Chapter 6: The Woman Who Knew My Father's Secrets
I stared at the photograph.
Diane Reed stood beside my father, smiling at the camera in a cream-colored suit. Her hand rested lightly on his arm.
She looked younger, but there was no mistaking her.
I turned the photograph over again.
“Why didn't I know she worked for my father?””
Eleanor took the photograph from me.
“Because she left the company shortly before his death.””
“Why?””
“She was dismissed.””
“For what?””
Eleanor hesitated.
“Financial irregularities.””
The words settled heavily between us.
Olivia sat down again.
“Wait. You're saying Marcus's mother used to work for Richard Carter?””
“Yes.””
“And she helped him steal Nia's inheritance?””
Eleanor nodded.
“That's what we're beginning to understand.””
I looked at the photograph.
“Why would my father keep this?””
“Because Richard kept evidence of everything. He believed that people who betrayed him once would eventually do it again.””
I remembered my father's study.
The locked drawers.
The filing cabinets.
The way he used to say that a good businessman never relied entirely on someone's word.
I had thought he was simply careful.
Now I wondered how many enemies he had made by refusing to look away.
Eleanor pulled out a chair.
“There's something you need to understand about Carter Development Group. Your father didn't leave you forty million dollars in cash. He left you control of a company with assets, debts, contracts, and obligations.””
“I know.””
“Do you know why he refused to give your uncle Thomas a larger share?””
I shook my head.
“He told me Thomas wasn't responsible enough.””
“That was part of it. But the real reason was that Thomas and Diane had been working together.””
I looked at her.
“Since when?””
“More than fifteen years.””
Eleanor opened her folder and removed a series of printed financial statements.
She placed them in front of me.
“Your father discovered that money was being diverted from several development projects into private accounts. At first, he believed it was an accounting error.””
She pointed to a highlighted transaction.
“Then he discovered that the payments were being authorized by Diane and approved by Thomas.””
I studied the numbers.
Millions of dollars.
Repeated transactions.
Different companies.
The same receiving account.
“Did my father confront them?””
“Yes.””
“What happened?””
“Diane was dismissed. Thomas was removed from the board.””
“And then my father died.””
Eleanor nodded.
I felt sick.
“Why wasn't this investigated?””
“It was. But the evidence disappeared.””
“How?””
“Someone gained access to your father's office after his death. Several original documents were removed before the police completed their examination.””
I looked at the USB drive from the metal box.
“Maybe the evidence is on here.””
Eleanor nodded.
“Possibly.””
Olivia moved closer.
“Then let's open it.””
Eleanor shook her head.
“Not on a personal computer. If the drive contains encrypted financial records or malicious software, we shouldn't risk damaging the evidence.””
She called Daniel.
He answered on the second ring.
“Eleanor?””
“We have the box.””
A pause.
“Is Nia safe?””
“For now. But Thomas came to the property.””
Daniel's voice became sharp.
“Did he enter?””
“No.””
“Good. Don't let anyone leave with those documents. I'll send someone to collect them.””
I stepped forward.
“Daniel, I need to know something.””
“Of course.””
“Was my father murdered because of the company?””
The silence lasted several seconds.
Then Daniel said, “I believe his death was connected to the financial investigation.””
I closed my eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me before?””
“Because I didn't have proof.””
“Do you have proof now?””
“Not enough. But the USB drive may contain the original records your father copied before his death.””
I looked at the drive.
“Then what do we do?””
“Preserve everything. I'll meet you tomorrow morning.””
After the call, Eleanor took us upstairs.
My father's study was at the end of the hallway.
The door was closed.
I hadn't entered that room since the funeral.
I placed my hand on the handle.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
Olivia stood behind me.
“Do you want me to come in?””
I nodded.
The room looked almost exactly as I remembered it.
A large wooden desk stood near the window. Books lined the shelves. A framed photograph of my parents sat beside a brass desk lamp.
My father was laughing in the picture.
My mother was looking at him.
I picked it up.
“Mom used to tell me Dad trusted too easily,” I whispered.
Eleanor stood near the doorway.
“Your mother was right about some things.””
I turned.
“What do you mean?””
“Your father trusted people. But he also knew when someone had crossed a line.””
I placed the photograph back.
“Did my mother know about Diane?””
Eleanor nodded.
“She suspected her.””
“Then why didn't she tell me?””
“Because she died before she had the chance.””
I looked down.
My mother had died when I was twenty-four. A sudden illness, according to the doctors.
My father had been devastated.
For years, I had believed that losing her was the worst thing that could ever happen to our family.
Now I wasn't sure what to believe.
Eleanor walked toward the desk.
“Richard left a second hiding place here.””
She crouched and ran her fingers beneath the bottom drawer.
There was a small metal latch.
She pressed it.
A narrow compartment slid open.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
I took it carefully.
It contained four names.
Thomas Carter.
Diane Reed.
Marcus Reed.
And a fourth name.
Daniel Brooks.
My hands went cold.
Daniel.
My father's attorney.
The man who had been helping me since the moment I heard Marcus's conversation.
The man who had delivered my father's letter.
The man who had told me he suspected Marcus for six weeks.
I looked at Eleanor.
“Why is Daniel's name here?””
She didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she took the paper from my hand and examined the handwriting.
Then she looked at me with an expression I couldn't read.
“Because Richard believed someone inside his legal team was leaking information.””
My heart began pounding.
“Are you saying Daniel was involved?””
“I'm saying your father wanted us to investigate him.””
I stepped backward.
“No. Daniel has been protecting me.””
“Perhaps.””
“He was at the funeral. He handled the estate. He's the reason I still have the company.””
Eleanor gently folded the paper.
“And that's exactly why your father was concerned.””
My phone vibrated.
A message from Daniel appeared.
*I'm outside the property. Please open the gate. We need to talk privately.*
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
*Don't tell Eleanor I came.*
My breath caught.
I looked up.
Eleanor was watching my face.
“What is it?””
I turned the phone toward her.
She read the message.
Her expression changed immediately.
“Don't open the gate.””
I stepped away from the window.
“Why?””
Eleanor moved toward the desk and picked up the photograph of my father and Daniel.
Then she pointed to something I hadn't noticed.
A small reflection in the office window.
The person taking the photograph.
A woman.
Diane.
Eleanor whispered, “Because Daniel has never been alone in this.””
Outside, a car door slammed.
Then someone knocked on the front door.
Daniel's voice echoed through the house.
“Nia? It's Daniel. Open up.””
I looked at Eleanor.
She reached into her handbag and pulled out a small envelope.
“Your father left one final instruction,” she said.
“What instruction?””
She opened the envelope and revealed a photograph.
It showed my father standing beside a hospital bed.
A younger man lay beneath the white sheets.
I recognized the face immediately.
It was Marcus.
But the date printed on the back was impossible.
*Three years before I met him.*
Eleanor looked directly at me.
“Your father knew Marcus long before Marcus ever proposed to you.””
Then Daniel knocked again.
May you like
And this time, his voice was no longer calm.
“Nia, I know you're inside. We need to discuss what happened to your father before Eleanor tells you the wrong story.””
