Chapter 9: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
By noon, the Carter family had become the center of an investigation.
The police had taken copies of the digital files.
Thomas remained in custody pending further questioning.
Richard Hale had stopped answering his phone.
And Victoria had spent the entire morning trying to contact a man she had believed was buried five years earlier.
Her father.
Edward Whitmore.
A name that had once appeared on the walls of Manhattan's most powerful financial institutions.
Edward had built a real estate empire from almost nothing.
He had also built a reputation for controlling every person who entered his life.
Victoria had not spoken to him since his funeral.
At least, that was what she believed.
Now she sat in the hospital cafeteria, staring at the photograph on her phone.
Emma approached with two cups of coffee.
“Here.””
Victoria didn't look up.
“I don't want anything.””
“Neither do I.””
Emma placed one cup on the table.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
Then Victoria whispered:
“He was my father.””
Emma sat opposite her.
“I know.””
“He raised me.””
“I know.””
“He taught me how to ride a bicycle. He came to every school performance. He held my hand when I was frightened.””
Emma looked at her carefully.
“And he helped Thomas destroy our family.””
Victoria's eyes filled.
“I don't know how to reconcile those things.””
“You don't have to reconcile them. You just have to stop protecting him.””
Victoria looked down at her hands.
“I never thought he could be involved.””
Emma leaned forward.
“Your father signed the documents that separated us. He knew our mother was dying. He knew Thomas was stealing money. And he helped hide the truth about Lily.””
Victoria wiped her eyes.
“What if he also had something to do with Daniel's death?””
Emma didn't answer.
Because she had been thinking the same thing.
Across the cafeteria, Lily sat with Arthur.
He had bought her a sandwich and a carton of apple juice.
She was drawing sunflowers on a paper napkin.
“Arthur?””
“Yes, sweetheart?””
“Was Daddy scared?””
Arthur looked at her.
“Sometimes.””
“Of Thomas?””
Arthur considered his answer.
“Of what Thomas might do.””
Lily drew another flower.
“Did Daddy know he was going to die?””
Arthur's eyes softened.
“I don't think he knew exactly what would happen. But he knew someone was trying to hurt him.””
Lily stopped drawing.
“Could they hurt Emma?””
Arthur shook his head.
“Not if I can help it.””
“Could they hurt Mommy Victoria?””
Arthur looked toward the cafeteria table.
“That's something we're going to have to be careful about.””
Lily returned to her drawing.
Then she asked quietly:
“Why didn't Daddy just tell the police?””
Arthur sighed.
“Because sometimes the people involved have friends in places where the truth is supposed to be protected.””
Lily looked at him.
“That's not fair.””
“No,” Arthur said.
“It isn't.””
At 2:15 p.m., Arthur received a call.
It was from an investigator assigned to Daniel's death.
“Mr. Hayes, we reviewed the video.””
Arthur stood.
“And?””
“We identified the man in the photograph.””
“Edward Whitmore?””
“Yes.””
Arthur closed his eyes.
“Where is he?””
“Private care facility outside Boston. But there's a problem.””
“What problem?””
“The facility reports that he died six months ago.””
Arthur stared.
“That's impossible. We have a photograph dated yesterday.””
“That's why we're investigating.””
Emma and Victoria approached.
Arthur put the call on speaker.
The investigator continued.
“We've obtained the death certificate. It was signed by a physician named Dr. Samuel Reed.””
Victoria suddenly covered her mouth.
Emma looked at her.
“What?””
Victoria whispered:
“Samuel Reed was my father's personal doctor.””
The investigator heard her.
“Ms. Carter?””
Victoria leaned toward the phone.
“Yes.””
“Do you recognize the name?””
“Yes.””
“Do you know where Dr. Reed is now?””
Victoria shook her head.
“He retired years ago.””
The investigator continued.
“We've also found a payment from a Carter family account to a company associated with Dr. Reed. The payment was made two days after Daniel's accident.””
Arthur looked at Emma.
“It's all connected.””
The investigator's voice became firmer.
“We're arranging to search the nursing facility. I strongly recommend that none of you attempt to contact Edward Whitmore yourselves.””
Victoria nodded.
“Understood.””
The call ended.
Emma stared at her.
“You knew your father had a doctor involved in his affairs?””
Victoria shook her head.
“No. I knew Dr. Reed helped him manage his medication and appointments. That's all.””
“Did your father have a medical condition?””
Victoria hesitated.
“Yes. He had suffered a stroke.””
“When?””
“About five years ago.””
Emma leaned back.
“Right around the time everyone said he died.””
Victoria's expression changed.
“He wasn't supposed to have survived.””
Lily looked up from her drawing.
“Who wasn't supposed to survive?””
Victoria forced a smile.
“Nothing, darling.””
But Lily had heard enough to understand that another secret was about to break.
That evening, the four of them returned to the Carter estate under police protection.
The mansion looked different now.
A police vehicle stood near the front gate.
Two officers were stationed outside the library.
The family photographs remained removed.
But the blue clock had been brought back from the greenhouse.
It stood on the library mantelpiece.
Emma walked toward it.
“Daniel knew all of this would happen.””
Arthur nodded.
“He spent months preparing.””
“Then why didn't he tell me?””
“Because he was afraid someone would take you away before he could finish.””
Emma looked at him.
“Take me away?””
Arthur lowered his voice.
“Thomas had been trying to locate you for months before Daniel died. He wanted to know whether you still had contact with your mother's friends.””
Emma frowned.
“I hadn't seen anyone from Claire's side of the family in years.””
Arthur nodded.
“Thomas thought you might have copies of the original trust documents.””
“I didn't even know they existed.””
“Exactly.””
Lily approached the clock.
“Can we open the other part now?””
Arthur smiled sadly.
“Not yet, princess.””
“Why?””
“Because your father left one final instruction.””
He reached into his coat and removed a small envelope.
It was addressed to Emma.
She opened it.
Emma,
If you've reached this point, then I owe you more apologies than I can fit on this page.
I should have fought harder to keep you in my life.
I should have protected Claire.
And I should never have allowed Thomas to convince me that my family was something I could divide.
The truth is that I trusted the wrong people.
But there is one thing I need you to understand.
The man who ordered the attack on my car was not the person who wanted me dead.
Emma stopped reading.
Arthur looked up.
“What does it say?””
She continued.
He was only following instructions.
The person who planned everything is the one who will inherit if the truth stays buried.
Look beneath the blue clock.
And remember: the first person who tells you they want to help may be the person you need to fear most.
Emma slowly turned toward the clock.
Arthur approached.
Together, they removed the clock from the mantelpiece.
Beneath it was a small wooden panel.
A brass screw held it in place.
Arthur loosened it.
Inside was a thin metal compartment.
It contained a black notebook and a sealed envelope.
The notebook was filled with dates, names, account numbers, and handwritten notes.
Emma recognized several names.
Thomas.
Richard Hale.
Edward Whitmore.
Dr. Samuel Reed.
And one more.
Victoria Carter.
Emma looked at her.
Victoria stepped backward.
“What?””
“Your name is here.””
Victoria shook her head.
“I don't know what that means.””
Emma opened the notebook.
Beside Victoria's name was a series of transactions.
Large sums had been transferred from Daniel's personal accounts into an investment company.
The first transfer had occurred eleven years earlier.
The last had occurred three days before Daniel's death.
Emma looked up.
“Did you know about this?””
Victoria's eyes filled.
“No.””
Arthur examined the final page.
“There's something else.””
A handwritten sentence appeared beneath the last transaction.
*THE WIFE SIGNED THE FINAL AUTHORIZATION.*
Emma stared at Victoria.
“You signed it?””
Victoria shook her head violently.
“No. I never signed anything.””
Arthur looked at the signature.
“It's yours.””
Victoria stepped closer.
“Let me see.””
She studied it.
Then her face crumpled.
“That's not my signature.””
Emma frowned.
“What do you mean?””
Victoria pointed to a tiny detail.
“The capital V. I always write it with a loop. This one doesn't have one.””
Arthur looked more closely.
“Someone copied your signature.””
Victoria began trembling.
“Thomas.””
Emma turned another page.
There was a photograph attached to the back.
It showed Victoria sitting in Daniel's office, signing a document.
The photograph was dated three days before Daniel's death.
Victoria stared.
“I don't remember this.””
Emma looked at the image.
“That's your handwriting.””
“I know.””
“You said you never signed it.””
“I didn't.””
Victoria began crying.
“Emma, I swear I don't remember being in that office.””
Arthur examined the photograph's background.
Then he noticed something.
A calendar on the wall.
The date was clearly visible.
But the year was wrong.
It was a photograph from eleven years earlier.
Someone had altered the date.
Emma slowly turned the picture over.
A handwritten message appeared on the back.
*SHE WAS THE FIRST PERSON WE NEEDED TO CONTROL.*
Victoria covered her mouth.
Then the library telephone rang.
Arthur answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice spoke.
“Mr. Hayes. I believe you have something that belongs to me.””
Arthur's face went rigid.
“Who is this?””
A short laugh came through the receiver.
“Someone who knows where Edward Whitmore is.””
Arthur looked toward Emma.
“Where is he?””
The man ignored the question.
“Bring the black notebook to the old Carter boathouse at nine tonight. Come alone.””
Arthur gripped the receiver.
“Why should I trust you?””
“Because if you don't, the girl will never learn what happened to her mother.””
The line went dead.
Emma immediately stepped forward.
“What did he say?””
Arthur slowly put down the phone.
“He wants the notebook.””
Victoria shook her head.
“Don't go.””
Arthur looked at Emma.
“He knows about Claire.””
Emma's face hardened.
“Then we're going.””
Arthur shook his head.
“Absolutely not.””
Emma lifted the black notebook.
“I'm not letting another person decide which truths I'm allowed to hear.””
Lily stood beside the fireplace.
“Can I come too?””
Emma crouched.
“No, sweetheart. You'll stay with the police.””
Lily looked at the blue clock.
Then she reached into her pocket and pulled out the brass key.
“Daddy said I should keep this.””
Emma smiled.
“Yes. You should.””
Lily hesitated.
Then she whispered:
“There's something else I found.””
She reached inside her coat and removed a small folded paper.
It was the note she had discovered beside Daniel's body.
But something was different.
The paper had become damp from the rain, and a second line of writing was beginning to appear beneath the original message.
Emma took it carefully.
The words were faint but readable.
*THE KEY UNLOCKS THE TRUTH.*
Beneath that, another sentence emerged.
*BUT THE TRUTH WILL ONLY BE COMPLETE WHEN THE TWO SISTERS STAND BEFORE THE MAN WHO NEVER DIED.*
Victoria looked at Emma.
Arthur went pale.
Then the front door opened.
A police officer hurried into the library.
“Ms. Carter?””
Emma turned.
“Yes?””
“We've received confirmation from the Boston facility.””
Arthur stepped forward.
“What happened?””
The officer swallowed.
“Edward Whitmore is alive.””
Victoria's knees weakened.
May you like
The officer continued.
“And he's on his way here.””
