Chapter 6: My Lawyer's Final Lie
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
James Bennett had been my lawyer for nine years.
He had handled my father's estate, negotiated my business contracts, and represented me through the worst moments of my life.
He had attended the funeral.
He had stood beside me while I lowered my father's coffin into the ground.
Now my father's recorded message was accusing him of knowing what had happened.
I stared at James.
“What does that mean?””
He looked toward the officer.
“It's been taken out of context.””
I almost laughed.
“Everything today has been taken out of context, apparently.””
James adjusted his tie.
“Marcus, your father was under enormous psychological pressure. He was suspicious of everyone. He even accused me of stealing from him.””
“Did you?””
“No.””
“Then why did he mention your name?””
James looked at Margaret.
“I don't know.””
Margaret folded her arms.
“That's an interesting answer from someone who was involved in the original legal investigation.””
James turned sharply.
“I was representing the family. I had access to confidential documents.””
“And you also had access to the medical records.””
“I was the attorney.””
“You were not authorized to access the hospital's records after Robert disappeared.””
James said nothing.
I stepped between them.
“Enough. I want answers.””
James sighed.
“Marcus, I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
“Your father asked me to arrange a private transfer after the accident.””
I stared at him.
“You knew he survived?””
James nodded.
The room seemed to shrink.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“And you let me bury an empty coffin?””
“I was following his instructions.””
I grabbed the front of his jacket.
“You watched me stand at his funeral!””
The officer immediately moved toward us.
“Mr. Hayes, let him go.””
I released James.
He straightened his jacket.
“Your father was terrified. He believed Richard was planning to kill him. He asked me to make it look as though he had died.””
“Why?””
“To protect you.””
I stared at him.
“From whom?””
“Richard. Vanessa. Anyone who wanted access to his company.””
“Then why did you keep me in the dark?””
“Because your father believed you would be safer if you knew nothing.””
I shook my head.
“That's convenient.””
James reached into his briefcase.
He removed a small envelope.
“Your father gave me this shortly before the accident. He instructed me to deliver it only if certain people became involved in the investigation.””
He handed it to Margaret.
She examined the seal.
“Is this original?””
“Yes.””
She opened it carefully.
Inside was a handwritten letter and a small photograph.
Margaret read the first few lines.
Then stopped.
“What?”” I asked.
She looked up.
“Robert says the person who arranged the false death wasn't Richard.””
I stared at her.
“Who was it?””
Margaret turned the letter around.
At the bottom was a signature.
*James Bennett.*
I looked at my lawyer.
He didn't deny it.
Instead, he sat down on the edge of the hospital bed.
“I was trying to save him,” he whispered.
“Then why is he missing?””
James rubbed his forehead.
“Because the plan failed.””
“Explain.””
He took a breath.
“Your father wanted to disappear for a few weeks. He intended to gather evidence against Richard and Vanessa. I arranged the transfer to a private facility. He was supposed to remain there under a different identity until we could safely move him.””
“What happened?””
“Someone discovered the location.””
“And?””
“Your father was moved again.””
“By whom?””
James looked at Margaret.
“She was supposed to handle the second transfer.””
Margaret's face hardened.
“That is a lie.””
James shook his head.
“You were given the address.””
“I was given a different address. A building that had been empty for months.””
I looked between them.
“Which one of you is lying?””
Neither answered.
Then the police officer approached the television.
“There's another file on the system.””
He pressed a button.
A list of recorded clips appeared.
One was dated three days earlier.
The officer opened it.
My father appeared again.
This time he was standing.
He looked directly at the camera.
“Marcus, I don't know if you'll ever see this. But if you do, there's something you need to understand about your wedding.””
I leaned closer.
My father continued.
“Vanessa wasn't the person who first approached me. Someone introduced her to Richard. Someone who knew exactly what I owned, how much money I had, and what my son would inherit.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”” I whispered.
The video continued.
“Richard believes he controls the entire operation. He doesn't. He's only the person they allow me to see.””
My father looked over his shoulder.
Then back at the camera.
“The person behind this has been close to our family for years.””
The screen flickered.
A sound came from somewhere behind him.
My father turned.
“Not now,” he whispered.
Then he faced the camera again.
“If you see James, ask him about the night your mother died.””
I froze.
My mother had died when I was sixteen.
A car accident.
A rainy evening.
A hospital call.
A funeral.
For years, my father had refused to discuss it.
He always said it was an accident and that talking about it would only make the pain worse.
I turned toward James.
“What does my mother have to do with this?””
He stood abruptly.
“Marcus, don't.””
“Tell me.””
“Your mother has nothing to do with Richard's theft.””
“Then why did my father mention her?””
James looked toward the officer.
“I think we've seen enough.””
He began walking toward the door.
The officer stepped in front of him.
“Sir, you're not leaving.””
James looked at me.
“Marcus, please. You have to understand that your father made decisions that affected everyone.””
“What decisions?””
“He knew what happened to your mother.””
My heart hammered.
“What are you saying?””
James swallowed.
“Your mother wasn't killed in an accident.””
I felt the floor disappear beneath my feet.
“No.””
“I tried to tell your father that night—”
“Tell me what?””
James looked down.
“Your mother had discovered something about the company. She was going to report it.””
I stared at him.
“Who was responsible?””
He didn't answer.
“James!””
He finally looked up.
“Your father was driving the car that night.””
I stepped backward.
My father had always told me he was the one who survived because my mother had been sitting on the passenger side.
He had said he lost control during the rain.
He had carried that guilt for the rest of his life.
But James was telling me something different.
“Are you saying my father caused her death?””
James shook his head.
“No. I'm saying the brakes failed on that car too.””
Silence swallowed the room.
Two accidents.
Two damaged brake systems.
Two members of my family.
I looked at Margaret.
She was already studying the letter again.
Then she noticed something on the back.
A small handwritten note.
She turned it toward the light.
It contained an address and a name.
*EVELYN CARTER.*
My stomach dropped.
Evelyn.
Lily's grandmother.
The woman who had lived next door to my family for fifteen years.
The woman who had brought me food after my mother died.
The woman who had helped organize my father's funeral.
The woman who had brought Lily to stop my wedding.
I looked at Margaret.
“Why is Evelyn's name on this?””
She read the note again.
Then her expression changed.
“Because your father believed Evelyn was the only person who knew where your mother had been taken after the accident.””
I couldn't understand.
“My mother died at the hospital.””
Margaret slowly shook her head.
“No, Marcus.””
She pointed toward the final sentence on the page.
“Your father wrote that your mother was alive when someone removed her from the wreckage.””
My hands began shaking.
Then my phone rang.
The caller ID showed one name.
*EVELYN.*
I answered.
“Evelyn?””
Her voice was barely audible.
“Marcus, listen carefully. Don't trust Margaret.””
I looked toward the woman standing beside me.
Evelyn began crying.
“And whatever you do, don't let Lily go home with Vanessa.””
A loud crash sounded through the phone.
Then a man's voice shouted:
“YOU WERE TOLD TO KEEP QUIET!””
The call disconnected.
I stared at my phone.
Margaret slowly stepped away from me.
May you like
And James whispered something I would never forget.
“Marcus, I think we've just discovered who has been controlling all of us.””
