Chapter 14: My Mother Finally Told Us Who Killed My Grandfather
My father stared at the photograph.
“Dr. Pierce knows what happened to my father?””
Robert nodded slowly.
“Then we need to find him.””
We returned to the address connected to the medical payments.
Willow House was a large property surrounded by tall trees and a metal fence.
The gate was unlocked.
A security camera followed our car as we approached the entrance.
My father knocked.
No answer.
Robert tried the handle.
The door opened.
Inside, the house was quiet.
A television played in an empty room.
A cup of tea sat on a table.
And on the wall hung a photograph of my mother.
“Mom?”” I called.
A weak voice answered from upstairs.
“Emily?””
I ran.
At the top of the staircase, I found a bedroom with a half-open door.
My mother was sitting beside the window.
She looked thin and tired.
Her hair was almost completely gray.
But her eyes were the same.
“Mom.””
She turned.
For a moment, she simply stared.
Then she reached out.
“My baby.””
I fell into her arms.
I cried like I was ten years old again.
“I thought you were dead.””
“I know.””
“Why didn't you come home?””
She held my face.
“I tried, sweetheart. I tried every day.””
My father entered the room.
Catherine looked at him.
Arthur stopped in the doorway.
Neither spoke.
Then he crossed the room and knelt beside her.
“I'm sorry.””
She touched his cheek.
“You didn't know.””
“I should have found you.””
“You were surrounded by people who wanted to keep us apart.””
He kissed her hand.
“I love you.””
She smiled through her tears.
“I never stopped loving you.””
Olivia stood behind me.
My mother looked at her.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then Catherine whispered:
“Olivia.””
Olivia began crying.
“Do you remember me?””
Catherine reached for her.
“I remember every second I had with you.””
Olivia fell into her arms.
“I thought you abandoned me.””
“Oh, my darling. Never.””
They held each other.
I looked away, unable to stop crying.
After a few minutes, my mother asked for water.
Robert helped her sit comfortably.
Then my father asked the question we had all been waiting to ask.
“Catherine, what happened to my father?””
Her expression changed.
She looked toward the window.
“Henry discovered that Eleanor had been stealing from the company. He also discovered that Daniel was helping her.””
My father nodded.
“We found his recording.””
Catherine closed her eyes.
“Then you know about Daniel's relationship with Vanessa.””
Olivia looked down.
Catherine reached for her hand.
“I am sorry you had to discover it this way.””
Olivia nodded.
“Did you know?””
“I suspected. But I never had proof.””
My mother took a breath.
“Henry wanted to expose them. He planned to remove Eleanor from the company and change his will. But before he could do that, he was given a sedative.””
My father froze.
“By whom?””
“Dr. Pierce.””
I looked toward the hallway.
“Where is he?””
My mother shook her head.
“He isn't here.””
Robert examined the room.
“Catherine, where did you get this photograph?””
She pointed toward a drawer.
Inside was a small collection of documents.
One was a medical report dated the night Henry died.
Another was a handwritten statement.
My mother explained.
“Henry had a severe allergic reaction after being given medication he wasn't prescribed. Pierce claimed it was a natural complication. But the medication had been changed.””
My father looked devastated.
“Was he murdered?””
Catherine nodded.
“Yes.””
My father sat down.
For twenty years, he had believed his father died in an accident.
Now he knew someone had deliberately caused his death.
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“I tried. Eleanor had already arranged for the medical report to be altered. When I threatened to expose her, Vanessa helped Daniel arrange my disappearance.””
Olivia looked at the documents.
“Why did they keep you alive?””
Catherine looked at her.
“Because they needed my signature.””
She pointed toward the medical report.
“Your grandfather's trust required my confirmation before certain shares could be transferred. They tried to force me to sign documents giving Eleanor control.””
Robert examined the page.
“That's why the transfer agreement included your medical declaration.””
Catherine nodded.
“But I never signed.””
My father held her hand.
“It's over now.””
She shook her head.
“No, Arthur. Not yet.””
She reached beneath the pillow and pulled out a small envelope.
“This is the final piece.””
Inside was a letter from Eleanor.
It was dated two months before Henry died.
The letter contained a confession of sorts.
Eleanor admitted that she knew Daniel was stealing money. She also admitted that she had arranged for Vanessa to become close to Arthur.
But the final paragraph was the most disturbing.
Once Henry is gone, Arthur will inherit the company. Vanessa will control him. Daniel will control Vanessa. And I will control them all.
My father read it twice.
“She planned everything.””
Catherine nodded.
“She believed she could control the entire family.””
Then she looked at Olivia.
“But she made one mistake.””
“What?”” Olivia asked.
“She underestimated you.””
My mother smiled.
“Both of you.””
Suddenly, a noise came from downstairs.
A door slammed.
Robert rushed into the hallway.
“Who's there?””
A man's voice answered.
“Police.””
My father stood.
“Good. We need to give them everything.””
But Robert returned a moment later.
His face was pale.
“They aren't police.””
Two men entered the bedroom.
One wore a dark jacket.
The other held a phone.
“Mr. Carter,” he said.
“We need the documents.””
My father stepped forward.
“Get out.””
The man raised his phone.
On the screen was a live video of our mansion.
The living room was empty.
Then the camera moved toward the staircase.
Someone was standing at the top.
Eleanor.
She was holding a document.
The man spoke again.
“Your mother has signed the transfer agreement. All we need now is your signature, Arthur.””
My father looked at Catherine.
She shook her head.
“I didn't sign anything.””
The man smiled.
“Not your wife, sir.””
He turned the phone toward us.
The document displayed my name.
And beneath it was a signature that looked exactly like mine.
My father stared.
“Emily?””
I felt sick.
I had never signed that document.
May you like
Then the man delivered the final threat.
“Your daughter has already transferred her inheritance.””
