Chapter 10: The Call from a Dead Man
“Don't hang up.””
My uncle's voice sounded almost exactly as I remembered it.
Older. Rougher. But unmistakable.
Dad reached for the phone, and I put it on speaker.
“Edward,” he said.
A quiet laugh came through.
“Michael. Still protecting Margaret's little girl, I see.””
Dad's face tightened.
“Where are you?””
“Somewhere you won't find me.””
“You've been threatening my daughter.””
“I've been trying to recover something that belongs to me.””
I stared at the phone.
“You stole my mother's money.””
Edward chuckled.
“Your mother was a sentimental woman. She believed money should be protected from everyone, including the people who knew how to manage it.””
“You stole from her.””
“I borrowed it.””
“For eleven years?””
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then he said, “Your mother made a mistake when she trusted me.””
Dad stepped closer to the phone.
“She knew what you were doing. That's why she changed the trust.””
“Margaret always thought she was smarter than everyone else.””
His voice suddenly became colder.
“She should have stayed out of my business.””
My stomach twisted.
“What did you do to my mother?””
Dad closed his eyes.
Edward sighed.
“You're asking the wrong question, sweetheart.””
“Then what's the right one?””
“Why did your father never tell you what happened the night she died?””
I turned toward Dad.
He looked as though someone had punched him.
“Dad?””
Edward continued.
“Ask him about the argument. Ask him why he left the house. Ask him why he wasn't there when Margaret needed him.””
Dad's voice rose.
“Don't you dare.””
Edward laughed.
“You know I'm telling the truth.””
The call disconnected.
I stared at the screen.
Dad stood motionless.
“Is it true?”” I asked.
He didn't answer.
“Dad?””
He finally sat down.
“Your mother and I argued that night.””
My throat tightened.
“About what?””
“The trust.””
I waited.
He rubbed his forehead.
“Margaret had discovered that money was missing. She wanted me to confront Edward. I told her we should speak to a lawyer first.””
“And?””
“She accused me of protecting him.””
“Were you?””
“No.””
His answer came too quickly.
I looked at him.
“Why did Edward say you left her alone?””
Dad's eyes filled.
“Because I did.””
The room became silent.
He explained that he had left the house after the argument to clear his head. He had driven to a nearby gas station and stayed there for nearly an hour.
When he returned, my mother was on the kitchen floor.
She had suffered a sudden medical emergency.
The ambulance arrived quickly, but the doctors couldn't save her.
“I've spent eleven years wishing I'd stayed,” he whispered.
I reached for his hand.
“Dad, you couldn't have known.””
He shook his head.
“I should have listened.””
One of the officers interrupted gently.
“Mr. Carter, I need you to understand that this man may be attempting to manipulate you. We need to preserve the call records and avoid further contact.””
Dad nodded.
The officer took the number from my phone.
He also asked the bank to flag the account Edward had mentioned.
But when the bank representative checked the account, she delivered another surprise.
The $1.84 million was not simply sitting untouched.
There had been a pending withdrawal request.
The amount was $500,000.
The destination account belonged to a company registered overseas.
Dad demanded that the bank stop it.
The representative confirmed that the transfer had been placed under review because the beneficiary information had not been properly verified.
“Can you freeze the entire account?”” Dad asked.
“Not without the necessary legal documentation, sir. However, we've placed a temporary restriction on the disputed transaction.””
It wasn't enough.
But it was something.
After the call, Dad turned toward Vanessa.
“Tell us everything.””
She looked at the floor.
“I met Edward eleven years ago.””
“Before you married me?””
“Yes.””
“Did you know he was alive?””
“Not at first.””
She explained that she had worked as an administrative assistant for a financial services company connected to Edward's business.
He had approached her after Margaret died.
He claimed that Margaret had stolen money from the family estate and that he was trying to recover it.
Vanessa had believed him.
Then she discovered the truth.
Edward had been transferring money from several accounts into companies he controlled.
When she confronted him, he threatened to expose her involvement in an earlier financial transaction.
“What transaction?”” Dad asked.
Vanessa swallowed.
“I helped him move some money.””
“How much?””
“About seventy thousand dollars.””
Dad stared at her.
“And you never reported him?””
“I was afraid.””
“So you married me.””
She nodded.
“I thought I could keep him away from the trust.””
Dad looked disgusted.
“You married me because of money.””
“At first.””
The admission landed like a slap.
I watched my father absorb it.
“At first?”” he repeated.
Vanessa looked at him.
“I did love you, Michael.””
He laughed without humor.
“You loved having access to my house, my accounts, and my daughter.””
“No.””
“You knew about the medical savings account. You knew about the insurance policy. You knew exactly what you were doing.””
Vanessa started crying again.
“I made mistakes.””
I finally spoke.
“You didn't make one mistake. You made hundreds of decisions.””
She looked at me.
I continued.
“You saw me saving for treatment. You saw Dad working overtime. You knew I was frightened about losing my eyesight. And you still decided that my future was something you could sell.””
Vanessa lowered her head.
Nobody spoke for a while.
Then Tyler suddenly stood.
“There's something else.””
Dad turned.
“What?””
Tyler took out his old phone.
“I received a message from Edward before Derek started threatening us.””
He opened the conversation.
The message was dated four months earlier.
*Edward: Your mother has already agreed to the arrangement. Once the girl reaches the required medical threshold, the funds will be released.*
Another message followed.
*Tyler: What if she doesn't qualify?*
Edward's reply was chilling.
*Then we make sure the paperwork reflects the correct condition.*
I felt my hands go cold.
Dad read the messages twice.
“Did you know about this?””
Tyler shook his head.
“I thought it was about the trust. I didn't know they were planning to fake her medical condition.””
I stared at him.
“You read that message four months ago.””
“I didn't understand what it meant.””
“You could have told Dad.””
“I know.””
Dad took the phone.
“Is there anything else?””
Tyler scrolled.
Then his expression changed.
“There's an appointment.””
“What appointment?””
He showed us a calendar entry.
Tomorrow.
At 9:00 a.m.
A location appeared beneath it.
My specialist's clinic.
And the person listed as the visitor was Edward Harris.
Dad immediately stood.
“He's going there tomorrow?””
Tyler nodded.
Then another message appeared.
*Edward: Bring the original trust papers. I want the girl to sign everything before her father arrives.*
I looked at the screen.
They weren't finished.
They still wanted my signature.
And now I understood why Edward had called me.
May you like
He wasn't trying to explain my mother's death.
He was trying to get me alone.
