Chapter 10: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Nobody moved.
Margaret Collins held the sealed envelope between her fingers while my father stared at her as though he had forgotten how to breathe.
“Who ordered it?”” Dad demanded.
Margaret glanced at Richard.
“I think you already know.””
Richard shook his head.
“My father?””
“No.””
“Then who?””
Margaret slowly placed the envelope on her desk.
“Your mother.””
Richard stared at her.
“My mother died twelve years ago.””
“Your biological mother did,” Margaret replied.
“But I'm talking about Arthur's second wife, the woman who raised you.””
Richard looked confused.
“Evelyn?””
Margaret nodded.
“Evelyn knew Robert was alive. She knew about Thomas. And she knew Robert intended to expose the financial fraud at Westbridge.””
My father grabbed the back of a chair.
“Why would she do that?””
“Because Robert was the rightful heir to the Whitmore estate. Arthur had promised him control of the family business. When Robert refused to participate in the financial scheme, Evelyn became afraid he would destroy everything.””
Richard rubbed his forehead.
“My mother was never involved in business.””
“That's what she wanted everyone to believe.””
Margaret opened another folder.
Inside were bank statements, private correspondence, and several photographs.
She placed one in front of Richard.
It showed Evelyn standing beside a man outside a marina.
The man was Robert.
Richard picked up the photograph.
“Where did you get this?””
“From a private investigator Arthur hired shortly before his death.””
Richard studied it.
The date was printed in the corner.
October 2010.
Three years after Robert's supposed boating accident.
“He was alive,” Richard whispered.
Margaret nodded.
“And he was trying to contact Daniel.””
My father stepped forward.
“Where?””
“An address in Connecticut. But when the investigator arrived, Robert had already disappeared.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Evelyn threatened to expose the original settlement agreement. She said if I revealed anything, she would make certain Daniel lost his parental rights and Sophie would never receive the trust.””
My father laughed bitterly.
“You were always good at finding reasons to obey powerful people.””
Margaret accepted the accusation without protest.
“I was.””
I looked at the envelope.
“What's inside?””
Margaret pushed it toward my father.
“Read it.””
He broke the seal.
A folded letter slipped out.
His hands trembled as he unfolded it.
The first line was written in a familiar masculine handwriting.
*Daniel, if you're reading this, I have finally found the courage to stop hiding.*
My father sat down.
He read silently for several seconds.
Then his expression changed.
“What?”” I asked.
He looked at Richard.
“Robert says he never knew Thomas had been taken.””
Margaret nodded.
“He believed Elizabeth had died with the baby.””
My father continued reading.
“He says he tried to contact me after the accident, but someone intercepted his letters.””
“Who?””
The next paragraph answered.
*I was told you had accepted the Whitmore settlement and moved away with Sophie. I was also told Elizabeth had confessed that Thomas was my son and that you wanted nothing to do with him.*
My father lowered the letter.
“That never happened.””
Richard leaned over his shoulder.
“Keep reading.””
Dad continued.
*I know what I did to Elizabeth was unforgivable. I loved her, but I was too afraid to stand against our father. When I discovered the truth about the scholarship accounts, I should have gone to you immediately. Instead, I disappeared.*
My stomach tightened.
“What did he do to Mom?””
My father looked at the letter.
“Robert and Elizabeth were close before she married me. They had a relationship when they were young.””
I stared.
“You mean they were together?””
He nodded slowly.
“But it ended. Your mother chose me. Robert accepted that.””
Richard sat down.
“My brother never told me.””
My father continued.
*Thomas was my biological son. But Daniel, I need you to understand that I never asked Elizabeth to leave you. I never asked her to keep anything from you. Arthur used my name to create a story that would destroy both of us.*
I felt my stomach turn.
My mother had been forced to carry a secret while everyone around her manipulated the truth.
Then my father reached the final paragraph.
His eyes widened.
“What is it?”” I asked.
He handed me the letter.
*I have been watching the foundation for years. The person who arranged the transfer of Thomas was not Arthur. It was someone who knew exactly where the baby would be taken. Someone who had access to the hospital, the adoption records, and the security cameras.*
I read the next sentence.
*The person responsible was Evelyn Whitmore.*
Richard stood.
“No.””
Margaret looked at him.
“Richard—”
“My mother would never take a newborn child.””
Margaret remained silent.
Richard slammed his hand against the desk.
“You knew her! You worked for her! You know what she was like!””
“I know what she was capable of.””
Richard looked at the photograph again.
His face slowly crumpled.
For the first time, I saw him as something other than Bryce's powerful father.
I saw a son realizing that the woman who raised him might have committed an unforgivable crime.
My father folded the letter.
“Where is Robert now?””
Margaret took out another document.
“There's an address.””
I grabbed it.
The location was a small coastal town in Maine.
A name appeared beneath it.
*Robert James Whitmore.*
Richard took the paper.
“I'll go.””
My father shook his head.
“We'll go together.””
Margaret looked at us.
“There's one more problem.””
I turned.
“What?””
She opened a laptop and showed us an email.
The subject line read:
*EMERGENCY BOARD MOTION — SUSPENSION OF MERCER TRUST TRANSFER.*
It had been sent twenty minutes earlier.
The board had scheduled an emergency meeting for the following morning.
And the person requesting the suspension was Bryce Whitmore.
Attached was a sworn statement claiming that Daniel Mercer had falsified the original trust documents.
My father read the statement.
Then he looked at me.
“Your cousin is trying to destroy the trust before we can prove the truth.””
Richard's voice was cold.
“Then tomorrow, he'll have to explain why.””
But before we could leave, Margaret's phone rang.
She answered.
A few seconds later, her face turned white.
“What happened?”” Richard demanded.
Margaret looked at him.
“Evelyn has been admitted to the hospital.””
She paused.
May you like
Then she added:
“Someone tried to silence her.””
