Chapter 13: The Sister Who Helped Destroy Me
“Tell me everything,” Daniel said.
Vanessa was crying so hard he could barely understand her.
“I didn't know about the money at first,” she said.
“Brielle told me she needed help finding information about your company. She said she wanted to understand the family business before marrying you.””
“And you believed her?””
“She was my sister, Daniel.””
“So was I supposed to believe she was incapable of hurting anyone?””
“No. I know what she did was wrong. I'm not asking you to forgive me.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
Across the room, Evelyn watched him with quiet concern. Eleanor had already begun writing down Vanessa's statements, preparing to preserve them for the investigation.
“Vanessa,” Daniel said, forcing himself to remain calm, “how did you help her access my company?””
“I worked for the event company that handled your engagement party. Your assistant had sent me a guest list and some vendor information. Brielle asked me to forward a few emails because she said she wanted to surprise you with a presentation about your family's history.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Those emails contained my assistant's contact information.””
“Yes.””
“And you gave them to her.””
“I didn't think she would use them to impersonate anyone.””
He looked at Eleanor.
She nodded slightly, signaling that they should let Vanessa continue.
“What happened after that?”” Daniel asked.
“Brielle started asking me questions about your father's estate. She wanted to know whether your mother had inherited the old property investments. She asked if there was a trust.””
“Did you tell her?””
“I said I didn't know. Then she showed me some documents she claimed Thomas had left behind.””
Daniel leaned against the desk.
“What documents?””
“A letter saying your father had stolen money from Thomas. She said she was entitled to recover it.””
“Did you believe her?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Part of me did. Our father always told us that Brielle had been abandoned because of the Mercer family. She grew up believing that someone had taken her future away.””
Daniel's voice sharpened.
“Your father was Thomas Pierce. He lied to everyone.””
“I know that now.””
“You knew enough to help her access my business.””
Vanessa began crying again.
“Yes.””
For several seconds, Daniel said nothing.
He wanted to shout. He wanted to tell her that her choices had nearly cost him his company and had helped turn his mother's wedding into a public humiliation.
Instead, he asked the question that mattered most.
“Why did she threaten you?””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“Because I discovered that she was moving money through Briar Event Services. I confronted her. I told her I wouldn't help anymore.””
“And then?””
“She said if I told you, she would show the police the emails I had forwarded. She said I would be charged as an accomplice.””
Eleanor leaned toward the phone.
“Vanessa, you need to preserve every message, email, and document connected to this matter. Don't delete anything, and don't contact your sister to warn her that you're cooperating.””
“I understand.””
“Do you have evidence of Brielle's threats?””
“Yes. I saved the messages.””
“Send them to me securely. We'll arrange for you to provide a formal statement.””
Vanessa agreed.
Before ending the call, Daniel asked one final question.
“Did Brielle ever mention Marissa Cole?””
Vanessa went quiet.
Then she whispered, “Marissa was the person who taught Brielle how to move the money.””
Daniel looked at Eleanor.
Vanessa continued.
“She told Brielle which accounts to use, how to make the transfers appear legitimate, and how to create invoices that looked like ordinary business expenses. She also told her where to find information about the old Pierce property.””
“Did you ever meet Marissa?”” Eleanor asked.
“Twice. She came to our apartment and gave Brielle a folder. I wasn't allowed to look inside.””
“What was in the folder?””
“I don't know. But the last time she visited, I heard them arguing.””
“About what?””
Vanessa's answer came in a whisper.
“Brielle wanted to stop. Marissa told her it was too late.””
The call ended shortly afterward.
Daniel stared at the phone.
“Marissa has been controlling this from the beginning.””
“Possibly,” Eleanor said.
“But Vanessa's statement is a lead, not a conclusion. We need corroborating evidence.””
Daniel nodded.
“What do we do now?””
“We give the investigators everything we have. The emails, the bank records, the suspicious documents, and Vanessa's messages. We also tell them about the warehouse.””
Evelyn stood.
“Then we should go to the police.””
Eleanor gathered her files.
“Yes. Today.””
The meeting lasted nearly three hours.
Detective Helen Brooks listened without interrupting as Daniel described the transfers, the wedding incident, and the documents found in his father's study.
When he finished, she folded her hands on the table.
“Mr. Mercer, I want to make one thing clear. We can investigate the alleged financial misconduct and possible document fraud. Your father's death is a separate matter, and we cannot assume it was connected without evidence.””
Daniel nodded.
“I understand.””
“We'll review the archived correspondence and the historical documents. We'll also examine the connection between Brielle, Marissa Cole, and the trust.””
Evelyn placed her hands in her lap.
“And the threats against my family?””
“We'll investigate those as well.””
Detective Brooks turned to Daniel.
“Do you know where Brielle is currently staying?””
“No. She left the hotel after the wedding.””
“Has she contacted you?””
“Only through messages. I've told her to communicate through my attorney.””
“Good. Keep it that way.””
The detective wrote something in her notebook.
Then she looked up.
“There's something else you should know. Your father's old property dispute was never fully resolved. The original company was dissolved, but several claims were settled privately. We'll need to examine those records to determine whether anyone benefited from the disputed amendment.””
Daniel felt a chill.
“Could Marissa have inherited the property?””
“It's possible that she acquired interests through a company, but we need the title records and transaction history.””
Eleanor handed over the warehouse ownership information.
Detective Brooks examined it.
“Interesting.””
“What?”” Daniel asked.
“The holding company that purchased the warehouse has received money from Briar Event Services. Those transactions may be legitimate, but given the other evidence, we'll investigate them.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Can you search the warehouse?””
“We need the appropriate legal grounds and authorization. We'll begin by preserving the available records and assessing whether a search warrant is justified.””
Daniel exhaled slowly.
For the first time since the wedding, the investigation was no longer dependent on his own suspicions.
There were records.
There were witnesses.
And there were people who could no longer pretend the evidence didn't exist.
But as they left the police station, Daniel received a message from an unknown number.
*Marissa knows you've been talking to the police. If you want to find out what happened to your father, come to the old Pierce warehouse tonight. Alone.*
He showed the message to Eleanor.
Her expression hardened.
“You are not going there.””
“Someone may have information about my father.””
“Or someone may be trying to lure you into a dangerous situation.””
“Then we bring the police.””
“Absolutely. Forward the message to Detective Brooks. Don't reply.””
Daniel did as she asked.
Within minutes, the detective called back.
“We're assessing the message now,” she said.
“Do not approach the warehouse. If we determine there's a basis for urgent action, we'll handle it through the proper channels.””
Daniel looked across the parking lot.
For years, he had believed the truth was something his father had taken to the grave.
Now the truth was close enough to touch.
And someone was desperate to keep him away from it.
That evening, Daniel sat alone in his father's study.
The painting of the ship hung above the fireplace, its dark waves frozen beneath a stormy sky.
He had spent his childhood believing that the painting represented courage.
Now it seemed to represent something else.
A warning.
His phone vibrated.
Vanessa had sent him a screenshot of a conversation with Brielle.
The message was dated three days before the wedding.
*Brielle:* Once Daniel signs the final documents, everything will be ours.
*Vanessa:* What documents?
*Brielle:* The trust authorization. Marissa says we need his signature before the bank reviews the beneficiary claim.
*Vanessa:* What if he refuses?
*Brielle:* Then I'll make sure he understands what his mother did to my family.
Daniel read the exchange twice.
Then another message appeared.
*Brielle:* You promised you'd help me. Don't make me regret trusting you.
Vanessa had replied:
*I'm scared. I don't think this is what Dad wanted.*
Brielle's response was immediate.
*Dad is dead. We have to finish what he started.*
Daniel lowered the phone.
That sentence changed everything.
Brielle hadn't simply believed her father's accusations.
She had convinced herself that she was continuing his mission.
But there was another possibility.
If she had truly believed the Mercer family had stolen her inheritance, why had she needed Daniel's signature? Why had she staged an attack on Evelyn? Why had she tried to access the trust secretly?
Because she knew her claim might not survive scrutiny.
The phone rang.
Detective Brooks.
“We've obtained preliminary records linking Marissa Cole's holding company to the warehouse,” she said.
“We're also reviewing a series of payments that may connect her to the disputed trust claim.””
“Have you found anything else?””
A pause followed.
“Yes. One of the archived property records contains a handwritten note from your father. It was filed separately from the original agreement.””
Daniel sat upright.
“What does it say?””
The detective read the note aloud.
“'If the original is found, look for the second signature. The person who witnessed the agreement knows who changed it.''”
Daniel's heart began pounding.
“Who witnessed it?””
“We're still verifying the records. But the name appears to be someone who worked for your father.””
“Who?””
Detective Brooks hesitated.
“Margaret Ellis.””
Daniel stared at the painting.
Margaret had admitted helping conceal Brielle's birth.
She had also possessed letters linking Thomas to the property dispute.
But she had never mentioned witnessing the original agreement.
Before he could ask another question, the detective spoke again.
“Mr. Mercer, we're preparing to contact her. Please don't approach her yourself until we've spoken with her.””
Daniel agreed.
The call ended.
He remained in the study, surrounded by the belongings of a father whose life seemed to become more complicated every time another document surfaced.
Then his computer chimed.
An email had arrived from Margaret.
The subject line read: *I Owe You the Truth.*
The message contained only one sentence.
Daniel, I did not tell you everything about the night your father died.
Beneath it was an attachment.
A scanned statement bearing Margaret's signature.
May you like
And the final line read:
*I saw who entered your father's study after midnight.*
