Chapter 10: The Woman Behind the Red Shoes
“Your mother killed Elena.””
Rebecca's words echoed through Marcus's mind long after the call disconnected.
He stood in the hallway, staring at his phone.
For years, he had remembered his mother as a woman who loved her family fiercely. She had attended Maya's birthdays, helped Marcus through Elena's funeral, and reassured him that everything would eventually be okay.
Now he was being told that she might have caused the very tragedy she had comforted him through.
His phone rang again.
Rebecca.
He answered immediately.
“Don't hang up this time.””
“I can't talk for long,” she whispered.
“Where are you?””
“Somewhere safe.””
“Rebecca, I need answers.””
“I know. But you need to understand that Andrew isn't the only person who can hurt you.””
Marcus looked toward Maya's bedroom.
“Did my mother kill Elena?””
Rebecca was silent.
Then she said, “She didn't intend for Elena to die.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“What happened?””
“Your mother followed Elena that night. She wanted to retrieve the documents Elena had threatened to give the police.””
“Why?””
“Because the documents implicated Andrew, Vanessa, and several people connected to the company.””
Marcus gripped the phone.
“And the accident?””
“Your mother tried to stop Elena's car. She was driving behind her. Elena lost control when Margaret's vehicle struck the rear side of hers.””
Marcus felt sick.
“Are you certain?””
“I saw it.””
“You were there?””
Rebecca's voice trembled.
“Yes.””
“Then why didn't you come forward?””
“Because I was terrified. And because your mother told me that if I spoke, Andrew would make sure I lost everything.””
Marcus paced toward his office.
“You were Elena's sister.””
“I know.””
“She was your sister.””
“I know!””
Rebecca began crying.
“I have lived with that every day, Marcus.””
He stopped.
“Why did you call me now?””
“Because Vanessa found out that I still have the original hospital records. She has been looking for me.””
“Where are they?””
“Not with me.””
“Then where?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“Your mother hid them in a place nobody would think to search.””
Marcus remembered the letter.
The place where his father kept his most valuable documents.
The underground vault beneath Carter Development headquarters.
“Are you talking about the company vault?””
“Yes.””
Marcus looked at the clock.
It was nearly midnight.
“Can you meet me tomorrow?””
“No.””
“Rebecca—”
“I can't come to you. But I can send someone.””
“Who?””
“My daughter.””
Marcus went silent.
Rebecca continued.
“Her name is Sophie. She's twenty-six. She knows what happened, and she has the original evidence.””
Marcus rubbed his forehead.
“Why didn't she come forward?””
“Because Andrew threatened her.””
A sudden noise came from Maya's bedroom.
Marcus turned.
“Rebecca, listen to me. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you or your daughter.””
“I hope you mean that.””
“I do.””
Rebecca's voice dropped.
“And Marcus?””
“Yes?””
“Don't trust Vanessa just because she's finally telling you the truth about your mother. She has her own reason for wanting you to find Rebecca.””
The call ended.
Marcus stood in silence.
Then he opened his office door.
Daniel was waiting.
“I heard enough to know this is getting worse,” Daniel said.
Marcus looked at him.
“We're going to the headquarters.””
“Tonight?””
“Yes.””
Daniel grabbed his coat.
“Then we're taking security.””
At 12:45 a.m., Marcus entered the underground parking garage of Carter Development.
The building was mostly dark.
Only a few office lights remained on.
Daniel walked beside him carrying a laptop and a small equipment case.
“According to the original property records, the vault is behind the old executive archive.””
Marcus nodded.
He knew the building better than anyone.
His father had built it from nothing.
He had spent countless evenings in the underground archive as a teenager, watching his father organize contracts and family records.
They reached a heavy steel door.
Marcus entered the access code.
The lock clicked.
Inside, rows of filing cabinets stood beneath fluorescent lights.
Daniel examined the security panel.
“Someone accessed this room last week.””
Marcus frowned.
“Who?””
“The system shows an administrator override.””
“Andrew?””
“Most likely.””
Marcus moved toward the far wall.
There was an old wooden cabinet with his father's initials engraved on it.
He remembered the letter.
The place where your father kept his most valuable documents.
He unlocked the cabinet.
Inside was a metal box.
It contained several sealed envelopes, an old watch, and a small black flash drive.
Marcus picked it up.
A label was attached.
*ELENA — ORIGINAL FOOTAGE.*
Daniel immediately opened his laptop.
They connected the drive.
A video file appeared.
The footage was grainy, taken from a hospital parking garage camera.
The timestamp read 11:52 p.m.
Elena entered the frame carrying a handbag.
She looked over her shoulder twice.
Then a black SUV pulled into the garage.
A woman stepped out.
Marcus leaned closer.
Margaret.
His mother.
She approached Elena.
The two women began arguing.
Elena held up a folder.
Margaret reached for it.
Elena pulled it away.
The argument continued for several minutes.
Then Margaret grabbed Elena's wrist.
Elena stumbled backward.
The footage suddenly changed angles.
The next camera showed Elena's car leaving the garage.
A few seconds later, Margaret's SUV followed.
Marcus stared at the screen.
“Keep going.””
The video showed the vehicles traveling along a narrow road outside the hospital.
Then something happened.
Margaret's SUV accelerated.
It moved close behind Elena's car.
A sudden impact.
Elena's vehicle swerved.
The footage ended.
Marcus sat back.
Daniel whispered, “My God.””
Marcus looked at the screen.
His mother had followed Elena.
She had hit her car.
But the video didn't show what happened after the impact.
“Is there another camera?””
Daniel checked the files.
“There are two more.””
He opened the second recording.
This one showed the roadside several minutes after the crash.
Margaret's SUV was parked nearby.
She stepped out.
She approached Elena's vehicle.
Then she opened the rear passenger door.
Marcus leaned forward.
A small figure emerged.
A little girl.
Maya.
Marcus covered his mouth.
His daughter had been there.
His mother lifted Maya into her arms.
Then another person appeared.
A man in a dark coat.
He helped Margaret carry the child toward the SUV.
Daniel paused the footage.
“Do you recognize him?””
Marcus stared at the screen.
The man turned slightly.
His face was visible.
Marcus felt the blood drain from his body.
It was Dr. Richard Hayes.
Rebecca's husband.
The same doctor who had altered Maya's birth records.
The same man who had supposedly been nowhere near the accident.
Daniel looked at him.
“Marcus?””
Marcus didn't answer.
His phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
*You found the footage. Good. Now look at the second camera again.*
Another message followed.
*You are still missing the most important person in the recording.*
Marcus looked back at the screen.
He zoomed in.
Behind Margaret and Dr. Hayes, a third figure stood near the road.
A woman wearing bright red shoes.
Rebecca.
Marcus's phone rang.
“Marcus?”” Rebecca whispered.
He stared at the footage.
“You were there.””
“Yes.””
“You watched them take Maya.””
Rebecca began crying.
“I was trying to save her.””
Marcus's voice hardened.
“Then why did you disappear?””
“Because I was the one who helped your mother take her.””
Marcus felt the room spin.
Before he could respond, Rebecca said:
“Marcus, there's something else. Your mother didn't cause the crash alone.””
The line crackled.
May you like
Then Rebecca whispered:
“The person who gave her the order was Andrew.””
