Chapter 13: The Inheritance That Was Never Mine
“Get away from the windows,” Rebecca ordered.
I was still holding the phone.
“Catherine, where are you?””
“Evelyn, you have to listen to me.””
“Are you really my mother?””
Silence.
Then a quiet, broken answer.
“Yes.””
My knees weakened.
For seventeen years, I had believed my mother was gone. I remembered her perfume, her laugh, the way she used to sit beside my bed when I couldn't sleep.
Now a stranger with her face was telling me she had never died.
“Why did you leave me?””
“I didn't leave you.””
“Then where have you been?””
“Trying to keep you alive.””
A loud crash sounded outside.
Rebecca grabbed my arm.
“We're leaving. Now.””
Margaret rushed toward the back door.
“There's an alley behind the kitchen.””
I looked at the front window.
A black SUV had stopped across the street.
Two men stepped out.
One was holding a phone.
The other was looking directly at the house.
“Catherine,” I whispered, “Victor is here.””
“He isn't alone,” she replied.
“Don't let them take the archive.””
“What archive?””
“The original beneficiary ledger. Your father hid it somewhere nobody would think to look.””
I glanced at Rebecca.
“Where?””
Catherine's voice dropped.
“Inside the first Nightfall aircraft.””
The call disconnected.
We escaped through the back door.
Margaret led us through a narrow alley and into a neighboring garden. Rebecca called for a car while I kept looking over my shoulder.
The men had entered the house.
I heard a door slam.
Then Margaret stopped.
“There's something else you need to know.””
I turned.
“Not now.””
“Yes. Now.””
Her eyes were wet.
“Your mother didn't disappear because Victor wanted the money. She disappeared because she discovered that someone inside the original trust had been secretly transferring ownership of the beneficiaries' assets.””
“Who?””
Margaret looked at me.
“Your father.””
I stared at her.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“James didn't steal the money. He moved it to protect the beneficiaries. But he needed someone Victor couldn't control to become the legal custodian.””
“And that was me?””
“You were a child. Your mother believed nobody would suspect the account had been placed in your name.””
I remembered Catherine's words.
The money had never belonged to the Carter family.
It had been placed in my name before I was born.
Rebecca interrupted.
“Do you have documentation?””
Margaret nodded.
“Your father left it in the original archive.””
I felt anger rising.
“Then why didn't he tell me?””
“Because the account was designed to remain untouched until the original beneficiaries were ready to reclaim their assets.””
“And now?””
“Now Victor knows you're the only person who can legally unlock it.””
Our car arrived.
We climbed inside.
As we pulled away, I looked through the rear window.
The black SUV was following us.
Rebecca noticed.
“Driver, take the next exit.””
The SUV followed.
“Keep going,” she said.
The driver accelerated.
I called Daniel.
He answered immediately.
“Evelyn?””
“Where are you?””
“Back at headquarters. What's happened?””
“Secure the aircraft records. I need you to locate the first Nightfall aircraft, registration NQ-417.””
There was a pause.
“That's the aircraft from the original sale?””
“Yes. My father hid something inside it.””
Daniel began typing.
“I'll search the historical asset registry.””
“Don't access anything through the company network. Use the independent archive.””
“Understood.””
I ended the call.
Rebecca looked at me.
“There's another problem.””
“What?””
“Victor's lawyers filed an emergency motion this morning. They're claiming Carter Global has unlawfully withheld an aircraft that belongs to his investment group.””
I laughed bitterly.
“He wants to sue me for refusing to hand him a jet he doesn't own?””
“He's also alleging that your company used his money to finance the purchase.””
“Can he prove it?””
“Not yet. But he has enough documents to create a serious problem.””
My phone rang again.
This time, the caller ID showed Martin Hale.
I answered.
“Where are you?”” he demanded.
“Why?””
“Victor is looking for you.””
“I noticed.””
“Listen to me. You need to stop investigating.””
I looked at Rebecca.
“Are you warning me or threatening me?””
“I'm trying to keep you from making a mistake.””
“You forged my father's signature.””
“I didn't.””
“You used my digital credentials.””
“I was following instructions.””
“From whom?””
Martin went silent.
Then he said, “Your mother.””
I felt my blood run cold.
“What did you just say?””
“Catherine knew about the trust. She knew about the aircraft. She knew everything.””
“Then why did you tell me she was dead?””
“Because that's what Victor wanted everyone to believe.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“Where is she?””
“I don't know.””
“You expect me to believe that?””
“Evelyn, I loved your father. I loved you like family. But there are things you don't understand.””
“You loved the money.””
He exhaled.
“Meet me tonight. Alone. I'll tell you everything.””
“No.””
“Then you'll never know who ordered James's death.””
I froze.
“Was it Victor?””
Martin didn't answer.
“Was it Peter?””
Still nothing.
Then he whispered:
“It was someone who had access to the emergency medical team.””
The call ended.
Rebecca stared at me.
“Did he say who?””
“No.””
My phone buzzed.
A message from Daniel.
*Found NQ-417. It was transferred to a private aviation storage facility six years ago. Current registered owner: Blackridge Advisory.*
A second message followed.
*There's something else. The aircraft's original onboard data system was never removed. It was recently accessed.*
I typed back.
*By whom?*
Daniel replied almost immediately.
*Martin Hale. Yesterday.*
I looked at Rebecca.
Martin wasn't trying to protect me.
He was trying to reach the archive before I did.
And if he had accessed the aircraft yesterday, he might already know what my father had hidden.
Then another message arrived.
This one came from an unknown number.
A photograph.
Catherine standing beside an aircraft hangar.
May you like
Beneath it were six words:
*Your mother is already inside. Come alone.*
