Chapter 5: The Night Michael Died
Daniel didn't sleep that night.
Neither did Rebecca.
Madison had locked herself in her bedroom, refusing dinner and ignoring every knock on her door. When Rebecca tried to speak to her, Madison shouted that she wanted the truth, not another lecture about gratitude.
At eleven-thirty, Rebecca found Daniel sitting alone in his study.
The brass key lay on his desk beside Michael's letters.
He held a photograph in both hands.
“She's never going to forgive me,” he said.
Rebecca closed the door behind her.
“You haven't told her everything yet.””
Daniel stared at the photograph.
“What if the truth makes me look worse?””
“What if hiding it makes you look exactly like the man she's already afraid you are?””
He looked up.
Rebecca sat across from him.
“Daniel, I need you to understand something. I am angry with you. I'm angry that you let me believe Michael never tried to contact us. I'm angry that you decided which parts of my past I was allowed to remember.””
He lowered his eyes.
“But I also know you,” she continued.
“I've watched you spend eighteen years loving a child who wasn't biologically yours. I've watched you give up opportunities because she needed something. So I need you to tell me whether you left Michael to die.””
Daniel's face twisted.
“No.””
“Then tell me what happened.””
He put the photograph down.
For several moments, he didn't speak.
Then he began.
“Twelve years ago, Michael called me at 8:17 p.m. He sounded terrified. He said he'd found evidence that someone was using his company to move money illegally.””
Rebecca leaned forward.
“Who?””
“He wouldn't tell me over the phone. He said he had documents, and he wanted to give them to me because he trusted me.””
“Why not the police?””
“He said someone inside the company was working with people who could make problems disappear. He was afraid the police might be involved.””
Rebecca felt a chill move down her spine.
Daniel continued.
“He asked me to meet him at the warehouse where he'd been storing old business records. I told him to wait until morning. He said he didn't have until morning.””
“Why?””
“He believed someone was coming for him.””
Rebecca gripped the armrests.
“So you went?””
“Yes.””
“What time?””
“Just after nine.””
Daniel's voice grew quieter.
“When I arrived, I saw Michael's car parked outside the warehouse. The driver's door was open. His phone was lying on the ground.””
Rebecca's stomach turned.
“What did you do?””
“I called his name. I searched the building. Then I heard a crash from the road behind the warehouse.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“I ran outside. Michael's car had gone through the barrier and down the embankment.””
Rebecca stared at him.
“Oh, God.””
“I climbed down to him. The car was smoking. He was conscious, but barely.””
Daniel's hands began to tremble.
“He grabbed my sleeve. He kept saying the same thing over and over.””
“What?””
Daniel swallowed.
“'Don't let them take her.''”
Rebecca's breath caught.
“Madison?””
“I think so.””
“Who was he talking about?””
“I don't know. I asked him, but he couldn't answer clearly. Then he told me to look after you and Madison.””
Daniel pressed his fingers against his eyes.
“I told him he was going to be okay. I told him we'd get him to a hospital.””
His voice cracked.
“But he knew.””
Rebecca reached across the desk and took his hand.
“He knew he was dying?””
Daniel nodded.
“He looked at me and said, 'You were always the better man.''”
Tears rolled down his face.
“I told him not to talk like that. I told him Madison needed him. I told him she deserved to know her father.””
“What did he say?””
Daniel's fingers tightened around hers.
“He said, 'Then be her father until she can understand why I couldn't.''”
Rebecca began to cry.
Daniel shook his head.
“I didn't understand what he meant. Not then.””
“What happened after the police arrived?””
“I told them what I knew. They questioned me for hours. They said it appeared to be an accident. Michael had been driving too fast, and the road was wet.””
“Did you believe them?””
“I didn't know what to believe.””
Rebecca wiped her cheeks.
“Then why didn't you tell me?””
Daniel looked at her with unbearable sadness.
“Because I had made a promise to a dying man, and because I was afraid that if I told you what he said, you'd spend the rest of your life wondering whether someone was coming for Madison.””
Rebecca sat back.
For a moment, she understood him.
Then she remembered the letters.
“You could have told me about the letters. You could have told me Michael wanted to see his daughter.””
“Yes.””
“You could have let me decide whether to forgive him.””
“Yes.””
“But you didn't.””
Daniel bowed his head.
“No.””
Rebecca stood and walked to the window.
Outside, rain tapped against the glass.
“Do you know what hurts the most?”” she asked.
Daniel looked at her.
“I spent twelve years thinking Michael never wanted Madison. I told myself that he had made his choice, and that we were better off without him. I built my life around that belief.””
She turned.
“And you let me.””
Daniel couldn't meet her eyes.
“I thought I was protecting you.””
“Perhaps you were protecting yourself from having to explain why you had kept his secrets.””
He flinched.
Rebecca immediately regretted the sharpness of the words, but she couldn't take them back.
Daniel slowly nodded.
“Perhaps I was.””
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
Then Rebecca picked up the folder.
“We need to find out who was threatening Michael.””
Daniel looked alarmed.
“Laura is handling the estate.””
“This is bigger than the estate. Someone is contacting Madison, encouraging her to sign away her inheritance, and using Michael's death to turn her against you.””
Daniel stood.
“You're right.””
Rebecca studied him.
“Do you have anything from that night? Any reports? Photographs? Anything the police gave you?””
Daniel opened another drawer.
He removed a manila envelope and placed it on the desk.
Inside were copies of the original police report, a photograph of the accident scene, and a small black notebook.
Rebecca opened the notebook.
Most of the pages contained business expenses and meeting notes.
But several entries were underlined.
One name appeared repeatedly.
*Michael Reed.*
Rebecca looked up.
“That's the man Madison is talking to.””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Michael Reed was an accountant at the company. He worked with my Michael for several years.””
“Did they get along?””
“Not toward the end.””
“Why?””
Daniel took the notebook and turned to the final page.
There, written in Michael's handwriting, were three lines.
Reed knows about the account.
He knows about Madison.
If anything happens to me, don't trust him.
Rebecca felt the room tilt.
Before she could speak, Daniel's phone rang.
Laura Bennett's name appeared on the screen.
He answered immediately.
“Laura?””
Her voice came through, strained and hurried.
“Mr. Carter, I need you and Rebecca to come to my office tomorrow morning. I've found something in Michael's original estate file.””
“What is it?””
“I can't discuss it over the phone.””
“Laura, we need to know whether Michael Reed was involved in what happened to Michael.””
Silence.
Then Laura said, “How do you know that name?””
Daniel looked at Rebecca.
“He's been contacting Madison.””
Laura exhaled sharply.
“Then you need to keep her away from him.””
“Why?””
“Because Michael Reed was investigated after the accident.””
Rebecca grabbed the phone.
“Investigated for what?””
“Financial fraud. The case was closed for lack of evidence.””
“Was he connected to Michael's death?””
“Not officially.””
Rebecca felt her pulse hammering.
“What does that mean?””
“It means someone removed several documents from the original case file before the investigation was complete.””
Daniel's face went pale.
“Which documents?””
Laura hesitated.
“The evidence relating to a second vehicle seen near the warehouse.””
Rebecca's hand flew to her mouth.
Daniel gripped the desk.
“A second vehicle?””
“Yes. A witness reported seeing a black SUV parked near Michael's car shortly before the crash. The witness later withdrew the statement.””
“Who was the witness?””
Laura's answer was almost a whisper.
“Michael Reed.””
The call ended.
For several seconds, Rebecca and Daniel stared at each other.
Then footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Madison appeared in the doorway, wearing pajamas and holding her phone.
Her face was pale.
“Mom?””
Rebecca hurried toward her.
“What is it?””
Madison held out the screen.
A message from Michael Reed filled the display.
*Your mother and Daniel are going to lie to you about everything. Meet me tomorrow at noon, and I'll give you the evidence that proves what really happened to your father. Come alone.*
Rebecca took the phone.
“You are not meeting him.””
Madison's eyes filled with tears.
“You can't stop me from finding out the truth.””
“I can stop you from walking into a dangerous situation alone.””
Madison shook her head.
“You don't understand. He says Daniel was the last person to see my father alive.””
Daniel stepped into the hallway.
“I was.””
Madison looked at him.
“He says you had a fight with him that night.””
Daniel went still.
Rebecca turned toward her husband.
“Did you?””
Daniel's face tightened.
“Yes.””
Madison's lips parted.
“What did you fight about?””
Daniel stared at the floor.
“Michael wanted me to take you and your mother somewhere safe. He believed someone was going to hurt you.””
“Why?””
“I don't know.””
Madison's voice broke.
“Stop saying that!””
She wiped her cheeks angrily.
“You always know just enough to make me feel like I'm crazy for asking questions, but never enough to give me an answer.””
Daniel took a step toward her.
“Madison, I swear to you—”
“Don't.””
She backed away.
“Don't swear anything to me.””
She turned and ran upstairs.
A moment later, her bedroom door slammed.
Rebecca rounded on Daniel.
“Why didn't you tell me Michael wanted us to leave?””
Daniel looked stricken.
“Because I thought he was panicking. He had become convinced everyone was against him.””
“And what if he was right?””
Daniel had no answer.
The next morning, Madison left for school before either parent woke.
On her bed, Rebecca found a note.
I'm tired of being treated like a child. I'm going to find the truth myself.
Her phone was gone.
So was the beneficiary agreement.
Rebecca called her daughter's school, but Madison had never arrived.
Then Daniel received a message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Madison standing outside a downtown office building.
Beside her was a man in a dark coat.
Michael Reed.
May you like
Underneath the photograph were six words.
*You should have told her sooner.*
