Chapter 6: The Photograph That Changed Everything
I couldn't stop staring at the photograph.
Lucas stood beneath the glass entrance of the Northbridge building, his navy coat buttoned to the throat. Vanessa's hand was wrapped around his sleeve, and her face was turned toward him.
There was no mistaking either of them.
It was the timestamp that frightened me.
Three days before the accident.
Three days before Lucas kissed my forehead and promised to bring home my favorite soup.
Three days before I watched a police officer struggle to explain why my husband would never walk through our front door again.
"Why was he meeting her?"" I whispered.
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't know.""
"Did you know they were seeing each other?""
"No.""
"Are you sure?""
He turned toward me.
"Emily, Lucas was my best friend. If I knew he was meeting Vanessa behind your back, I would have asked him why.""
I wanted to believe him.
I needed to believe him.
But grief had left me suspicious of everything, even the memories I had once trusted most.
Jonathan examined the photograph again.
"Do you recognize the location where this was taken?""
"The building?"" I asked.
"No.""
"It's Northbridge Holdings' registered office.""
Daniel pointed at the screen.
"That's the sign above the entrance. I've seen it in Lucas's files.""
I looked at Jonathan.
"Does this prove Lucas was involved in whatever Richard was doing?""
"No," he replied firmly.
"It proves that Lucas and Vanessa were photographed together at a particular location on a particular date, assuming the image and timestamp are authentic. It doesn't establish what they were discussing.""
"Then why would she send it to me?""
"To provoke a reaction," Daniel said.
I looked at him.
"Or to tell me something Lucas was hiding.""
Jonathan nodded.
"Both possibilities need to be considered.""
I swallowed.
"What if Lucas was having an affair?""
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Daniel's face softened.
"Emily—"
"What if he was? What if he was planning to leave me, and then he died before he could tell me?""
"That wouldn't explain the financial records.""
"No, but it would explain why he was meeting her.""
Jonathan placed the photograph on the table between us.
"Mrs. Carter, you don't have to defend Lucas against every possibility. You also don't have to assume the worst. We need evidence.""
I looked at the photograph again.
Lucas's expression was difficult to read.
He wasn't smiling.
Vanessa wasn't smiling either.
They looked like two people having a serious conversation.
That was all.
But sometimes the smallest uncertainties could become unbearable when the person who might answer them was gone.
"I want to know what happened at that building," I said.
Jonathan nodded.
"Then we will investigate it properly.""
He took out his phone and made a call to his office.
Within minutes, he had arranged for the photograph to be preserved in its original digital form, including the available metadata, so an expert could examine it.
Then he turned back to me.
"There is something else you should know. Lucas contacted me about Northbridge on the day this photograph was taken.""
My stomach tightened.
"What did he say?""
"He asked whether his grandfather's trust had any exposure to a particular set of transactions.""
"Did it?""
"Not directly, according to the records we have reviewed so far. But there may be indirect connections through companies that lease property from Carter Meridian.""
Daniel leaned forward.
"Meaning Richard could have used the property company to support the other businesses?""
"Potentially. We need the accounting records before drawing conclusions.""
I rubbed my hands together.
"How much money are we talking about?""
"I don't have a reliable total yet.""
I looked at the photograph.
"Could someone have killed Lucas because of this?""
Jonathan's expression became serious.
"We have no evidence that his death was anything other than the accident reported by the police. If new evidence emerges, it should be provided to the investigators. We must not jump to conclusions.""
I nodded, though the fear remained.
For the next hour, Jonathan explained the steps we would take.
My new attorney would review the trust documents and establish what rights I had as a beneficiary.
The financial records would be preserved.
The photograph would be examined.
And I would not meet Richard or Vanessa alone.
For the first time since Lucas died, I felt that someone was treating my questions as questions worth answering.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
"Unknown number.""
Jonathan gestured for him to answer.
Daniel switched on the speaker.
"Hello?""
A woman's voice came through.
"Daniel Hayes?""
"Who's asking?""
"My name is Patricia. I work at Carter Meridian.""
Daniel straightened.
"What do you want?""
"I need to speak with Emily Carter.""
I leaned toward the phone.
"This is Emily.""
The woman hesitated.
"Mrs. Carter, I worked with Lucas. He was reviewing several transactions before he died.""
My heart began to pound.
"What kind of transactions?""
"Payments made through Northbridge. I saw him question one of the reports, and I heard him tell someone that the figures didn't match.""
"Who was he speaking to?""
"I don't know if I should say this over the phone.""
Jonathan leaned closer to the speaker.
"This is Jonathan Price, Lucas's attorney. If you have relevant information, please contact my office through the official number listed on our website. Do not send confidential company records through an unsecured channel.""
There was a pause.
Then Patricia spoke again.
"I understand. But I need you to know something. The day after Lucas died, Richard ordered us to remove his access to the accounting system.""
Daniel frowned.
"That could be a standard security measure after an employee's death.""
"He wasn't just an employee," Patricia replied.
"He was one of the company's directors. And the order came before we received the formal notification from the police.""
Jonathan's expression sharpened.
"Can you establish the time?""
"I can provide the internal email to the proper investigators.""
"Please do not alter or delete anything," Jonathan said.
"My office will contact you through a verified channel.""
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
"How could Richard know before the company was officially notified?""
"He may have learned through another source," Jonathan said.
"But Patricia's account is important enough to verify.""
Daniel looked toward the street.
"There's something wrong here.""
I folded my arms around myself.
"Everything is wrong.""
My phone buzzed again.
Vanessa.
*You need to stop letting these men manipulate you. Lucas lied to you. I can prove it.*
I showed Jonathan.
He read the message and handed the phone back.
"Do not respond.""
A second message appeared.
*I know about the baby. I know what Lucas promised you. But you don't know what he promised me.*
My chest tightened.
"What could he possibly have promised her?""
Daniel shook his head.
"She's trying to make you afraid.""
Another message arrived.
*Meet me at the old greenhouse behind the estate at six tonight. Come alone, and I'll tell you why Lucas was really at Northbridge.*
I stared at the screen.
The old greenhouse.
Lucas and I had once spent an entire afternoon there choosing plants for the garden. It was tucked behind the estate, half hidden by ivy and a row of tall hedges.
Vanessa knew I would recognize the location.
She was using my memories to pull me back into a place where she controlled the surroundings.
"I want to go," I said.
Daniel turned sharply.
"Absolutely not.""
"I'm not going alone. But I want to hear what she has to say.""
Jonathan considered the message.
"Any meeting should take place in a safe, public location with your attorney present. There is no reason to enter the estate or meet privately when she has already demonstrated a willingness to pressure you.""
"What if she refuses to talk anywhere else?""
"Then we document her refusal.""
I looked down at my stomach.
Grace shifted gently beneath my hand.
For the first time that day, I felt her move.
I let out a shaky breath.
"She's okay," I whispered.
Daniel smiled faintly.
"She's a fighter.""
I looked at the photograph again.
Lucas had been keeping secrets.
Maybe he had done it to protect me.
Maybe he had made mistakes.
But whatever the truth was, I wasn't going to let Vanessa turn my husband's memory into a weapon without finding out what had really happened.
At five thirty, Jonathan received a call from his office.
He listened without speaking.
Then his expression changed.
"Are you certain?"" he asked.
He listened again.
"Send me the document immediately. Preserve the original.""
When he ended the call, Daniel stood.
"What happened?""
Jonathan looked at me.
"Vanessa has contacted my office.""
"What did she say?""
"She claims that Lucas gave her confidential documents shortly before his death, and she is willing to surrender them in exchange for immunity from any financial investigation.""
Daniel let out a disbelieving laugh.
"She's bargaining already?""
Jonathan ignored the interruption.
"She also claims she has evidence that could affect the trust.""
My fingers went cold.
"What evidence?""
Jonathan hesitated.
"She says Lucas signed a document transferring his controlling interest in Carter Meridian to Richard two days before the accident.""
The words seemed to empty the air from the car.
"That's impossible," I whispered.
"You said the trust was irrevocable.""
"It is. A transfer of shares held by an irrevocable trust would require careful examination of the trust instrument and applicable law. A document bearing Lucas's signature would not, by itself, establish that the transfer was valid.""
Daniel leaned forward.
"Can she prove he signed it?""
"She claims she has the original.""
I looked at the photograph of Lucas and Vanessa.
Then I remembered the forged authorization bearing my name.
Someone had already tried to make it appear that I had approved transactions I had never seen.
What if they had done the same thing to Lucas?
"What happens if the signature is real?"" I asked.
"Then we examine the circumstances, the document's legal effect, and whether any required approvals were obtained.""
"And if it's fake?""
Jonathan closed his briefcase.
"Then Vanessa may have placed herself in a very serious position.""
My phone buzzed one final time.
This message came from a number I recognized.
Richard.
*Vanessa is lying to you. Do not meet her. Do not listen to anything she says.*
I stared at the screen.
The man who had thrown me out was suddenly warning me against the woman who had stood beside him while he did it.
I looked at Jonathan.
"Why would Richard warn me about Vanessa if they're working together?""
Jonathan's answer was quiet.
"Because, Mrs. Carter, people who share a secret do not always share the same interests.""
Outside, the sky darkened.
May you like
And somewhere behind the gates of the Carter estate, Vanessa was holding a document that could change the future of my daughter.
Or destroy the last thing Lucas had tried to protect.
