Chapter 9: The Meeting at the River Warehouse
Detective Mitchell read the message twice.
"Do you know when this photograph was taken?""
"No.""
"Can you ask your mother?""
I hesitated.
Then I typed a response.
*Where did you find this?*
Her answer arrived almost immediately.
*Inside Daniel's desk drawer. I went to your house to collect your things.*
I stared at the screen.
*Why were you in my house?*
Three dots appeared.
Disappeared.
Then returned.
*Because Daniel asked me to help him remove some documents before the police arrived.*
I felt sick.
My mother had gone to my house to help my husband destroy evidence.
But apparently, she had found something that frightened her enough to change sides.
I typed again.
*Did you take anything else?*
Her response was short.
*Yes. A small notebook.*
Detective Mitchell leaned closer.
"Ask her to preserve it. Don't let her move anything else.""
I sent the message.
A moment later, my mother replied.
*I think it contains names and payment amounts.*
Detective Mitchell immediately contacted another officer.
Within minutes, arrangements were made for my mother to surrender the notebook and give a formal statement.
But the photograph had raised another concern.
The reference to Ethan.
And the meeting at the river warehouse.
"Detective," I said, "Daniel wants my brother to sign something tomorrow.""
She nodded.
"We won't allow him to walk into that meeting unprotected.""
"Can I speak to Ethan again?""
"Yes, but don't tell him anything about the investigation strategy.""
I called him.
He answered immediately.
"Did you see Mom's message?""
"Yes.""
His voice sounded exhausted.
"Nia, I think I made a terrible mistake.""
"Listen to me. You're going to cooperate with the detective.""
"Okay.""
"You're not meeting Daniel alone.""
"Okay.""
"And you're not signing anything.""
"I understand.""
He paused.
Then he asked, "Is the baby okay?""
The question nearly broke me.
"Yes. She's okay.""
He exhaled.
"Good.""
I closed my eyes.
Ethan had called the baby "she" ever since the ultrasound.
He was convinced he was going to have a niece.
"You're going to meet her," I whispered.
"I know.""
"And you're going to be the uncle who teaches her how to make terrible pancakes.""
He laughed weakly.
"Those pancakes are excellent.""
For a brief moment, I remembered what our family had been before Daniel entered every corner of it.
Then Detective Mitchell gestured toward me.
The conversation needed to end.
The following morning, Ethan met investigators at a secure location.
He brought his loan paperwork, bank statements, and a collection of text messages from Gregory Shaw.
I wasn't present.
But Detective Mitchell called me afterward.
"We've found something important.""
"What?""
"Your brother received $270,000 from Northbridge. Most of it was transferred into his business account. However, a separate payment of $45,000 was made to an account registered under your mother's name.""
I closed my eyes.
The fifty thousand dollars my mother had mentioned.
"Did she receive the remaining five thousand?""
"We're still tracing the transfers.""
"What about the warehouse meeting?""
"We've advised Ethan not to attend. Our financial investigators are reviewing the documents first.""
I looked toward the hospital window.
"Do you think Daniel will know?""
"Probably. But we have reason to believe he doesn't know what your mother sent us.""
I nodded.
Then the detective added something.
"There's another development. We contacted Meridian Life.""
"What did they say?""
"The policy is currently under review. But they confirmed that the beneficiary change was submitted through an intermediary.""
"Gregory?""
"Yes.""
I tightened my grip on the phone.
"Was the policy approved?""
"Provisionally. The final verification was still pending.""
I exhaled.
At least one part of the scheme hadn't been completed.
"Detective, can I ask you something?""
"Of course.""
"Why would Daniel go to all this trouble? He already had a good salary. He was about to become Senior Vice President.""
She was quiet for a moment.
"Sometimes the financial picture behind someone's public success is very different from what people see.""
I thought about the apartment purchased for Vanessa.
The money transferred through Northbridge.
Ethan's debt.
My mother's payment.
The forged medical report.
Daniel hadn't simply been stealing.
He had been trying to cover something much larger.
That afternoon, Vanessa contacted me.
Her message contained no greeting.
*I need to tell you something about Gregory.*
I stared at the screen.
Then she called.
I answered.
"Go ahead.""
"I found out why Daniel was so desperate to get the promotion approved.""
"Why?""
"Northbridge isn't just a consulting company. It's being used to move money between accounts.""
"I know.""
"No, Nia. You don't understand. Daniel was supposed to repay an investor before the end of this month.""
"How much?""
"Over three million dollars.""
I sat upright.
"Three million?""
"He used company money to cover the first part of the debt. Then he started moving payments through other accounts.""
"Why didn't he tell the board?""
"Because the investor wasn't legitimate.""
My stomach tightened.
"Who is the investor?""
Vanessa hesitated.
"An offshore investment group. Daniel said they had helped him make money privately.""
"Then why does he owe them three million dollars?""
"Because he lost it.""
I looked toward the door.
"How?""
"He made a series of investments that failed. He borrowed more money to cover the losses. Then he used your name to secure another loan.""
I closed my eyes.
The insurance policy.
Ethan's debt.
The property authorization.
Everything was connected.
"Vanessa, did Daniel intend to use the insurance payout to repay those people?""
"I think so.""
"Do you have proof?""
"Not yet. But I saw a spreadsheet on his computer.""
"What did it say?""
"Two million from the policy. Three hundred and fifty thousand from Ethan's loan. Another amount from your property.""
I felt a wave of nausea.
"He planned to take everything.""
Vanessa whispered, "Yes.""
I looked at my hands.
"Why are you telling me this now?""
"Because I found something else.""
"What?""
"Daniel has been asking about your delivery date.""
My blood ran cold.
"Why?""
"I don't know. But yesterday, he called the hospital and asked whether you were scheduled for a C-section.""
I stared at the wall.
"My doctor hasn't scheduled one.""
"I know. That's why it frightened me.""
Then Vanessa said something else.
"There's a woman named Dr. Helen Cross. Daniel has been communicating with her.""
I recognized the name.
It was on the forged medical report.
The supposed examiner.
"Do you know where she works?""
"Not officially. But I found her number in Daniel's contacts.""
I wrote it down.
"Vanessa, send me everything you have.""
"I will.""
Before ending the call, she hesitated.
"Nia?""
"Yes?""
"I know you have every reason to hate me.""
I said nothing.
"I helped him. I knew about the affair, and I knew about the money. I told myself he would eventually make everything right.""
My voice was cold.
"You don't get to ask me for forgiveness because you're frightened now.""
"I know.""
"You helped him forge my name.""
"I know.""
"And you stood beside him while he humiliated me.""
Her voice broke.
"I know.""
I ended the call.
A few minutes later, Detective Mitchell returned.
I gave her the number and explained what Vanessa had told me.
She immediately recognized the significance.
"We'll verify the doctor's identity and investigate the hospital contact.""
Then her phone rang.
She listened.
Her expression changed.
"What do you mean the warehouse is empty?""
She turned away, listening for several more seconds.
Then she ended the call.
"What happened?"" I asked.
"Ethan received a message from Daniel.""
"What did it say?""
She showed me the screen.
*The meeting has been moved. Come alone. Bring the original documents.*
I stared at the message.
"Where?""
Detective Mitchell looked at me.
"Your brother doesn't know.""
Another message appeared.
This time, it contained an address.
I recognized it immediately.
The old house where Daniel and I had lived during our first two years of marriage.
The place where we had once planned to raise our children.
The place where I had hidden my grandmother's old jewelry box.
And the place Daniel had told me he had sold six months ago.
Detective Mitchell picked up her phone.
"Nobody is going anywhere alone.""
Then she looked at me.
"Mrs. Whitmore, I think we've just found where your husband has been hiding the original documents.""
But before she could make another call, my phone rang.
It was Ethan.
I answered immediately.
"Nia?""
His voice was shaking.
"Daniel just sent me another message.""
"What did he say?""
My brother swallowed.
"He says if I don't bring the documents tonight, he'll tell the police what really happened to our father.""
I stopped breathing.
Our father had died twelve years earlier.
And according to everything my family had ever told me, it had been an accident.
May you like
But Ethan whispered something I had never heard before.
"Nia, I think Dad's death wasn't an accident after all.""
