Chapter 9: The Truth Behind My Birth Certificate
I didn't open the envelope immediately.
I couldn't.
My father's voice was still echoing inside the garage.
Don't let him believe them.
I looked at Thomas.
"What do you mean he didn't die naturally?""
Thomas sat down heavily.
"Your father was sick. That part was true. But the illness wasn't what killed him.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"Do you have medical evidence?""
Thomas nodded.
"Some.""
"Where?""
"With the person who treated him.""
I stared at him.
"Who was his doctor?""
"Dr. Samuel Whitmore.""
The name meant nothing to me.
Thomas continued.
"He was your father's private physician during the last few months.""
"My father was treated at the hospital.""
"He was. But he also received medication privately.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What medication?""
Thomas looked at the recorder.
"Your father believed someone was giving him the wrong dosage.""
Daniel frowned.
"That's a serious allegation.""
"I know.""
"Do you have prescriptions, medical records, or laboratory reports?""
Thomas opened a drawer.
He produced several folded papers.
One was a prescription.
Another was a pharmacy receipt.
The third was a handwritten note.
I recognized my father's handwriting immediately.
The dizziness is getting worse. Richard says the medication is correct. I don't trust him anymore.
I looked up.
"Richard was giving him medication?""
Thomas nodded.
"He arranged the prescriptions through a private clinic.""
Daniel examined the documents.
"Why would a business associate have control over someone's medical treatment?""
Thomas shook his head.
"Because Richard had been inside your father's life for years. He knew his doctors, his finances, his business arrangements. He knew where every document was kept.""
I stared at the photograph of Vanessa.
"And her father?""
"Edward handled the accounts. Vanessa helped with correspondence.""
I felt sick.
"She was twenty-one.""
"Old enough to understand what she was doing.""
Daniel interrupted.
"We need to be careful. These documents are evidence of concerns, not proof of deliberate poisoning.""
Thomas nodded.
"That's why I kept them.""
I finally opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
The paper smelled faintly of dust and old ink.
My father's handwriting was uneven.
But every word was clear.
My dear Marcus,
If you're reading this, then I have failed to protect you from the people who want what I built.
You deserve to know the truth about the trust. I created it to protect the assets I accumulated over thirty years. I never wanted money to change the person you became.
Richard Blackwood helped me build the investment company. For years, I considered him a brother. Then I discovered that he had been moving money without authorization.
I confronted him.
He threatened to take everything.
I refused.
I stopped reading.
My hands were shaking.
The letter continued.
I also discovered that Edward Carter had been assisting him. I found payments to Edward's family and false invoices connected to the trust.
I do not know how much Vanessa understands. She was young when this began, but I have seen her speaking with Richard several times.
I looked at Thomas.
"Did my father know Vanessa personally?""
"Yes.""
I continued reading.
There is something else I need you to understand. Your mother is not the legal guardian named in the original agreement because I never wanted her burdened with the financial conflict.
I named Richard temporarily, believing he would act in your best interests until you reached the age specified in the trust.
I was wrong.
My stomach tightened.
The letter went on.
The moment you reach twenty-five, the trust should transfer to you. If Richard prevents that transfer, the original documents will show why.
Then came the final paragraph.
There is one document I have kept separate from the trust. It concerns your birth. Your mother knows about it. I have asked her to tell you when the time is right.
I stopped.
I looked toward Thomas.
"What birth document?""
He shook his head.
"That's between you and your mother.""
I turned toward Daniel.
"Can this letter help us recover the money?""
"It can help establish your father's intentions. But we need the original trust deed and a full accounting of the transfers.""
I folded the letter carefully.
Then I looked at Thomas.
"Where is the original deed?""
He hesitated.
"Your father gave it to me.""
"Where is it now?""
"Not here.""
"Where?""
Thomas glanced toward the garage door.
"Somewhere Richard won't look.""
I stepped closer.
"Tell me.""
Thomas took a breath.
"Inside the old clock at your mother's house.""
I stared at him.
"The grandfather clock?""
He nodded.
"Your father hid a sealed compartment behind the mechanism. He told me nobody would ever think to search there.""
Daniel immediately took out his phone.
"We should retrieve it today.""
Thomas stood.
"Wait.""
He looked at me.
"Before you go, there's something else.""
He reached into his jacket and produced a small envelope.
It contained a photograph.
This one was different.
It showed my mother in a hospital room, holding a newborn baby.
My father stood beside her.
A nurse was visible in the background.
On the back, my father's handwriting read:
*The day Marcus came home.*
I looked at the photograph.
"What's this?""
Thomas swallowed.
"Your father asked me to keep it.""
I stared at the baby.
Then I noticed the hospital name.
It wasn't the hospital where my mother had told me I was born.
It was a different city.
I looked at Thomas.
"Why?""
He shook his head.
"I don't know the whole story.""
"Then why did you bring it?""
"Because Richard has been asking questions about your birth for years.""
My heart began racing.
I turned the photograph over again.
There was a second line beneath my father's handwriting.
*Biological records sealed by court order.*
I looked at Thomas.
"What does that mean?""
He hesitated.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
He answered.
"Daniel Brooks.""
A woman's voice came through the speaker.
He listened for several seconds.
Then his expression changed.
"Are you certain?""
He looked at me.
"Yes. He's here.""
He ended the call.
"What happened?"" I asked.
Daniel lowered his phone.
"That was the hospital's records department. They found an archived file connected to your father's name.""
"What file?""
He glanced at the photograph.
"A court-sealed paternity record.""
I felt as if someone had struck me.
"Whose?""
Daniel looked directly at me.
"Yours.""
Thomas closed his eyes.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa appeared.
*I know you've been talking to Thomas. Please come home. There's something I should have told you years ago.*
Another message followed.
*Your father wasn't your biological father, Marcus.*
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Then a final message arrived.
*And your mother has known the truth since the day you were born.*
