamed Bryan as he was the parent in charge when Julia went missing. Martha moved with Amelia to Lewis, New York, where the two lived with Martha’s sister Julia Greene. At that time Amelia was in high school, where she attended Francis Lewis High School. Amelia’s mother Martha passed away when Amelia turned 16. Bryan Greene did not want custody of Amelia. Amelia’s Aunt ok’d Amelia to live with her until she graduated. Once graduation came she would need to find somewhere else to live. Amelia graduated May 30th 1993. On June 2nd Miss Amelia Chesterfield became employed through the Whittenberg Estate as a Nanny for Drake Whittenberg, Age 1.***

This first page was a synopsis on Amelia’s life. Drake had known about her sister Julia’s tragic passing but he didn’t know that her mother had also passed away when she was still in high school. Amelia had also told him that her father had never been around, but according to this statement, her father had been in her life until she was at least fourteen. What had happened between Amelia and her father in those two years when Amelia had gone to live with her mother in New York, and why had her Aunt Julia wanted her to move out as soon as she turned eighteen, and why hadn’t Amelia ever mentioned her Aunt. Was this Aunt the close by relative that Martin had stated he would look into?

Drake had so many questions racing through his mind and he knew that the answers to those questions would be inside this folder. He took a look at his phone and saw that only half an hour had passed since Martin left. He still had an hour left to look over the contents of the folder before he needed to leave the bunker to meet with his driver.

He turned to the next page, and felt a sliver of excitement when he saw it was labeled interviews.

***INTERVIEWS***

**JULIE GREENE OF LEWIS NEW YORK**

*Julie, Hi, this is Miles Apec of APEC consulting, I’m investigating the disappearance of your niece Amelia Chesterfield.*
*Disappearance (Julie Chuckles), what makes you think that no good rotten niece of mine disappeared. It’s likely she’s hiding from you.*

*Why do you say that Ms. Greene?*

*Well lets just say little Miss Golden Child Amelia wasn’t so golden.*

*It would be easier for me investigation if you could tell me everything you know Ms. Greene.

*What benefit do I get from helping your investigation?*

*My employer has given me the leeway to give you one hundred dollars for every hour of your time spent helping with our investigation.*

*And what if I am not here for a full hour.*

*Then your minimum payment would be one hundred dollars, if you’re here a minute after the hour it will increase $100 more.*

*Whatever Amelia did, she must’ve done bad this time. That’s a lot of money to be offering some woman who’s info may or may not help you.*

*Whatever you can provide us will be useful Ms. Greene*

*Alright, well Amelia and her mother moved in with me after some devastating circumstances. You see, my youngest niece, my namesake Julia, God Bless her Soul, died. She drowned in the canal behind her home. There were some rumors circulating that Julia’s death wasn’t an accident. (Ms. Greene pauses for effect) But my dear sister she had a good heart, bless her soul, and she didn’t want to believe that anything other than an accident had taken her daughter from her.*

*Can you tell me more about those rumors Ms. Greene?*

*I can’t and I shan’t spread rumors about the dead, Mr. Apec. My dearest sister, Martha asked me not to speak to anyone regarding the death of her youngest daughter Julia. And since I was not there at the time of her death, any information that I may or may not have would be hear say.*

*I understand Ms. Greene, is there anyone else who could give me more insight on Julia’s untimely death,*

*You should talk to my dear brother in law, Bryan Chesterfield. You see, he believed the rumors that were circulating around. It’s why him and my dear sister, bless her soul, ended up divorced.*

*I see. (Martin scribbles down Bryan Chesterfields name.)*

*Mr. Apec, I thought you were here to investigate my elder niece, not what happened to Julia.*

*That’s correct, my apologies Ms. Greene. It’s the investigator inside of me, once I hear a tidbit about a mystery I can’t help but want to solve it, but that’s besides the point, can you tell me all that you know about Amelia from before she lived with the Whittenbergs.*

*Unfortunately for me, Mr. Apec, there isn’t much to tell. When Martha moved up here with Amelia, Martha thought it would give them a fresh start. I only allowed them to live with us because Martha was my sister and she had no other options. It wasn’t even a month later that Amelia had began to fall into the same habits as before. She started snorting coke and was out all night partying. Martha tried to make excuses for Amelia, stating it was a phase that every teenager in the 90’s was going through. (Julia chuckles dryly.) When I told Martha that wasn’t a good enough excuse, she blamed Amelia’s drug abuse on Julia’s death, she stated that it was Amelia’s coping mechanism for grief. From what I could tell Amelia could give a rats ass less about her sister’s death. Anytime Julia was brought up Amelia would feign an illness or an injury to distract Martha. She knew how to play her mother. After two years of living with me, Martha passed away. The corner ruled it a suicide, stated she was still overcome with grief from the passing of her youngest daughter so she overdosed on her blood pressure medication. I know it couldn’t have been a suicide though. Martha stopped taking that medication six months before she passed. She had lost nearly a hundred pounds since coming to live with us and she no longer needed the medication to stabilize her blood pressure. The morning that Martha died, Amelia had been pleasantly sweet. She made us all breakfast and brought her mom a cup of her favorite coffee. After breakfast Martha said she felt ill and that she needed to go lay down. Martha died before lunch that day.*

*Ms. Greene, are you insinuating that Amelia caused Martha’s death?*

*I’m not insinuating a damn thing. I am stating as a goddamn fact, that Amelia murdered her mother.*

The alarm on Drake’s phone went of causing him to jump and hit his head on the ceiling lamp. “Fuck.” He groaned rubbing his head. Drake wanted to take the folder with him so he could finish reading through the interviews, but he knew if he brought it with him it, he would risk it falling into the wrong hands. Instead took pictures of the remaining pages in the folder and sent them to his work email. He then deleted his sent folder and the photos off his phone, quickly checking to make sure they hadn’t automatically saved to the cloud before putting the folder back into the filing cabinet, and closing it.

**A little bit of a longer chapter! The Escort has finally gotten to a part where the story is starting to write itself. I hope you're enjoying the story thus far. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below. xoxo Marriah**