Chapter 7: The Secret My Mother Had Buried
I read the message again before getting into the car.
*Ask Eleanor who was driving that night.*
The photograph showed my mother standing outside the Langford estate, wearing a blue dress I vaguely remembered from an old family album.
She looked younger.
Happy, even.
But the man behind her made my stomach turn.
Jonathan.
His face was partially hidden, but the silver watch on his wrist was unmistakable.
I enlarged the photograph.
There was something else.
The car behind them had a damaged front bumper.
I recognized the vehicle from the photograph Daniel Price had sent me the previous evening.
My father's car.
“Bennett,” I said, calling my attorney.
He answered on the second ring.
“Have you reached the office?””
“Not yet. I need you to do something.””
“What is it?””
“Find out who owned a black Mercedes registered to Jonathan Langford thirty-six years ago.””
There was a pause.
“Why?””
“Because I think he was at the accident scene before the police arrived.””
Bennett's voice became serious.
“Abigail, don't confront him alone.””
“I won't.””
“And don't tell anyone about the photograph until we know who sent it.””
I ended the call.
Then I drove straight to St. Mary's.
My mother was sitting near the window when I entered her room.
She was awake, wearing a pale blue cardigan over her hospital gown.
A breakfast tray sat untouched beside her.
She smiled weakly.
“There's my girl.””
I kissed her forehead.
“Good morning, Mom.””
She studied my face.
“Something happened.””
I pulled the chair closer.
“I met Margaret Ellis.””
My mother's expression changed.
“Margaret?””
“She gave me Dad's letter. She also had a second ledger and a recording of a conversation between Dad and Jonathan.””
My mother closed her eyes.
“Oh, Abigail.””
“Mom, there's something else.””
I placed my phone on the bedside table and showed her the photograph.
Her fingers began trembling.
“Where did you get this?””
“Someone sent it to me.””
She stared at the screen.
Then she whispered, “I knew this day would come.””
I leaned forward.
“Who was driving Dad's car that night?””
She didn't answer.
“Mom?””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Your father wasn't driving.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“What?””
“He was in the passenger seat.””
I stared at her.
“Then who was driving?””
She looked toward the door.
“Jonathan.””
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was the monitor beside her bed.
I struggled to speak.
“Why would Jonathan be driving Dad's car?””
My mother wiped her cheek.
“Your father had discovered the missing money. He was going to meet a lawyer the following morning. Jonathan said he wanted to settle everything before the company was destroyed.””
“And you knew?””
“I found out later.””
“How?””
My mother took a shaky breath.
“Jonathan came to my apartment the morning after Daniel died. He told me there had been an accident. He said Daniel had lost control of the car.””
I gripped the edge of the chair.
“Did he tell you he was driving?””
“No. Not at first.””
She looked at the photograph again.
“He said Daniel had been drinking. He said he had tried to stop him from driving, but your father wouldn't listen.””
“That's a lie.””
“I know that now.””
“What happened?””
My mother began crying.
“He showed me a photograph of Daniel in the hospital. Then he told me something that frightened me more than anything else.””
“What?””
“He said he knew where you were.””
I went still.
“Where was I?””
“At your grandmother's house. You were only six months old.””
My mother's voice broke.
“He told me that if I ever spoke about the accident, I might lose you. He had friends in the police department. He knew people in the courts. I was a young woman with no money, no husband, and a baby.””
I reached for her hand.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Mom, you didn't do anything wrong.””
She shook her head.
“I should have fought harder.””
“You protected me.””
“I let them steal from us.””
“You survived them. That's different.””
She looked at me with exhausted eyes.
Then she reached beneath her pillow and removed a small silver key.
“There's something else.””
I took it.
“What does this open?””
“Your father's old storage locker.””
I stared at her.
“You still have it?””
“Not the locker itself. The key belongs to a safety deposit box at First National Bank. Daniel rented it shortly before he died.””
My heart began pounding.
“What's inside?””
She shook her head.
“I never opened it.””
“Why?””
“Because Jonathan told me the bank had already been instructed to close it.””
I looked at the key.
“Did he show you proof?””
“No.””
I stood.
“I'm going to the bank.””
My mother caught my wrist.
“Abigail, listen to me. If you find anything, don't let Jonathan know.””
I bent down and kissed her forehead.
“I promise.””
Before leaving, I asked one final question.
“Did Dad love Jonathan?””
My mother looked toward the window.
“He loved him like a brother.””
She paused.
“And that's what made the betrayal so terrible.””
I walked out carrying the key.
At the elevator, my phone rang.
Bennett.
“Abigail, I found something.””
“What?””
“The vehicle records show that Jonathan owned a black Mercedes at the time of the accident.””
I stopped walking.
“Was it damaged?””
“Yes. There was an insurance claim filed two days later.””
My throat tightened.
“What did the claim say?””
Bennett hesitated.
“Front-end collision. Driver listed as Jonathan Langford.””
I closed my eyes.
Then he added something that made my blood run cold.
“The claim was approved by an insurance company whose director was Arthur Langford.””
My grandfather.
The same man who had refused to accept my mother.
The same man who had allowed Jonathan to control the company's finances.
I looked down at the silver key in my palm.
“Bennett?””
“Yes?””
“Find out whether the safety deposit box is still active.””
“I'll handle it.””
“No. I'm going there myself.””
And for the first time, I understood why my mother had spent thirty-six years refusing to speak about the night my father died.
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She hadn't simply been protecting a secret.
She had been protecting me from the people who had taken him away.
