Chapter 4: The Secret My Father Buried
“Dad, what happened three months before Mom died?””
I held my phone so tightly that my fingers began to ache.
The message remained on the screen.
*Maya, if you want to know who really forged your signature, ask your father what happened three months before your mother died.*
Dad didn't answer.
He walked toward the kitchen, loosened his tie, and poured himself a glass of water. His hand shook slightly.
“Dad?””
He placed the glass on the counter.
“Your mother was sick.””
“I know that.””
“She was having complications. The doctors were concerned about her heart.””
“I know that too.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“But there are things I never told you.””
I felt a cold sensation spread through my chest.
“What things?””
He pulled out a chair.
“Sit down, sweetheart.””
I remained standing.
“I don't want to sit down. I want you to tell me why someone thinks you have a secret about Mom.””
He looked toward the window.
For several seconds, the only sound was the refrigerator humming.
Finally, he spoke.
“Three months before your mother died, she discovered that someone had been accessing her personal accounts.””
I blinked.
“What accounts?””
“Her investment accounts. Her savings. Some money she'd inherited from her parents.””
“Was it Vanessa?””
Dad shook his head.
“Vanessa wasn't in our lives then.””
“Then who?””
He swallowed.
“Me.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“I was managing some of our finances at the time. Your mother believed I had moved money without telling her.””
“Did you?””
“I transferred funds between accounts. I thought I was protecting our investments. But I made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
“I moved money from an account that was supposed to remain untouched.””
I stepped backward.
“Why?””
“Because my company was struggling. I had a business partner who promised a major contract. I needed temporary capital.””
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“You used Mom's money?””
“I intended to replace every dollar.””
“Did you?””
He lowered his eyes.
“Eventually.””
I laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“So Mom found out?””
“Yes.””
“What did she do?””
Dad sat down.
“She wanted to separate our finances. She also wanted to change the beneficiary arrangements on her trust.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“Did she change them?””
“Not completely. She met with an attorney, but she became ill before everything was finalized.””
I looked at him.
“And you never told me?””
“You were eleven, Maya. Your mother had just died. I couldn't put that burden on you.””
“That's not what I'm asking.””
His eyes lifted.
“Did Mom know you had taken her money?””
“Yes.””
“Was she angry?””
He nodded.
“Very.””
I remembered something.
A memory from years ago.
My mother standing in the kitchen late at night, speaking quietly on the telephone. I had come downstairs for water, and she had quickly ended the call.
I remembered her saying, “I need to make sure Maya is protected.””
At the time, I thought she was talking about my school.
Now I wasn't so sure.
“Dad, did Mom ever tell you she was afraid of someone?””
He looked confused.
“Afraid?””
“Yes. Before she died.””
He stared at the countertop.
“She said she didn't trust someone close to us.””
“Who?””
“I never knew.””
My phone vibrated again.
Another message.
*He is leaving out the part about the hospital. Ask him who signed the emergency consent form.*
I turned the screen toward Dad.
He read it.
His face changed instantly.
“Where did you get this number?””
“I don't know. It's an unknown number.””
He reached for his phone.
“Don't reply.””
“Why?””
“Because we don't know who's sending these messages.””
I pulled my phone away.
“Dad, who signed Mom's emergency consent form?””
He froze.
Then he sat back down.
“I did.””
“Was anyone else there?””
He didn't answer.
“Dad?””
“Vanessa.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“Vanessa?””
“She was there.””
“But you said you met her years after Mom died.””
Dad closed his eyes.
“I said I married her years after your mother died. I didn't say I'd never met her.””
The room seemed to shrink.
I gripped the back of the chair.
“How did Vanessa know Mom?””
“She worked for a financial services company. Your mother had spoken to her about some investment paperwork.””
I stared at him.
“You knew Vanessa before she became your wife?””
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“About six months before your mother died.””
I stepped away from the table.
“Did Mom know you were seeing her?””
Dad stood quickly.
“No. Maya, listen to me. I wasn't having an affair with Vanessa.””
“Then why was she at the hospital?””
“She was helping with some paperwork. Your mother had asked her to review certain documents.””
“Why would Mom trust her?””
“I don't know.””
He looked genuinely troubled.
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
“After your mother died, Vanessa told me that she had found a document in your mother's hospital room. She said it was a letter about the trust.””
“What happened to it?””
“I never saw it.””
“Where is it?””
“She said she'd taken it to the attorney.””
“Which attorney?””
Dad shook his head.
“I can't remember.””
I stared at him.
“You married a woman who had access to Mom's financial paperwork, and you never checked what happened to the letter?””
He didn't respond.
My phone vibrated a third time.
This time, the message contained a photograph.
It was an old hospital photograph.
My mother lay in a bed, pale and exhausted, with an oxygen tube beneath her nose.
Beside her stood Vanessa.
Younger.
Smiling.
Holding a folder.
On the back of the photograph, someone had written:
*The last time she was allowed to see her daughter.*
I looked up.
“Dad?””
He stared at the photograph.
May you like
Then he whispered:
“Oh, my God.””
