Chapter 6: The Last Warning From My Father
I read the message three times.
Your wife wasn't the only person who wanted your father dead.
The words seemed to hang in the room.
Patricia Wells reached for my phone.
"May I?""
I handed it to her.
She examined the number.
"Do you recognize it?""
"No.""
Daniel leaned over her shoulder.
"Don't respond. We'll preserve the message and have it documented.""
I stared at the screen.
"My father died in his sleep. The doctors said it was a heart attack.""
"Was an autopsy performed?"" Patricia asked.
I shook my head.
"He was older. He had a history of heart problems. There was no reason to suspect anything.""
Patricia exchanged a glance with Daniel.
"Did he take medication?""
"Blood pressure medication. A few supplements. Nothing unusual.""
"Who managed his prescriptions?""
"My father's longtime assistant, Margaret.""
Daniel wrote down the name.
"Do you still have contact with her?""
"She retired after he died.""
"Can you reach her?""
"I can try.""
I stepped into the kitchen and searched through my old contacts.
I found Margaret Ellis.
She had worked for my father for nearly twenty years. She had organized his appointments, handled his correspondence, and knew every detail of his daily routine.
I called.
She answered after six rings.
"Marcus?""
Her voice sounded older, but I recognized it immediately.
"Margaret. I'm sorry to call unexpectedly.""
"Oh, sweetheart. Is everything all right?""
I hesitated.
"I need to ask you something about Dad.""
There was silence.
Then she said something that made my stomach tighten.
"I was wondering when you'd ask.""
I stood up.
"What do you mean?""
"Your father told me you might come looking for certain documents one day.""
"Which documents?""
"Not over the phone.""
"Margaret, this is important.""
"I know.""
Her voice became quieter.
"Can you meet me tomorrow? There's something I should have given you four years ago.""
I looked toward Daniel.
"Where?""
"The old office. The one your father rented near the courthouse.""
I agreed.
Before ending the call, Margaret added one more thing.
"Marcus, don't tell Richard.""
The line went dead.
I returned to the dining room.
Daniel immediately noticed my expression.
"What happened?""
"Margaret wants to meet tomorrow. She says my father left something for me.""
Patricia closed her briefcase.
"Then we'll go together.""
The next morning, I arrived at the old office building with Daniel.
The building had been mostly empty since my father's death.
Margaret was waiting in the lobby.
She looked smaller than I remembered.
Her silver hair was pulled into a bun, and she wore a brown cardigan over a white blouse.
When she saw me, she hugged me.
"Oh, Marcus.""
I held her for a moment.
"How have you been?""
"Getting by.""
She looked at Daniel.
"Is he trustworthy?""
"He's my attorney.""
"Good.""
She led us upstairs.
The office was dusty but intact.
My father's desk remained near the window.
A framed photograph of him and me stood on the bookshelf.
Margaret walked to a filing cabinet and unlocked the bottom drawer.
She removed a small metal box.
"Your father gave me this two weeks before he died.""
I stared at it.
"Why didn't you give it to me?""
She looked down.
"Because he asked me to wait.""
"Wait for what?""
"For you to discover what Richard had been doing.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"Did your employer suspect financial misconduct?""
Margaret nodded.
"He suspected more than that.""
She placed the metal box on the desk.
Inside were three USB drives, a sealed envelope, and several handwritten pages.
My father's handwriting covered the first page.
Marcus, if Margaret has given you this box, then the people I feared have likely begun using the trust.
I sat down.
The letter continued.
I made the mistake of trusting Richard because he had been with the company from the beginning. I considered him family. That was my greatest error.
I looked at Margaret.
"What did Richard do?""
She clasped her hands.
"He started moving money between company accounts. Small amounts at first. Then larger ones.""
"Did Dad know?""
"He discovered it about a year before he died.""
"Why didn't he report him?""
"He wanted to understand how far it went. He believed Richard wasn't acting alone.""
I opened the sealed envelope.
Inside was a handwritten list of names.
Richard Hale.
Caroline Hale.
Vanessa Reed.
And one more name.
Ethan Cole.
I stared at the page.
"Ethan?""
Margaret nodded.
"Your father met him several times.""
"Why?""
"Because Ethan was originally hired to investigate irregular transactions involving a subcontractor.""
I looked at Daniel.
"Vanessa told me Ethan was just a business associate.""
Margaret shook her head.
"He wasn't.""
She sat across from me.
"Ethan had been working with your father before he became involved with Vanessa.""
I opened the first USB drive.
Daniel stopped me.
"Let's make copies and have a specialist examine them.""
I nodded.
Margaret continued.
"Your father believed Richard was using Vanessa to gain access to the family trust. He also suspected someone was pressuring her.""
"Pressuring her how?""
Margaret looked toward the window.
"She had a lot of debt. Your father knew that. He offered to help her once, but she refused.""
I remembered Vanessa's words.
Your father knew about the arrangement.
"What arrangement?""
Margaret shook her head.
"I don't know. But I remember an argument.""
"When?""
"About a month before your father died.""
She closed her eyes as if trying to remember every detail.
"Richard came into the office with Vanessa. Your father told them both to leave.""
"What did they say?""
"Richard said something about the children's future. Your father told him he would rather close the entire company than let him touch the trust.""
My jaw tightened.
"And Vanessa?""
Margaret's voice trembled.
"She said your father had no right to decide what happened to her children.""
I stared at her.
"Did Dad tell you anything else?""
She nodded.
"He told me that if anything happened to him, I should make sure the original trust amendment was never replaced.""
"Where is it?""
Margaret looked at the metal box.
"That's what the third USB is for.""
Daniel carefully examined the drive.
It had a label written in black marker.
*ORIGINAL AMENDMENT — VIDEO RECORDING*
My heart began pounding.
"There's a video?""
Margaret nodded.
"Your father recorded a meeting with Richard. He wanted proof that he had refused to sign the new amendment.""
Daniel immediately called his forensic specialist.
Within an hour, we were in a secure conference room watching the recording.
The video showed my father sitting behind his desk.
He looked tired but alert.
Richard stood beside the bookshelf.
Vanessa sat in a chair near the window.
And Ethan was standing behind them.
My father spoke first.
"I've told you both. The amendment is not happening.""
Richard placed a document on the desk.
"You're making a mistake.""
"No. I'm correcting one.""
Vanessa leaned forward.
"Those children deserve financial security.""
"They already have it," my father replied.
"That's why the trust exists.""
Richard tapped the document.
"You're being unreasonable.""
My father looked directly at him.
"You're asking me to give you control of money that belongs to my grandchildren.""
Vanessa stood.
"Marcus will never know what you've done.""
My father's expression hardened.
"Then perhaps you should tell him.""
Ethan shifted uncomfortably.
Richard turned toward the camera.
For a moment, it seemed he had noticed it.
Then my father said something that made me grip the table.
"Richard, I know about the transfers. I know about Northbridge. And I know you used my son's name without his permission.""
Richard's face changed.
"You're confused.""
"I'm perfectly clear.""
Vanessa stepped closer.
"You're going to ruin everything.""
My father shook his head.
"No, Vanessa. You and Richard did that yourselves.""
The recording ended abruptly.
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Margaret.
"Was this the last meeting?""
She nodded.
"Two days later, your father died.""
Daniel leaned forward.
"Did he ever mention being threatened?""
Margaret hesitated.
Then she reached into her handbag and removed another envelope.
"This arrived at the office the morning after he died.""
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph of my father's car parked outside a pharmacy.
On the back was a handwritten message.
He should have signed.
I felt sick.
Daniel immediately photographed the envelope.
"We need to preserve this and notify the appropriate authorities. We cannot assume what happened to your father was criminal, but this deserves a proper investigation.""
I nodded.
Then my phone rang.
Vanessa.
I answered without saying hello.
Her voice was unusually calm.
"Marcus, we need to talk.""
"About what?""
"About the children.""
"They're fine.""
"I want to see them.""
I looked at Daniel.
He gestured for me to keep the conversation factual.
"Have your attorney contact mine.""
Vanessa laughed.
"You're making a terrible mistake.""
"What mistake?""
"Digging into things that have nothing to do with you.""
I looked at the video still on the monitor.
My father.
Richard.
Vanessa.
Ethan.
They had all been in the same room before my father died.
"What happened to my father, Vanessa?""
The silence on the other end lasted several seconds.
Then she whispered:
"Your father should have minded his own business.""
My grip tightened around the phone.
"Did you know he was going to die?""
She didn't answer.
Instead, she said something I would never forget.
"Ask Ethan what happened the night your father was taken to the hospital.""
Then she hung up.
I slowly lowered the phone.
Daniel looked at me.
"What did she say?""
I stared at the frozen image of my father on the screen.
"She told me to ask Ethan.""
And just as I began to understand that my children's custody case might be connected to my father's death, another message appeared on my phone.
This one came from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph taken the previous night.
Noah and Maya were standing outside my front door in the rain.
Someone had been watching my house.
May you like
Beneath the photograph were eight words:
If you want your children safe, stop investigating.
