Chapter 13: The Heir Nobody Expected

For several seconds, I couldn't hear anything except the sound of my own heartbeat.

The entire trust passes to Jason.

Those words kept repeating in my mind.

I looked at my brother.

“Did you know?””

He shook his head immediately.

“No. Emily, I swear I didn't.””

“Then how do you know what the amendment says?””

“Because I saw a copy once. Thomas showed it to me three years ago.””

I turned toward Margaret.

“Can that be legal?””

She didn't answer immediately.

Instead, she took the photograph from the table and examined it again.

“An inheritance provision can be complicated. But a clause like that would not automatically establish a motive for anyone to harm you.””

“Someone has been threatening me.””

“I know. That's why we're involving the police.””

My mother sat silently.

I turned toward her.

“Did you know about this clause?””

She nodded.

“When your father changed the trust, he told me that you would eventually control everything.””

“And if I died?””

“He said Jason would become the beneficiary.””

Jason stood abruptly.

“I didn't ask for any of this.””

My mother looked at him.

“You don't understand. Thomas said your father designed it that way because he didn't trust anyone else.””

I stared at her.

“Then why did you help Thomas try to transfer the properties?””

She lowered her eyes.

“Because he promised me that if I helped him, he would leave me enough money to live comfortably.””

I laughed once, without humor.

“You already had enough money.””

“I know.””

“You had the house. You had the trust distributions. You had everything Dad left.””

“I was afraid of losing control.””

The admission came so quietly that it almost disappeared beneath the restaurant noise.

Margaret placed the photograph inside a protective folder.

“We're leaving now. Linda, I need you to come with us and provide a formal statement.””

My mother looked terrified.

“Will I be arrested?””

“That depends on what the investigation establishes. But withholding evidence about your husband's death is serious.””

She looked at me.

“Emily, please.””

I stood.

“You don't get to ask me to protect you anymore.””

We left through the restaurant's side entrance.

Margaret arranged for us to meet Detective Samuel Brooks at the station.

He was older than I expected, with tired eyes and a calm manner.

He listened without interrupting while Margaret explained the financial records, the doctor's statement, the recording, and the photograph.

When she finished, Detective Brooks looked at my mother.

“Mrs. Morgan, did you knowingly give your husband medication that had not been prescribed to him?””

Linda stared at her hands.

“Yes.””

“Who supplied it?””

“Thomas Bell.””

“Did you know what it contained?””

“No.””

“Did you ask?””

She hesitated.

“I asked whether it was safe.””

“And what did he tell you?””

“He said it would help Michael sleep.””

Detective Brooks wrote something down.

“Did you see your husband take it?””

“Yes.””

“Did he become ill afterward?””

Linda began crying.

“He became confused. Then he started sweating. He couldn't stand properly.””

“Did you call emergency services?””

“I called Richard first.””

I looked up.

“Why?””

My mother glanced at me.

“Because Thomas told me not to involve the hospital until he arrived.””

Detective Brooks stopped writing.

“Why would he say that?””

“I don't know.””

“Did Richard arrive before the ambulance?””

“Yes.””

“And what happened?””

Linda closed her eyes.

“He went into the study. He took the medicine bottle. Then he told me to call emergency services.””

The room became silent.

Detective Brooks looked at me.

“Did Richard tell you about this?””

“No.””

“Has he contacted you recently?””

I showed him the messages.

He read them carefully.

Then he looked at Margaret.

“We need to locate Mr. Hale.””

Margaret nodded.

“I have his business address.””

Detective Brooks stood.

“Mrs. Morgan, I want you to understand that this is now a formal investigation. You must not contact Thomas Bell or Richard Hale without speaking to us first.””

My mother nodded.

As we prepared to leave, Detective Brooks asked me to remain behind.

Jason and Margaret stepped into the hallway.

The detective closed the door.

“Emily, I need to ask you something about your father.””

“What?””

“Did he ever mention a woman named Eleanor Price?””

I frowned.

“No.””

“Did your mother?””

“No. Who is she?””

He opened an old case folder.

“Eleanor was a pharmacy technician who worked at the pharmacy your father used. She reported an unusual prescription replacement shortly before his death.””

My stomach tightened.

“What happened to her?””

“She was interviewed once. Then she withdrew her statement.””

“Why?””

Detective Brooks turned a page.

“According to the report, she said she had made a mistake.””

“Do you believe her?””

“I believe she was frightened.””

He showed me a handwritten note attached to the report.

It contained a telephone number and three words:

Ask about the ring.

I stared at it.

“Why would a pharmacy technician know anything about my father's ring?””

Detective Brooks didn't answer.

Instead, he asked me to describe the gold ring Richard had been wearing.

I explained the black stone, the engraved initials, and the date inside.

His expression changed.

“November fourteenth?””

“Yes.””

He leaned back.

“That's the date your father died.””

I nodded.

Detective Brooks closed the folder.

“Emily, I think we need to find out who originally owned that ring and why Richard has it.””

I felt a chill.

“Dad gave it to him.””

“That's what Richard claims?””

“Yes.””

The detective looked at me.

“Your father had a second ring. A matching one.””

I shook my head.

“I've never seen it.””

“According to the old evidence inventory, a second ring was recovered from the hospital belongings after his death. It was supposed to be returned to the family.””

“Where is it?””

“That's what I intend to find out.””

He walked me to the door.

Outside, Jason was waiting.

“Are you okay?””

I nodded, although I wasn't.

He looked at my face.

“What happened?””

I told him about Eleanor Price and the second ring.

Jason frowned.

“Dad had two rings?””

“Apparently.””

He looked down the hallway.

“Emily, there's something else I need to tell you.””

“What?””

“When I was seventeen, Thomas gave me a key.””

“A key to what?””

“To Dad's old office.””

I stared at him.

“Why?””

“He said there were documents inside that could prove Richard had stolen money. He wanted me to find them.””

“Did you?””

Jason shook his head.

“No. But I found something else.””

“What?””

He reached into his wallet and removed a small folded piece of paper.

It was old and yellowed.

The handwriting was my father's.

If the first ring leaves my possession, the second will identify the person who betrayed me.

I looked at Jason.

“Why have you kept this all these years?””

“Because I didn't know what it meant.””

My phone vibrated.

An unknown number.

I opened the message.

It contained a photograph of a small wooden box.

Inside was a gold ring with a black stone.

Beneath it was a note:

*Richard doesn't have the only ring. Come to the old office if you want to know who your father trusted last.*

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Then another message appeared.

*Come alone, Emily. This is your last chance to hear the truth before Thomas destroys it.*