Chapter 7: The Woman Who Was Dead
The woman on the monitor stared into the camera as though she had been waiting fifteen years for someone to finally ask the right question.
My father's sister.
A woman I had mourned without ever knowing her.
A woman whose funeral I had supposedly attended as a child.
I remembered the black clothes.
The flowers.
My mother holding my hand.
My father standing beside the coffin.
But I didn't remember seeing her face.
I had always assumed that was because I had been too young.
Now I wondered if the coffin had even been hers.
“Who killed my father?”” I asked.
Daniel smiled.
The woman beside him looked terrified.
“That's the wrong question,” Daniel said.
I stepped toward the monitor.
“Then give me the right one.””
Daniel tilted his head.
“Ask why your father had to die.””
Vanessa grabbed my arm.
“Michael, don't listen to him.””
I pulled away.
“No. I'm done listening to half-truths.””
Daniel laughed.
“You finally sound like your father.””
The woman on the screen suddenly spoke.
“Daniel, enough.””
He looked at her.
“You're going to tell him.””
She shook her head.
“You promised.””
“I promised you would survive.””
Her face tightened.
“And if I tell him?””
Daniel's smile disappeared.
“You know what happens.””
I stared at the screen.
“Let her go.””
Daniel looked back at me.
“Bring me the ledger.””
“No.””
“Then she dies.””
The woman closed her eyes.
I could see fear trembling through her.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Daniel, take me instead.””
He laughed.
“You?””
“Yes.””
“You've already betrayed me.””
“I can fix it.””
“You've been saying that for twelve years.””
My head snapped toward her.
“Twelve years?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Did she tell you she was supposed to leave you?””
I stared at Vanessa.
She didn't answer.
Daniel continued.
“She was supposed to marry you, gain access to your father's estate, and transfer the trust.””
My stomach tightened.
“Is that true?””
Vanessa finally looked at me.
“Yes.””
The word hurt more than I expected.
She continued quickly.
“But I changed my mind.””
“When?””
“Before our wedding.””
“Why?””
“Because I fell in love with you.””
Daniel laughed.
“That's the story she tells herself.””
I ignored him.
“Then why stay married to me?””
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
“Because by then, I knew what your father had been protecting.””
“The money.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“You.””
I didn't understand.
“Me?””
“Your father discovered that Daniel couldn't access the account unless you were alive.””
I looked at the ledger.
“Why?””
“Because the account was created using your birth records.””
Ryan spoke quietly.
“Your father made Michael the legal key.””
I stared at him.
“Then why couldn't Daniel just kill me?””
“Because your father built protections around the account,” Ryan said.
“If anything happened to you, the money would be frozen permanently.””
Daniel's voice came through the monitor.
“Which is why I needed Vanessa.””
I looked at the screen.
“And now?””
“Now I need you to cooperate.””
“No.””
Daniel sighed.
“I was hoping you'd say that.””
The screen went black.
A second later, the basement door above us slammed.
Ryan grabbed his weapon.
“Move.””
We gathered around Lily.
“Where?”” I asked.
“There's another exit,” Ryan said.
“Where does it lead?””
“Under the garage.””
We followed him through the corridor.
The walls were damp.
Every few feet, old pipes ran overhead.
Lily stayed close to me.
I looked down at her.
“You really are my daughter?””
She nodded.
“My mother showed me your picture.””
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“Because Daniel said he'd kill you.””
I swallowed.
“Do you hate me?””
She looked surprised.
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because I knew you didn't know.””
That simple answer nearly broke me.
We reached a steel door.
Ryan entered a code.
The door opened.
We stepped into the garage.
My car was still outside.
But another vehicle sat beside it.
Black SUV.
Engine running.
Ryan stopped.
“Back.””
Too late.
The driver's door opened.
A man stepped out.
He held his hands where we could see them.
“I'm not with Daniel.””
Ryan raised his weapon.
“Then who are you?””
The man slowly pulled an FBI badge from his jacket.
“My name is Agent Marcus Reed.””
I stared at him.
“What do you want?””
“The ledger.””
Ryan lowered his weapon slightly.
Reed looked at me.
“Your father spent eleven years building a case against a financial network that reaches far beyond Daniel.””
“Why didn't he go to the police?””
“Because some of the people involved were police.””
That explained too much.
Reed looked toward Vanessa.
“She knows.””
Vanessa nodded.
“He's telling the truth.””
I felt anger rising again.
“How many people have known about my life except me?””
Nobody answered.
Reed took a breath.
“Your father contacted federal investigators six months before his death.””
“Then why wasn't Daniel arrested?””
“Because your father died before he could hand over the evidence.””
“An accident?””
Reed's expression hardened.
“No.””
I stared at him.
“Who killed him?””
“His own accountant.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She shook her head.
“That isn't what happened.””
Reed frowned.
“You know something?””
Vanessa looked at Lily.
Then at me.
“Yes.””
She took a breath.
“My father wasn't killed by the accountant.””
Reed's expression changed.
“Then who?””
Vanessa said:
“Edward.””
Silence.
I stared at her.
“Edward was dead.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“Edward's death was staged.””
My skin prickled.
Reed stepped closer.
“Where is he?””
Vanessa pointed at the photograph on my phone.
“The man you think died eleven years ago is alive.””
I stared at the picture.
“That doesn't make sense.””
“It does,” she said.
“Edward helped Daniel disappear.””
Reed looked toward the house.
“Then why would Daniel say Edward was dead?””
“To make everyone believe the wrong person was responsible.””
I felt dizzy.
“So my father's first husband is alive?””
Vanessa nodded.
“And he's the one who knows what happened to the $47 million.””
Lily suddenly whispered:
“He's coming.””
Everyone looked at her.
“Who?”” I asked.
She stared toward the end of the street.
“Edward.””
A black sedan turned the corner.
It stopped directly in front of the house.
The driver's door opened.
An older man stepped out.
He looked at me.
And smiled.
I had never met Edward Collins.
But somehow, I recognized his eyes.
He walked toward us.
“Michael.””
My heart pounded.
“You're alive.””
Edward stopped a few feet away.
“Yes.””
“Why did everyone think you were dead?””
He looked at Vanessa.
“Because I needed them to.””
Then his gaze returned to me.
“Your father didn't die because of the money.””
He paused.
“He died because he discovered who the money actually belonged to.””
I tightened my grip on the ledger.
“Who?””
Edward looked at Lily.
Then at Vanessa.
May you like
Finally, he said:
“You.””
