Chapter 4: The Lawyer's Secret
“Ask Dad's lawyer what he was doing at the hospital that morning.””
Daniel's words stayed in my head long after the call ended.
I stood in the garden shed, holding my phone so tightly that my fingers hurt.
Across from me, Mr. Bennett was putting the documents back into his briefcase.
I watched him carefully.
“Daniel says you were at the hospital the morning Mom died.””
His hands stopped.
For the first time since I had known him, the man who had handled my father's business affairs for more than thirty years looked genuinely uncomfortable.
“Did you know my mother that day?”” I asked.
Mr. Bennett slowly closed the briefcase.
“Emily, there are things your father asked me to keep confidential.””
“My mother is dead. My father is dead. My brother is lying to me. I think I've earned the truth.””
He looked toward the garden.
“Your mother was not supposed to be alone that morning.””
“What does that mean?””
“She had discovered something about Daniel's financial activities. She intended to confront your father.””
I shook my head.
“Mom didn't understand business. She never involved herself in Dad's company.””
“That is what your father wanted everyone to believe.””
Mr. Bennett pulled out a chair and sat down.
“Margaret had been managing the company's accounts for years. She was extraordinarily careful with money. When she noticed unusual transfers, she began investigating.””
“And she found Daniel?””
“Yes.””
My stomach tightened.
“What happened at the hospital?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“Your mother called me that morning. She asked me to bring copies of several documents to the house. I arrived shortly before she collapsed.””
“Were you there when it happened?””
“No. I had left approximately twenty minutes earlier.””
“Then how do you know what happened?””
He didn't answer.
I stepped closer.
“Mr. Bennett?””
He finally looked at me.
“Because I received a call from Daniel.””
The room seemed to tilt.
“Daniel called you?””
“Yes.””
“What did he say?””
“He told me your mother had collapsed and that I needed to return immediately.””
“Why didn't he call an ambulance?””
Mr. Bennett's face tightened.
“He said one had already been called.””
I stared at him.
“Was it?””
“Yes. But by the time I returned, your mother had been taken to the hospital.””
I thought about that morning.
I remembered the sound of the ambulance.
My father's hands shaking.
Daniel standing in the hallway, telling me to go upstairs and get my mother's handbag.
I remembered being sixteen and terrified.
I had never questioned any of it.
“Did the doctors say what happened?””
“They recorded a cardiac event.””
“Was she poisoned?””
Mr. Bennett immediately shook his head.
“I have no evidence of that, Emily. I won't invent an answer simply because Daniel has made you suspicious.””
I swallowed.
“Then why did Dad say Daniel used Mom's death to steal my inheritance?””
Mr. Bennett opened his briefcase again.
He removed a folded document.
“This is the original agreement your father found.””
I looked at the signature.
It was mine.
Or an imitation of mine.
“Your father believed Daniel had used the emotional chaos surrounding your mother's death to create a fraudulent property transfer.””
“Why?””
“Because the property was held in a family trust. Your mother was the primary beneficiary after your father. You and Daniel were named as equal successors.””
I frowned.
“Then why did the agreement say I gave up my share?””
“Because if you surrendered your interest, Daniel would become the sole beneficiary under a separate arrangement.””
I felt nauseated.
“Did Dad confront him?””
“Yes.””
“What did Daniel say?””
Mr. Bennett hesitated.
“He said he had done it to protect the family.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Of course he did.””
“There is something else.””
He placed another sheet on the desk.
It was a letter from my mother.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Richard,
If anything happens to me, please make sure Emily receives what we promised her. Daniel must not be allowed to change the arrangement. I know he believes everything should belong to him, but that is not what we agreed.
I am afraid he will destroy the family trying to take control.
I read it twice.
Then I looked at the date.
August 13.
One day before her collapse.
“Dad had this letter?””
“He found it among her personal papers after her death.””
“Why didn't he show me?””
“Because he believed you were too young to carry the burden of what was happening.””
I looked at the recorder.
“Then why leave everything for me to discover now?””
Mr. Bennett stood.
“Because your father finally understood that protecting you by hiding the truth had only allowed Daniel to become more powerful.””
A sound came from outside.
A car door slammed.
I turned toward the shed entrance.
Daniel stood in the doorway.
His expensive coat was wet from the rain.
Vanessa was behind him.
“What are you doing here?”” I demanded.
Daniel looked at the papers.
“I told you to stay away from that room.””
I stepped between him and the desk.
“Why? Because Mom knew what you were doing?””
His eyes narrowed.
“Don't talk about things you don't understand.””
“I understand that you forged my signature.””
“I didn't.””
“Then explain why your name is on the agreement.””
He glanced at Mr. Bennett.
“You've been filling her head with lies.””
Mr. Bennett remained calm.
“Daniel, you should leave.””
Daniel ignored him.
“Emily, listen. Dad was confused during his final months. He was paranoid. He believed everyone was stealing from him.””
“You said the person who forged my signature wasn't you.””
“Because it wasn't.””
“Who was it?””
He looked at Vanessa.
She lowered her eyes.
Then Daniel said something that made my heart stop.
“Your mother signed it.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“She agreed to the transfer. She wanted me to have control of the property.””
“That is not what her letter says.””
Daniel's expression changed.
“What letter?””
I realized my mistake too late.
He moved toward the desk.
I grabbed the letter and stepped backward.
“Don't touch it.””
He stopped.
Then he smiled.
It was the same smile he used whenever he wanted me to feel foolish.
“You really think that old piece of paper proves anything?””
“No. But the original recording might.””
His smile disappeared.
Vanessa grabbed his arm.
“Daniel, we should go.””
He pulled away.
“Stay out of this.””
For several seconds, he stared at me.
Then he leaned closer.
“Ask Mr. Bennett why he was paid fifty thousand dollars two days after Mom died.””
My eyes moved toward the attorney.
Mr. Bennett's face had gone completely white.
Daniel walked out.
Vanessa followed him.
And I turned toward the man my father had trusted for thirty years.
“Was he telling the truth?””
Mr. Bennett didn't answer.
Instead, he opened his briefcase and placed a bank statement on the desk.
The payment was there.
Fifty thousand dollars.
The recipient was Mr. Bennett.
The sender was an account I had never seen before.
But the account holder's name was unmistakable.
May you like
Margaret Carter.
My mother.
