Chapter 6: What Brielle Found in the Car
I didn't go alone.
I called Daniel Whitmore first.
He listened without interrupting as I explained Brielle's messages.
When I finished, he said, "Do not enter that garage without contacting the police.""
"She's my stepdaughter.""
"And someone has threatened your wife. That doesn't make the situation safer.""
"She says she found evidence about Ethan.""
"Then arrange to meet somewhere public, with witnesses.""
I looked at Nia.
She was standing near the kitchen counter, holding her phone with both hands.
"Marcus," she whispered, "please don't let anything happen to her.""
I walked over and kissed her forehead.
"I'll be careful.""
I arranged for a friend to stay with Nia while I went to the hotel parking garage. Daniel contacted the authorities and agreed to meet me nearby.
At 6:35 p.m., I entered the garage.
The air smelled of gasoline and damp concrete.
Fluorescent lights flickered overhead.
I walked toward Level 3.
Brielle was standing beside a black SUV.
She wore jeans, a sweatshirt, and no makeup. Her hair was tied into a loose ponytail.
For once, she looked her age.
Not like the woman who had danced on my coffee table.
Not like the person who had told her pregnant mother to scrub the floor.
Just a frightened twenty-two-year-old.
"You came," she said.
"I said I would.""
She looked behind me.
"Where's Mom?""
"Safe.""
"Did you tell her?""
"No.""
Brielle nodded.
Then she unlocked the SUV.
"Get in.""
"No.""
She frowned.
"Marcus, I need to show you something.""
"Show me here.""
She looked toward the elevator.
"Caleb might come back.""
"Then we definitely aren't getting inside a car.""
She sighed and opened the rear door.
From beneath a pile of clothes, she removed a thick brown folder.
"I found this in Vanessa's car.""
"How did you get into her car?""
"She gave me the keys last week. She asked me to collect something from the back seat.""
"What was in the folder?""
"I didn't know until today.""
She handed it to me.
I opened it.
The first document was a bank statement.
The account belonged to an offshore company named Carter Holdings Group.
I had never heard of it.
The second document listed several transfers.
$18,000.
$42,500.
$67,000.
The payments had been made over several months.
At the bottom of the page was a reference number.
I recognized the last four digits.
They matched the trust account Daniel had shown me.
I looked at Brielle.
"Where did you get this?""
"Vanessa's car.""
"Why was it there?""
"I think she was hiding it.""
I turned another page.
It was a spreadsheet showing money moving between several accounts.
One column was labeled TRUST DISTRIBUTIONS.
Another was labeled PROPERTY ADVANCES.
And a third contained names.
Caleb Carter.
Vanessa Reed.
Nia Carter.
Brielle Carter.
My wife's name appeared beside a transaction worth $74,000.
I felt my chest tighten.
"What is this?""
Brielle shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"Your mother's name is here.""
"I know.""
"Did she receive this money?""
"I don't think so.""
I examined the date.
The transfer had supposedly occurred two years earlier.
I looked at Brielle.
"Did you know about this?""
She shook her head.
"No.""
I turned another page.
There was a photograph of Ethan.
He was sitting in the hospital bed, looking directly at the camera.
On the back was a handwritten note.
*Caleb has been taking money from the trust. Vanessa knows. If they discover what I found, they will use Brielle.*
I stared at the sentence.
"Why would they use you?""
Brielle's eyes filled.
"Because I'm the beneficiary.""
"That doesn't answer my question.""
She looked down.
"Because Vanessa told me I could get the money early if I helped her.""
I slowly closed the folder.
"What did you do?""
"I signed some papers.""
"What papers?""
"An authorization.""
"Was it the loan application?""
She nodded.
I felt anger surge through me.
"You knew someone was using my house.""
"I thought it was temporary!""
"Your mother was threatened. Someone forged my signature. And you knew they were trying to borrow money against the property?""
Brielle began crying.
"I didn't know they would threaten her.""
"Did you know they were going to?""
"No!""
"Then why didn't you tell us?""
She wiped her cheeks.
"Because I was scared.""
I stared at her.
For a moment, I wanted to believe her.
Then I remembered Nia on the kitchen floor.
The mop.
The tears.
The way she had flinched whenever Brielle raised her voice.
"Do you understand what you did to your mother?""
Brielle lowered her head.
"I know.""
"No. I don't think you do.""
She looked up.
"Marcus, I never wanted her to get hurt.""
"Then why did you keep letting her?""
Her mouth trembled.
"I thought if I got the money, I could pay everyone back. I could move out. I could fix everything.""
"Who is everyone?""
She hesitated.
"Caleb.""
I frowned.
"Why do you owe Caleb money?""
Brielle looked toward the elevator.
"Because he told me he was helping me access my inheritance. He gave me money in advance.""
"How much?""
"Forty thousand.""
I stared at her.
"You borrowed forty thousand dollars from your uncle?""
She nodded.
"At first, he said I didn't have to repay it until the trust was released. Then he changed the agreement.""
"To what?""
"To a hundred and ten thousand.""
I felt sick.
Caleb had loaned his niece forty thousand dollars and somehow turned it into a debt of one hundred and ten thousand.
"Did you sign anything?""
"Yes.""
"Did your mother know?""
"No.""
I looked at the folder again.
Then something caught my eye.
A separate sheet had been folded inside the back cover.
It was a photocopy of an old hospital discharge report.
The patient was Ethan Carter.
The date was three days before his death.
Under the section marked EMERGENCY CONTACT was a name.
Vanessa Reed.
I frowned.
"Why was Vanessa listed as Ethan's emergency contact?""
Brielle looked at the paper.
"Because she knew my father.""
"How?""
She swallowed.
"She was his assistant.""
I stared at her.
"What?""
"Before she became my friend, she worked for him.""
I looked at the date.
Vanessa had known Ethan years before she met Brielle.
She had been close enough to be listed as his emergency contact.
Suddenly, the photograph of Ethan's hospital room seemed much more important.
"Did you know this before?""
"No. I found out today.""
I turned another page.
It was a letter written by Ethan.
The handwriting matched the note Daniel had shown me.
But this letter contained a name I hadn't seen before.
If Vanessa comes into contact with Brielle, do not trust anything she says about the inheritance.
I looked up.
"Where is the original?""
Brielle pointed toward the SUV.
"In the glove compartment.""
I walked to the front passenger door.
It was unlocked.
Inside the glove compartment was a small black notebook and a sealed envelope.
I picked up the envelope.
My name was written across the front.
Again.
But this time, the handwriting was not Ethan's.
It was Nia's.
I turned toward Brielle.
"Why is your mother's handwriting on this?""
Brielle looked confused.
"I've never seen that before.""
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a short handwritten note.
*Marcus, if you found this, then Vanessa has finally made her move. There is something I never told you about the night Ethan died.*
I read the sentence twice.
Then I reached for the second sheet.
It contained only one line.
*I was the last person to speak to him before he died.*
I looked at Brielle.
"Your mother wrote this?""
She nodded slowly.
Then her phone rang.
The screen displayed one word.
*VANESSA.*
Brielle stared at it.
I held out my hand.
"Don't answer.""
But before she could silence the call, a message appeared.
*I know you're with Marcus. Leave the folder and walk away.*
Another message followed.
*Or I'll tell him what your mother did to your father.*
Brielle's face went white.
I felt my stomach drop.
Because the next message wasn't addressed to her.
May you like
It was sent directly to me.
*Ask Nia why Ethan was begging her not to leave him alone when he died.*
Related Stories
