Chapter 5: The Woman Behind the Money
The video lasted four minutes and thirty-seven seconds.
I watched every second.
Raymond Cole appeared on the screen sitting in a cheap motel room. His face was bruised, his beard untrimmed, and his eyes kept moving toward the door.
He looked terrified.
“My instructions came from a woman,” he said.
“She contacted me through an intermediary. She told me the target would be driving alone.””
Daniel paused the video.
“Marcus, do you recognize the voice?””
I shook my head.
“Continue.””
Raymond looked directly into the camera.
“The woman called herself Eleanor.””
My stomach dropped.
He continued.
“She said the accident needed to look like a mistake. She told me to damage the steering mechanism and make sure the vehicle lost control on a wet road.””
Vanessa began sobbing.
Derrick looked toward the exit.
Daniel noticed.
“Mr. Collins, don't leave.””
Derrick laughed.
“I'm not going anywhere.””
But his hand was already moving toward his jacket.
Two uniformed officers appeared in the doorway.
“Mr. Collins,” one said.
“We need you to remain here.””
Derrick froze.
The second officer approached Vanessa.
“Mrs. Hayes, we'd like to speak with you as well.””
She shook her head.
“No. No, I didn't hurt anyone.””
“We haven't accused you of anything.””
“I didn't know he would actually do it!””
Derrick spun toward her.
“Shut your mouth!””
The officer stepped between them.
I watched the woman I had loved for twelve years struggle to explain why she had participated in a plan to destroy my life.
“Vanessa,” I said.
She looked at me.
“Did you know my mother was involved?””
She nodded slowly.
“When I met Derrick, he told me Eleanor had contacted him. She wanted access to the company.””
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I wanted the money.””
The answer came out almost immediately.
No excuses.
No hesitation.
Just the truth.
She continued.
“I thought you would eventually recover and take control again. I thought if I got enough money first, I could leave without losing everything.””
I stared at her.
“You were willing to let me die for money?””
Her lips trembled.
“I never wanted you dead.””
“But you knew about the plan.””
“I didn't know the details.””
“You knew enough.””
She lowered her head.
I turned away.
Daniel restarted the recording.
Raymond described how he had received an initial payment of $75,000.
He also explained that he had been instructed to make the damage look consistent with a mechanical failure.
But the most important detail came at the end.
“I was supposed to leave the country immediately after the crash,” Raymond said.
“But the woman called me again. She told me the man had survived and that I needed to stay quiet.””
He swallowed.
“She said she'd send another payment.””
A pause.
“Then, three days ago, two men came to my motel. They said the woman wanted the job finished.””
The video ended.
Nobody moved.
I looked at Daniel.
“Who are the two men?””
“The police are investigating.””
“Was Raymond killed?””
“They're treating it as suspicious.””
I closed my eyes.
Eleven months of believing I had survived an accident.
Eleven months of working to recover.
Eleven months of Vanessa telling me how lucky I was to have her.
And all along, someone had been waiting for another opportunity.
My phone vibrated.
A message appeared from an unknown number.
*Your mother wants to meet you. Alone. Tonight.
8 p.m. The old Hayes estate.*
I showed it to Daniel.
He read it twice.
“Absolutely not.””
“It's an invitation.””
“It's a trap.””
“Probably.””
“Marcus, this woman may have arranged your murder.””
I looked at the screen.
“Then I want to know why.””
Daniel shook his head.
“We'll contact the police.””
“I want to hear what she has to say.””
“Not alone.””
I nodded.
“Fine.””
The officers escorted Derrick and Vanessa out separately.
As Vanessa passed me, she stopped.
“Marcus.””
I didn't turn.
“Please.””
She waited.
I finally looked at her.
“Do you remember our tenth anniversary?””
She nodded, tears running down her cheeks.
“You told me you would never let money come between us.””
She covered her mouth.
“I remember.””
I looked at the diamond necklace around her neck.
“I hope you remember it when they ask you how much my life was worth.””
She walked away without another word.
At 6:40 p.m., Daniel received a call from the police.
They had searched Derrick's apartment.
Inside a locked storage cabinet, they found passports, cash, and several documents connected to Northbridge Capital.
They also found a photograph.
It showed my father standing beside a woman I didn't recognize.
On the back, someone had written:
The original agreement. 1998.
Daniel sent me a copy.
I enlarged the photograph.
My father looked younger, perhaps in his early forties. He wore the same dark suit he had worn in the first company photograph.
The woman beside him had one hand resting on his shoulder.
She was smiling.
I recognized her immediately.
It was my mother.
But there was someone else in the background.
A little boy.
I stared at the picture.
The child looked about six years old.
He had my father's eyes.
“Daniel?””
“Yes?””
“Who is that boy?””
He zoomed in.
“I don't know.””
I looked at the photograph again.
Something about the child's face was familiar.
Then Daniel noticed a handwritten note in the bottom corner.
For my other son, Adrian. One day, everything will be his.
My fingers went numb.
“Other son?””
Daniel sat down.
“Marcus, did your father ever tell you that you had a brother?””
“No.””
“Did your mother?””
I shook my head.
Daniel stared at the photograph.
“Then we need to find out who Adrian is.””
I looked at the time.
7:12 p.m.
My mother wanted to meet at eight.
Suddenly, I wasn't just going to ask her why she had tried to destroy me.
I was going to ask her what else my father had hidden.
At 7:56 p.m., our car stopped outside the old Hayes estate.
The house stood behind a row of ancient oak trees, its windows dark except for one room upstairs.
I had not visited since my father's funeral.
Daniel remained in the car with two officers nearby.
I stepped out.
My hip ached in the cold evening air.
At the front door, a woman stood waiting.
She wore a cream coat and held a silver cane.
Her hair was now almost entirely white.
But her eyes were unchanged.
“Marcus,” she said.
I stared at her.
“Hello, Mother.””
She looked at my legs.
“You can walk.””
“Yes.””
For the first time, I saw genuine fear in her face.
She opened the door.
“Come inside. There's something your father never wanted you to know.””
I followed her into the house.
She led me to the study.
On the desk sat an old wooden box.
My father's initials were engraved on its lid.
E.H.
I looked at her.
“What is this?””
She placed a key beside it.
“Your father's original will.””
I frowned.
“His will was settled years ago.””
She shook her head.
“No, Marcus. That was only the first will.””
She unlocked the box.
Inside were three envelopes, a photograph, and a document bearing my father's signature.
My mother picked up the photograph.
“This is Adrian,” she whispered.
I looked at the boy.
Then I looked at her.
“Who is he?””
She sat down.
“Your father's firstborn son.””
I felt the room tilt.
My mother placed the photograph on the desk.
“And he's the reason your father left you the company.””
I stared at her.
“What does that mean?””
She opened the first envelope.
“Because Adrian was never supposed to inherit it.””
Then she showed me the final page.
May you like
My father's signature was at the bottom.
And the date was the day before he died.
