Chapter 12: The Second Death
I stared at the photograph.
Daniel and Dr. Voss stood outside a private office, smiling as if they had just completed an ordinary business transaction.
The date was the day Lorraine died.
I looked at Brielle.
“What does this mean?””
She pressed her lips together.
“I don't know everything.””
“Then tell me what you know.””
She took a shaky breath.
“Daniel told me Dr. Voss was helping him with the guardianship petition. But after Mom died, they met again.””
“Why?””
“To discuss what would happen if you recovered.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“And what did they decide?””
Brielle looked at Renee.
Then back at me.
“They decided you couldn't be allowed to regain control of the company.””
I stared at her.
“Did they discuss killing me?””
She nodded.
I slowly stood.
Renee immediately moved toward me.
“Arthur, sit down.””
I shook my head.
“Keep talking.””
Brielle began crying harder.
“Daniel said that if you died, the guardianship petition would become unnecessary. The estate would be divided according to the old will.””
“And Marcus?””
“He agreed.””
“What about you?””
She lowered her head.
“I didn't agree to that part.””
“But you knew.””
“Yes.””
I looked at my daughter.
For the first time, I didn't see a little girl or a frightened adult.
I saw someone who had been given the chance to do the right thing and had chosen silence.
“Why didn't you come to me?””
“Because I was afraid they'd hurt me too.””
I looked toward Renee.
“Contact Detective Hayes.””
She nodded.
But before she could reach for her phone, Brielle spoke again.
“Dad, there's something else.””
I closed my eyes briefly.
“Of course there is.””
She pulled a small envelope from her handbag.
“Mom gave this to me.””
My heart stopped.
“When?””
“The night before she went into the hospital.””
I stared at the envelope.
“Why didn't you give it to me earlier?””
“Because she made me promise not to open it unless I thought you were in danger.””
“And you waited until now?””
Brielle nodded.
“I was trying to protect myself.””
I took the envelope.
My wife's handwriting appeared across the front.
For Arthur, if our children fail us both.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a letter and a small photograph.
The letter was short.
My dearest Arthur,
I know you will be angry with me for keeping secrets. I wanted to tell you everything, but I needed to be certain before I destroyed the family we spent our lives building.
The six million dollars was only the beginning.
Daniel and Marcus discovered the mineral deposit beneath Blackwood Lane. They believe the land can make them richer than Carter Holdings ever did.
Brielle knows more than she admits.
But there is something I need you to understand.
If anything happens to me, do not assume my death was the end of their plan.
They are not only trying to take your money.
They are trying to take your name.
I stopped reading.
The final paragraph was underlined.
The person who can explain everything is the man who signed our original insurance policy.
I looked at Renee.
“Who signed the policy?””
She checked the documents.
“You did.””
I shook my head.
“No. I remember purchasing it, but Lorraine handled the amendments.””
Renee opened her tablet.
“Arthur, the original policy has an unusual clause. If both spouses die within a specific period under circumstances involving suspected criminal activity, the benefits are held pending investigation.””
I looked at her.
“And?””
She turned the screen toward me.
“The beneficiary was changed shortly before Lorraine's death.””
I stared at the name.
*Carter Family Legacy Foundation.*
Not Daniel.
Not Marcus.
Not Brielle.
The foundation.
I leaned back.
“Lorraine knew.””
Renee nodded.
“She anticipated that someone might try to claim the insurance money.””
I looked at my daughter.
“Did you know about the policy?””
Brielle shook her head.
“No.””
“Did Daniel?””
She hesitated.
“I think so.””
“Why?””
“Because he asked me to find the original beneficiary documents.””
I closed the letter.
My wife had built a financial trap around the very people who were trying to steal from her.
And now I understood why Daniel had been so desperate to get me declared incompetent.
If he could control my estate, he could also control the legal process surrounding the insurance policy and the foundation.
But the question remained.
Why had Lorraine believed there would be a second death?
Detective Hayes arrived thirty minutes later.
He listened to Brielle's statement without interrupting.
When she finished, he closed his notebook.
“Ms. Carter, I need to ask you something. Did you ever hear your brothers discuss a specific plan involving your father?””
Brielle nodded.
“They talked about the staircase.””
“Anything else?””
She hesitated.
Then she looked at me.
“Daniel said there was another way.””
My stomach tightened.
“What way?””
“He said you had been taking medication for your recovery. He asked Marcus whether the dosage could be adjusted without raising suspicion.””
Renee immediately stood.
“Arthur's medical records need to be reviewed.””
Hayes nodded.
“Agreed.””
I remembered the pills.
The small white tablets Dr. Voss had prescribed.
The ones I had taken every morning.
The ones I had stopped questioning because I trusted my doctor.
“Did Marcus agree?”” I asked.
Brielle nodded.
“He said the medication could be changed through the pharmacy.””
I looked at Renee.
“Find every prescription filled since the accident.””
She wrote it down.
Hayes turned toward Brielle.
“Do you have any evidence of this conversation?””
She reached into her bag.
“I recorded one of their meetings.””
She placed her phone on the table.
The recording was dated two weeks earlier.
Detective Hayes pressed play.
Daniel's voice came through first.
“The old man is getting stronger.””
Marcus answered.
“Then we need to move faster.””
Daniel sighed.
“Voss says the medical records can still be adjusted.””
Brielle's voice appeared.
“What if someone checks?””
Daniel answered coldly.
“By the time anyone checks, it won't matter.””
Then Marcus spoke.
“What about the second payment?””
There was a pause.
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Once Dad is gone, the insurance money will cover everything.””
I felt my hands go numb.
Hayes stopped the recording.
“Mr. Carter, we're going to arrange an immediate medical examination and secure your prescriptions.””
I nodded.
Then I turned toward Brielle.
“Why are you giving us this now?””
She looked at me with swollen eyes.
“Because Daniel knows I have the recording.””
“How?””
“He called me this morning.””
She showed me her phone.
There was a missed call.
Then a voicemail.
Detective Hayes played it.
Daniel's voice was unmistakable.
“Brielle, I know what you've done. If you give Dad that recording, you'll regret it. You think you're going to walk away from this?
You signed the documents. You took the money. You're just as guilty as we are.””
The voicemail ended.
A second later, Brielle received a text.
Come to the house tonight. Bring the original documents. We can still fix this.
Renee looked at Hayes.
“That's an obvious attempt to interfere with a witness.””
Hayes nodded.
“We'll preserve it.””
I looked at Brielle.
“Don't go.””
She shook her head.
“I wasn't planning to.””
But then another message appeared.
This one was from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of the front entrance to my estate.
Taken less than a minute earlier.
Underneath it were seven words.
Your father is not the only target tonight.
I stood.
“Where is Marcus?””
Brielle looked terrified.
“He was supposed to meet Daniel at the house.””
Hayes immediately reached for his radio.
“Units to the Carter residence. Possible threat to a protected witness.””
Then Renee's phone rang.
She answered.
Listened.
And slowly lowered it.
“Arthur,” she whispered.
“What?””
She looked at me.
“Mrs. Collins just called. There's a fire in the west wing of your house.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
The west wing.
Lorraine's study.
The room containing the original trust documents.
The room containing the remaining evidence.
I grabbed my coat.
And as Detective Hayes rushed toward the door, my phone lit up with one final message.
It was from Daniel.
May you like
You should have signed the papers, Dad.
Now nobody gets anything.
