Chapter 7: The Phone Call From My Dead Mother
The phone kept ringing.
I stared at the screen.
MOM.
Twelve years.
Twelve years since I had heard her voice. Twelve years since I had stood beside her coffin and watched my father lower his head as the priest spoke.
And now her name was glowing on my phone.
Captain Whitmore stepped closer.
“Don't answer that, Daniel.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
“Because we don't know who's on the other end.””
The phone stopped.
A second later, it rang again.
This time, I answered.
“Hello?””
For three seconds, there was only static.
Then a woman's voice whispered:
“Danny?””
My knees nearly buckled.
Nobody had called me Danny since my mother died.
“Who is this?””
A quiet sob came through the speaker.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
I grabbed the edge of the desk.
“Mom?””
“I know what you're thinking.””
“Where are you?””
“Daniel, listen to me. You have to get away from the marina.””
“Are you alive?””
She didn't answer.
“Mom! Are you alive?””
“Yes.””
The word shattered something inside me.
I closed my eyes.
“Where have you been?””
“There's no time to explain.””
“You've been gone twelve years!””
“I know.””
“You let us bury an empty coffin?””
Her breathing became uneven.
“I never wanted you to suffer.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Then you should have stayed dead.””
Silence.
I regretted the words immediately.
But I was too angry to take them back.
“Where's Dad?”” she asked.
I looked toward Captain Whitmore.
“He's dead.””
A small, broken sound came through the phone.
“When?””
“Six days ago.””
“Oh, Richard.””
She began crying.
I felt something twist inside my chest.
Even after everything, hearing her cry for my father made her sound like the woman I remembered.
“Why did you leave us?”” I asked.
She took a shaky breath.
“Because I was going to prison for something I didn't do.””
“What?””
“The missing twenty-six million. Martin had arranged everything. The transfers, the signatures, the false records. He made it look as though I had stolen the money.””
“But you were involved.””
“I was trying to stop him.””
“Then why did Dad say you betrayed him?””
Another silence.
Finally, she said, “Because I did.””
I stood completely still.
“What did you do?””
“I gave Martin information about the company.””
“Why?””
“Because he threatened Eleanor.””
I remembered the hospital photograph.
The baby.
Grace.
Then my own birth.
“Eleanor is my biological mother.””
My mother's breathing stopped.
“Who told you that?””
“Your letter.””
“Oh, Daniel.””
“Is it true?””
“Yes.””
The word came out quietly.
I gripped the phone.
“Why did you raise me?””
“Because Eleanor was in danger. Martin had discovered she was helping Richard uncover the missing money. He threatened to take Grace away. When Eleanor became pregnant with you, she knew she couldn't protect another child.””
“So you took me?””
“She asked me to.””
“And Dad?””
“He loved you from the moment he held you.””
I swallowed.
“Did he know?””
“Yes.””
“Did Emily know?””
“No. Nobody knew except Richard, Eleanor, and me.””
I looked at the photograph on the desk.
“Then why did you fake your death?””
“Because Martin found out I had kept copies of the original financial records. He threatened to kill Richard and both children if I went to the police.””
“You had two children.””
“I had three, sweetheart.””
I closed my eyes.
“Where are you?””
“Somewhere Martin cannot reach me.””
“That's not an answer.””
“Daniel, you have to understand. Martin isn't acting alone.””
I looked at Captain Whitmore.
“Who else?””
She whispered a name.
“Thomas Bennett.””
I glanced toward the office chair where Thomas had been sitting.
“He was attacked.””
“Is he alive?””
“I think so.””
“Then listen carefully. Thomas has been protecting the wrong person for twelve years.””
“Who?””
“Your sister Emily.””
I frowned.
“What about her?””
“Emily knows where the original ledger is. The blue ledger you found is only a copy.””
I stared at the leather book in my hand.
“What?””
“Your father gave the original to Emily before he died. He knew Martin would eventually come looking for it.””
I remembered Emily's message.
Dad left something for me.
I had ignored it.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“Because she was told never to trust you.””
My stomach tightened.
“By whom?””
My mother's voice became urgent.
“Daniel, the person who has been communicating with you isn't always the person you think you're speaking to.””
The line crackled.
“Mom?””
“Go to the old shipyard. But don't take the blue ledger.””
“Why?””
“Because Martin already has it.””
I looked down.
The ledger was still in my hand.
Then I heard a metallic click behind me.
Captain Whitmore turned.
A man stood in the doorway.
He was holding a gun.
“Put the phone down, Mr. Carter.””
I froze.
My mother's voice screamed through the speaker.
“Daniel! Don't let him take the—”
The call ended.
The man stepped into the room.
He wore a marina security uniform.
But his badge was upside down.
“Who are you?”” I asked.
“Someone who wants the ledger.””
Captain Whitmore moved between us.
“Put that weapon away.””
The man raised the gun.
“Move.””
I looked at the captain.
He gave me the smallest nod.
Then he lunged.
The gun fired.
The bullet struck the wall.
Captain Whitmore slammed the man's wrist against the desk, and the weapon fell to the floor.
I grabbed the ledger and ran.
Behind me, the two men crashed into a filing cabinet.
I reached the corridor and heard the captain shout.
“Go, Daniel!””
I ran through the office, down the stairs, and toward the marina.
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
*YOUR MOTHER IS NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO SURVIVED.*
Attached was a photograph.
A woman standing beside a black car.
My mother.
And beside her was a man I recognized from my father's old photograph.
Martin Langford.
The message beneath it contained five words.
*SHE IS WORKING WITH HIM.*
May you like
I stopped running.
Because suddenly I didn't know which parent I was supposed to believe.
