Chapter 2: The Secret Behind My Father's Death
I forgot how to breathe.
My father's name was Robert Hayes.
He had died eleven months earlier in what the police called a tragic accident.
His car had gone off a mountain road during a storm. The vehicle had caught fire before emergency crews arrived.
The investigation concluded that he had lost control.
There had been no witnesses.
No evidence of foul play.
And no reason for me to question the official explanation.
Until that moment.
I looked at Lily.
“Where did you get this?””
She glanced toward Vanessa.
“From her desk.””
Vanessa shook her head violently.
“She's lying!””
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Vanessa, stop.””
“You stay out of this!”” Vanessa shouted.
Evelyn flinched.
Lily moved closer to me.
“I found it when I went looking for my coloring book.””
“Why were you at Vanessa's desk?””
“Because she asked me to get something from her office.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“What office?””
She said nothing.
I turned back to Lily.
“Did you watch this video?””
She nodded.
“Not all of it. I got scared.””
“What did you see?””
Her lower lip trembled.
“Grandma told me not to say anything until I had proof.””
Evelyn closed her eyes.
I looked at the woman who had lived next door to me for almost fifteen years.
“Evelyn, what is happening?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“I tried to tell you something months ago.””
“When?””
“After Robert died.””
I frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
She glanced at the guests.
“Not here.””
“No. We are doing this here.””
Vanessa suddenly laughed.
It was a brittle, unpleasant sound.
“This is unbelievable. You're letting these people manipulate you in front of everyone.””
I turned toward her.
“Who are you calling these people?””
“Your neighbor and a child who has no idea what she's talking about.””
Lily shook her head.
“I know what I saw.””
Vanessa pointed at her.
“You have been watching things you shouldn't have been watching!””
Evelyn stepped between them.
“Don't you dare speak to her like that.””
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
“You have no idea what you're protecting.””
The words hung in the air.
I looked at her.
“What does that mean?””
She realized her mistake.
For the first time, she seemed unable to find a convincing lie quickly enough.
The DJ quietly inserted the second USB.
A video appeared.
The quality was poor, but the room was unmistakable.
My father's home office.
I recognized the wooden shelves, the green leather chair, and the framed photograph of my mother beside the fireplace.
My father had hated cameras. He never allowed security equipment inside the house.
But after his death, I had discovered a small camera hidden inside a decorative clock.
I had assumed it belonged to the housekeeper.
The footage was dated three days before his accident.
My father was sitting behind his desk.
He looked tired.
Very tired.
Then someone entered the room.
Vanessa.
She was wearing a black coat.
My stomach tightened.
“What the hell?”” I whispered.
On the screen, my father looked up.
“Vanessa, I told you not to come here.””
She placed a folder on his desk.
“We need to talk, Robert.””
“There's nothing to discuss.””
“Marcus doesn't know everything about his company.””
My father leaned back.
“That's precisely why I'm not signing those documents.””
Vanessa's expression changed.
“Richard said you agreed.””
“Richard is a thief.””
She laughed softly.
“You're making a mistake.””
“No. I made a mistake trusting the wrong people.””
My father reached for his phone.
Vanessa quickly placed her hand over it.
“Don't do that.””
“Get out of my house.””
She leaned closer.
“Your son is going to lose everything.””
My father's voice became louder.
“If anything happens to me, Marcus will know exactly where to look.””
The footage suddenly glitched.
Then another voice came from outside the camera's view.
Richard.
“Is he giving you trouble?””
Vanessa turned.
“He won't sign.””
Richard walked into the room.
He looked irritated.
“Robert, let's not make this difficult.””
My father stood.
“Get out.””
Richard placed a second folder on the desk.
“Sign it.””
My father pushed it away.
“I'd rather watch the whole company burn.””
Richard's face hardened.
“You should think carefully about that.””
The video ended.
Nobody in the ballroom moved.
I stared at the black screen.
My father had been alive three days before his accident, and Vanessa had been in his office arguing about company documents.
I turned toward her.
“You were at my father's house?””
She shook her head.
“Marcus, that video is edited.””
“Were you there?””
“I was trying to help him.””
“Help him do what?””
She began crying again.
“He was confused. He was becoming paranoid.””
“My father wasn't paranoid.””
“You weren't there!””
The words struck harder than I expected.
Because she was right about one thing.
I hadn't been there.
I had been in London negotiating a business acquisition while my father was arguing with the people I trusted most.
I had missed his last phone call.
I remembered it clearly.
Three missed calls.
One voicemail.
I had listened to it the next morning.
His voice had sounded unusually serious.
“Marcus, son, call me when you get this. There is something about Richard and the company we need to discuss. Don't sign anything until we talk.””
I had promised myself I would call him after the meeting.
But the meeting ran late.
Then the next morning, I received the phone call from the police.
I looked at the screen again.
“Where did you get this footage?”” I asked Lily.
She pointed at Evelyn.
“Grandma found the clock.””
Evelyn nodded.
“After Robert died, I was helping clean the house. I noticed the clock had been moved. I opened it because I thought something had fallen inside.””
She reached into her handbag and removed a folded piece of paper.
“Your father left this with me.””
I unfolded it.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My father's.
Evelyn, if anything happens to me, please make sure Marcus sees the recordings. Do not give them to Richard. Do not trust Vanessa.
My knees nearly buckled.
There was another sentence beneath it.
The truth about the accident is in the original file.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
Vanessa was watching me.
“Marcus,” she whispered, “your father was sick. He didn't know what he was saying.””
“Stop talking about him.””
“He was losing his memory!””
I stepped toward her.
“My father remembered everything.””
Richard suddenly moved toward the exit again.
Daniel blocked his path.
“Where do you think you're going?””
“Move.””
“Not until Marcus gets some answers.””
Richard looked around the room.
“You people are making a serious mistake.””
I pulled out my phone and called the police.
Vanessa grabbed my wrist.
“Don't do this.””
I stared at her.
“Did you have anything to do with my father's death?””
Her lips parted.
No answer came.
Then Richard spoke.
“Marcus, you need to calm down. You don't know what your father was involved in.””
I turned toward him.
“What was he involved in?””
Richard looked directly into my eyes.
“Ask your bride why she was the last person to see him alive.””
The ballroom seemed to tilt.
I turned slowly toward Vanessa.
She was crying.
But she wasn't denying it.
May you like
And then she said something that made my blood run cold.
“Marcus, your father wasn't supposed to die that night.””
