Chapter 9: The Name Her Mother Discovered
Vanessa entered the house holding the email.
Daniel turned when he heard her footsteps.
“Sweetheart…”
She placed the paper on the piano.
“Who owned the company?””
Daniel stared at the email.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he pulled out a chair.
“Sit down.””
“I don't want to sit down. I want an answer.””
Margaret entered behind her.
“Daniel, we can't keep delaying this.””
He nodded slowly.
“The company was registered under my name. But I didn't create it.””
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“Then who did?””
“My business partner.””
“Who?””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“Jonathan Pierce.””
Vanessa recognized the name.
Jonathan had been her father's closest friend.
He had attended family dinners.
He had given Vanessa a bicycle for her tenth birthday.
He had even spoken at her mother's funeral.
“He did it?””
Daniel nodded.
“Jonathan and I started an architectural firm together. We worked together for twelve years. I trusted him completely.””
“What did he steal?””
“Money from several projects. Some of it belonged to your mother's foundation.””
Margaret placed another document on the piano.
“Your mother discovered that invoices were being issued for work that had never been completed. The payments were then transferred through several companies.””
Vanessa looked at the paperwork.
“And Dad's name was used?””
“Yes,” Daniel replied.
“Jonathan had access to the company's accounts and authorization records.””
Vanessa swallowed.
“Did Mom confront him?””
“She did.””
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Your mother told me she had proof. She wanted me to report him.””
“Did you?””
“I went to Jonathan first. I thought there might be an explanation.””
Vanessa's voice hardened.
“You warned him.””
Daniel looked up sharply.
“No. I didn't tell him what your mother had found.””
“Then what happened?””
“He became angry. He said your mother was making accusations that could destroy the company.””
Margaret shook her head.
“Daniel, the records show that Jonathan transferred money into an account controlled by an offshore holding company shortly after that conversation.””
Daniel nodded.
“I found out later.””
Vanessa felt her stomach twist.
“So Jonathan was stealing from Mom's charity, and Tiana was helping him?””
“We don't know that yet,” Margaret replied.
Daniel picked up the old photograph.
“Your mother believed they were connected. She found messages between Tiana and Jonathan.””
Vanessa's eyes widened.
“Were they having an affair?””
Daniel shook his head.
“I don't know. But they were communicating frequently.””
He opened a drawer beneath the piano and removed a small wooden box.
“I found this several months ago. I never understood what it meant.””
Inside were several folded notes and an old USB drive.
Margaret immediately leaned forward.
“Where did you get that?””
“It was hidden behind the piano's rear panel.””
Vanessa stared at the USB drive.
“Is that what Mom left?””
“Possibly.””
Margaret took out a small evidence bag.
“We shouldn't connect it to an ordinary computer. If it contains original records, we need to preserve it properly.””
Daniel handed it to her.
“Take it.””
Vanessa looked at the little wooden box.
There was one more note inside.
Her mother's handwriting.
She picked it up.
For Vanessa, when she's old enough to understand why I had to fight.
Tears blurred her vision.
Daniel stood beside her.
“Your mother loved you more than anything.””
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
“Then why did you hide all this?””
He looked devastated.
“Because I thought I was protecting the only thing I had left of her.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“You weren't protecting me. You were protecting yourself from remembering.””
Daniel didn't argue.
Margaret carefully placed the USB drive inside her bag.
“We'll arrange for a forensic specialist to examine it.””
A phone began ringing.
Daniel checked the screen.
His expression changed.
“It's Jonathan.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“Answer it.””
Daniel hesitated.
Margaret nodded.
“Put it on speaker.””
He accepted the call.
“Jonathan.””
A cheerful voice came through.
“Daniel! I've been trying to reach you all afternoon. I heard there was some kind of incident at Vanessa's competition. Is everything all right?””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Why are you calling?””
“I wanted to check on the family.””
Vanessa stared at the phone.
The same man who had given her a bicycle.
The same man who had stood beside her father at her mother's funeral.
The same man whose name appeared in her mother's final email.
Daniel spoke carefully.
“We've discovered some old company records.””
There was a pause.
“What records?””
“Documents connected to the foundation.””
Another pause.
Then Jonathan laughed.
“Daniel, that was years ago. I thought we'd put all that behind us.””
Margaret's eyes narrowed.
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Why did you take money from my mother's charity?””
Silence.
Jonathan's voice changed.
“Vanessa? Is that you?””
“Yes.””
“Sweetheart, this is an adult misunderstanding.””
“Then explain it.””
Jonathan sighed.
“Your mother was under a lot of stress. She misunderstood some transactions.””
Vanessa clenched her fists.
“Did you steal from her?””
“Listen to me. You don't understand how business works.””
“Did you steal from her?””
His tone hardened.
“Your father should not be discussing these matters with you.””
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
“Why are you afraid of me knowing?””
Jonathan suddenly stopped pretending to be friendly.
“Daniel, I suggest you be careful about what you show her.””
Daniel's face went white.
“Is that a threat?””
“It's advice.””
Then the call ended.
Nobody moved.
Margaret immediately saved the call details.
“That conversation needs to be documented.””
Daniel looked toward the front window.
“Jonathan knows we've found something.””
Vanessa looked down at the wooden box.
“Then he knows Mom left evidence.””
A car engine suddenly roared outside.
One of the officers rushed toward the window.
“There's a vehicle leaving the driveway!””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Who?””
The officer looked outside.
“Black SUV. No front plate visible.””
Vanessa recognized the vehicle.
It was the same SUV she had seen parked outside the auditorium earlier.
The driver had been sitting inside, watching the competition.
Now the vehicle was disappearing down the street.
Margaret turned toward the officer.
“Can you get the registration?””
“We're trying.””
Daniel pulled Vanessa away from the window.
“Stay inside.””
But Vanessa noticed something on the piano.
A small envelope had been placed beneath the wooden box.
It hadn't been there before.
She picked it up.
Her name was written across the front.
The handwriting belonged to her mother.
Inside was a photograph of Jonathan standing beside Tiana.
They were outside the garage on the night before the accident.
On the back, her mother had written:
If Jonathan is involved, don't trust anyone who tells you the accident was unavoidable.
Vanessa felt her legs weaken.
There was something else inside the envelope.
A folded sheet of paper.
She opened it.
At the top was a list of names.
Jonathan Pierce.
Tiana Lawson.
Thomas Reed.
And one more name.
Daniel Hayes.
Vanessa stared at the final entry.
“Dad?””
Daniel looked at the paper.
His face turned completely white.
“Vanessa, I can explain.””
She stepped backward.
“Why did Mom write your name on this list?””
Daniel opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, Margaret's phone rang.
She listened for a few seconds.
Then she slowly lowered it.
“The police have found Thomas Reed.””
Daniel looked up.
“Where?””
Margaret's voice trembled.
“He's been living under a different name for seven years.””
Vanessa gripped the paper.
“Did they question him?””
Margaret nodded.
“And he has agreed to give a statement.””
“About what?””
Margaret looked directly at Daniel.
“About who tampered with your mother's car.””
Daniel sank into the chair.
Then Margaret delivered the final blow.
“According to Thomas Reed, the person who paid him was not Jonathan Pierce.””
May you like
She paused.
“It was Vanessa's father.””
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