Chapter 7: The Letter Someone Was Willing to Kill For
“Stay beside me,” Dad said.
He ended the call with Vanessa, gathered the documents from the kitchen table, and slipped them into his briefcase. His movements were controlled, but I could see the tension in his jaw.
“Daddy, did somebody hurt Mom?””
He stopped.
For several seconds, he looked at me as though he wished he could protect me from the question itself.
“I don't know, sweetheart.””
“But Vanessa said there was a letter about the night Mom died.””
“I heard her.””
“Was Mom scared?””
Dad crouched in front of me.
“Your mother was very brave. Whatever happened, we are going to find out the truth.””
I nodded, although the answer didn't make me feel better.
We drove home together.
When we arrived, the front door stood slightly open.
Dad immediately guided me behind him.
“Stay here,” he whispered.
I watched him push the door inward.
The living room looked normal at first. Sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating the cream-colored sofa and the framed family photographs. Then I noticed the drawers pulled from the study cabinet, the papers scattered across the floor, and a broken picture frame near the desk.
Vanessa stood beside the dining table, still wearing the emerald-green dress from Chloe's birthday party. Her hair was disheveled, and her hands shook around a glass of water.
Chloe sat on the sofa with her stuffed rabbit in her lap.
“Daddy!”” she cried.
Dad crossed the room and hugged her.
“Are you hurt?””
She shook her head against his jacket.
“Mom said someone came inside while we were upstairs. I heard noises in the study.””
Dad examined the room.
“Did you see anyone?””
“No.””
Vanessa approached him.
“You have to call the police.””
“I will.””
“And you need to tell them about the documents.””
Dad turned toward her.
“What documents?””
“The trust papers. The letters. Everything Eleanor left.””
He stared at her.
“Why would I tell the police about documents that aren't missing?””
Vanessa blinked.
“What?””
“The documents are with me.””
Her expression shifted from panic to disbelief.
“You took them?””
“Yes.””
She pressed a hand against her chest.
“Marcus, you should have told me.””
“Why?””
“Because I could have protected them!””
Dad looked at the ransacked study.
“From whom?””
She had no answer.
He called the police and reported the break-in. While we waited, he checked every room, making sure no one remained inside.
When he returned to the living room, Vanessa was standing beside the fireplace, staring at an empty space above the mantel.
Dad followed her gaze.
“What was there?””
She looked away.
“Nothing.””
He walked closer.
“Vanessa.””
She exhaled sharply.
“A photograph.””
“Of whom?””
“Eleanor.””
Dad's face tightened.
“You removed all her photographs years ago.””
“I didn't remove this one.””
“Then where is it?””
Vanessa rubbed her forehead.
“I don't know.””
Dad looked at the broken frame near the study door.
“Was it in that frame?””
She nodded.
“Someone took it.””
I moved closer to Chloe.
“Why would somebody steal a picture of Mom?”” I whispered.
Chloe shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Then she leaned toward me.
“But I heard Mom talking to somebody last night.””
I looked at her.
“Who?””
“I couldn't see. She was in the study, and I was on the stairs.””
“What did she say?””
Chloe glanced toward Vanessa.
“She said, ‘The letter has to disappear before Marcus sees it.’”
My stomach tightened.
Before I could ask anything else, Vanessa turned around.
“What are you two whispering about?””
Chloe immediately looked down.
“Nothing.””
Vanessa crossed the room.
“Chloe, go upstairs.””
“But—”
“Now.””
Chloe clutched her rabbit and hurried away.
Dad stepped between Vanessa and the staircase.
“Stop ordering everyone around whenever they say something you don't like.””
Vanessa stared at him.
“You're letting the children turn against me.””
“No. They're telling me what they've seen.””
She laughed bitterly.
“You've known me for years, Marcus. You know I would never hurt Eleanor.””
Dad's face became unreadable.
“I know what I believed.””
The doorbell rang.
Two police officers entered, examined the broken frame, and began asking questions. Vanessa told them that someone had searched the study, but she couldn't explain what had been taken.
When one officer asked whether anyone else had a key to the house, Vanessa mentioned the housekeeper.
Dad interrupted.
“The housekeeper hasn't worked here for three months.””
The officer wrote something down.
“Who else has access?””
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she said, “Our financial adviser, Daniel Price. He sometimes comes by to discuss investments.””
Dad turned toward her.
“You invited Daniel here?””
“Of course. He's been advising us for years.””
Dad looked at the officer.
“I'd like that documented. He was also involved in administering my late wife's trust.””
The officer nodded.
“Do you have reason to believe he was involved in the break-in?””
Dad looked at Vanessa.
She stared at the floor.
“I have reason to believe he may know something about the missing letter.””
After the officers finished their initial investigation, Dad drove us to his attorney's office.
Vanessa insisted on coming.
“I'm your wife,” she said as she climbed into the back seat.
“I have a right to know what's happening.””
Dad didn't argue.
But he didn't look at her, either.
Attorney Denise Walker was waiting when we arrived. She was a Black woman in her fifties with short silver-streaked hair and a calm, direct manner. She greeted us, locked the office door, and placed a thick file on the conference table.
“I've reviewed the information you sent,” she told Dad.
“The attempted transfers are serious. But the letter Vanessa mentioned may be even more important.””
Vanessa sat rigidly beside Chloe.
“What letter?”” Denise asked.
Dad explained the break-in and the missing photograph.
Denise's expression grew grave.
“Eleanor told me she had prepared a separate letter shortly before her death. She believed someone had accessed information about her estate without permission.””
Vanessa's fingers tightened around her handbag.
Dad noticed.
“Did Eleanor name the person?””
Denise opened the file.
“Not in the copy I retained. She told me the original contained details she wasn't ready to disclose.””
“Why not?””
“She was afraid the information would put Maya at risk.””
I reached for Dad's hand.
Denise noticed and softened her voice.
“Your mother wanted to protect you, Maya. That's why she established the trust.””
Dad leaned forward.
“Where is the original letter?””
“I don't know. Eleanor said she had placed it somewhere safe.””
Vanessa suddenly stood.
“This is absurd. We have no proof the letter ever existed.””
Denise looked directly at her.
“Mrs. Brooks, you just told the police that someone stole a letter you previously claimed you knew nothing about.””
Vanessa's face flushed.
“I was referring to the letter Marcus mentioned!””
“Then how did you know it was missing?””
Vanessa sat down.
For the first time, she looked genuinely trapped.
Denise turned to Dad.
“There is one more issue. Daniel Price called my office this morning. He said he wanted to discuss the trust records privately.””
Dad frowned.
“When?””
“Twenty minutes ago.””
“Where is he now?””
Denise glanced at the clock.
“He said he was on his way here.””
A knock sounded at the office door.
Everyone froze.
Denise walked to the entrance and opened it.
Daniel Price stood in the hallway, wearing a navy suit and carrying a leather briefcase.
He looked at Dad, then Vanessa, then me.
His expression changed when he saw the file on the conference table.
“I see you've found the documents,” he said.
Dad stood.
“Daniel, did you authorize the transfers from Maya's trust?””
Daniel slowly closed the door behind him.
“No.””
“Did you help Vanessa access the account?””
“No.””
“Then why did you call this office?””
Daniel placed his briefcase on the table.
“Because I need to tell you what happened the night Eleanor died.””
Vanessa shot to her feet.
“Daniel, don't you dare.””
He looked at her.
“You told me the truth would never come out.””
Dad's voice dropped.
“What truth?””
Daniel opened his briefcase and removed a small, sealed envelope.
On the front, in my mother's handwriting, were five words.
*For Marcus and Maya. Read together.*
Daniel pushed it across the table.
“Eleanor gave this to me two days before she died,” he said.
“She asked me to deliver it if anything happened to her.””
Dad reached for the envelope.
Vanessa lunged across the table.
“DON'T OPEN IT!””
Her hand struck the folder, sending papers sliding onto the floor.
Dad caught the envelope before it fell.
He looked at his wife with an expression I had never seen before.
“Why?”” he asked.
Vanessa stood frozen, breathing hard.
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“Because the person Eleanor was afraid of wasn't a stranger, Marcus.””
May you like
He paused.
“It was someone inside your own family.””
