Chapter 8: My Mother's Second Secret
I listened to the recording again.
Then a third time.
Adrian isn't the only son you've been hiding.
Daniel took the device from my hand.
“Marcus, we need to hear the entire recording.””
He connected it to his laptop.
The audio continued.
My father's voice sounded exhausted.
“You promised me this would never happen again.””
My mother's reply was almost a whisper.
“I had no choice.””
“You always have a choice, Eleanor.””
“He was threatening to expose everything.””
“Then let him.””
“And destroy the company?””
“Better the company dies than another innocent person does.””
There was a long silence.
Then my father spoke again.
“Does Marcus know?””
“No.””
“Does Adrian know?””
“No.””
“Then keep it that way.””
The recording ended.
I stared at the screen.
Daniel leaned back.
“What do you think he meant?””
I shook my head.
“I don't know.””
An officer approached us.
“Mr. Hayes, we need to take Mrs. Collins into custody for questioning.””
I glanced toward Vanessa.
She was sitting on an old wooden bench, her hands cuffed in front of her.
She looked exhausted.
“Can I speak to her first?””
The officer nodded.
I walked over.
Vanessa raised her head.
“Marcus.””
I stopped several feet away.
“Who else did my mother hide?””
She frowned.
“What?””
“The recording. My father said Adrian wasn't the only son.””
Her face changed.
She looked toward Daniel.
Then back at me.
“I don't know.””
“You were working with Adrian. You knew about my mother. You knew about the company. Don't tell me you know nothing.””
Vanessa looked down at her hands.
“Adrian told me there was another person.””
“Who?””
“He wouldn't say.””
“Did he give you a name?””
She nodded slowly.
“Ethan.””
I felt a strange chill.
“Ethan what?””
“Hayes.””
I closed my eyes.
Another brother.
Another secret.
Another piece of my father's life that had been hidden from me.
“Where is he?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I don't know.””
“Why did Adrian need him?””
She looked up.
“Because Ethan has the original ownership documents.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“What ownership documents?””
Vanessa swallowed.
“The papers proving who really owns Hayes Industrial Group.””
I frowned.
“My father left the company to me.””
“That's what you were told.””
“What are you saying?””
She began crying again.
“Adrian said your father changed everything after he discovered the fraud. He said the company wasn't supposed to belong to you or him.””
“Then who?””
Vanessa looked directly at me.
“Ethan.””
The police took Vanessa away.
Daniel and I stayed at the factory while the officers searched the building.
They found several boxes of old accounting records, two computers, and a collection of documents hidden beneath the production office floor.
But the red ledger was missing.
I walked through the empty workshop.
Dust covered the machinery.
The smell of oil and rust brought back memories of my father.
He had spent thirty years building the company.
And apparently, he had spent the last years of his life trying to protect it from his own family.
Daniel joined me.
“Marcus, I contacted the police department. They're checking the name Ethan Hayes.””
“Good.””
“There's something else.””
I turned.
“What?””
“The ownership documents Vanessa mentioned may be genuine. If they exist, the company could be subject to a legal claim.””
I laughed without humor.
“Wonderful. I might lose my company twice in one week.””
Daniel didn't smile.
“I'm serious.””
“So am I.””
He handed me a folder.
“We found this in the safe.””
Inside was a photograph of my father standing outside a hospital.
A woman held a newborn baby.
On the back, someone had written:
Ethan's first day. December 12, 1994.
I stared at the date.
I had been born in 1988.
Ethan was six years younger than me.
The woman's face was partially hidden, but I could see her profile.
It wasn't my mother.
“Who is she?””
Daniel examined the photograph.
“I don't know.””
I turned it over again.
A phone number was written beneath the date.
The ink had faded, but the final four digits were clear.
1994.
I looked at Daniel.
“Can you trace it?””
“We'll try.””
My phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice replied.
“Marcus Hayes?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Ethan.””
I froze.
Daniel immediately signaled for me to put the call on speaker.
“Ethan Hayes?””
There was a short laugh.
“That's what they called me.””
“Who are you?””
“Your father's son.””
I gripped the phone.
“Where are you?””
“Not somewhere you can find me.””
“Why are you calling?””
“Because Adrian has the ledger.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Do you know where he is?””
“Yes.””
“Then tell me.””
Ethan ignored the question.
“Your father didn't die naturally, Marcus.””
“I know.””
“No. You don't.””
His voice became quieter.
“He was alive when they signed the documents transferring control of the company. He was kept in a private medical facility for three days.””
My stomach tightened.
“What are you talking about?””
“They wanted his signature. When he refused, they made sure he couldn't refuse again.””
I felt my legs weaken.
Daniel placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Who are you accusing?””
Ethan hesitated.
Then he said, “The woman who raised you.””
My mother.
I closed my eyes.
“Where can I find you?””
“Meet me tomorrow at noon. Alone.””
“No.””
“Then you'll never learn what happened to your father.””
The line went dead.
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“Absolutely not.””
I looked at him.
“It's the only lead we have.””
“It's also an obvious trap.””
“Maybe.””
“Marcus, your mother may be involved in a murder. Your half-brother is missing, your wife has been arrested, and someone has been trying to kill you. You cannot keep meeting strangers alone.””
I sighed.
“Then come with me.””
He considered it.
“Fine. But we're bringing the police.””
I nodded.
As we left the factory, an officer approached with a new report.
“Mr. Hayes, we've identified the vehicle Adrian used to escape.””
“Where was it found?””
“Abandoned near a private airport.””
“Did he leave the country?””
The officer shook his head.
“Not according to the flight records.””
He handed Daniel a printed document.
“There was a private flight scheduled for this morning. The passenger list included one name.””
I looked at it.
Eleanor Hayes.
My mother.
I immediately called her.
No answer.
I tried again.
Nothing.
Then my phone received a message.
It was a photograph.
My mother was sitting in the back of a black car.
Her hands were tied.
A handwritten note covered the bottom of the image.
Bring the red ledger. Midnight. No police.
Daniel looked at me.
“Marcus, we don't have the ledger.””
I stared at the photograph.
A second message arrived.
If you tell anyone, your mother dies.
May you like
Then the sender's name appeared.
Adrian Hayes.
