Chapter 8: The Man Behind the Trust
The brass key sat in Claire's palm as Detective Lawson pulled her into the back of an unmarked police vehicle.
Evelyn was being treated by paramedics.
She had a bruised wrist and a cut above her eyebrow, but she was conscious.
Rebecca climbed into the passenger seat.
“Claire, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.””
Claire handed her the leather notebook.
“Michael came looking for the original trust deed.””
Rebecca examined the key.
“And you believe this opens a safety deposit box?””
Evelyn leaned forward from the other seat.
“It does.””
Rebecca turned.
“Are you prepared to give a formal statement?””
Evelyn nodded.
“Yes.””
“Then I need the truth. All of it.””
Evelyn looked out the window.
“Arthur Whitmore has been controlling the financial side of the Bennett trust for years. Michael promised him a portion of the company if he helped recover the original shares.””
“Why would Arthur risk his career?””
“Because he wasn't just taking money. He had been embezzling from several trusts. Nathan discovered the pattern.””
Claire looked at her.
“How much?””
Evelyn hesitated.
“More than thirty million dollars.””
Rebecca swore under her breath.
“Where is Arthur now?””
“At Whitmore Financial's headquarters.””
Rebecca immediately contacted her officers.
“Get a team to that address. We have probable cause to investigate financial fraud and possible attempted murder.””
Claire looked at the key.
“Can we go to the bank?””
“Not without a warrant.””
“But Michael knows where it is.””
Rebecca nodded.
“And if he gets there first, we may lose the evidence.””
Evelyn leaned forward.
“There's another problem.””
Rebecca looked at her.
“What?””
“Arthur has access to the bank's legal records. If he knows we're coming, he can make the box disappear.””
Rebecca's jaw tightened.
“Boxes don't disappear.””
Evelyn gave her a tired smile.
“You'd be surprised what powerful people can arrange.””
At the hospital, Nathan was furious.
“You let Claire leave?””
Margaret stood beside his bed.
“She wanted to help the investigation.””
“She could be killed!””
“She's trying to protect Ellie!””
Nathan slammed his palm against the mattress.
“That's what I'm trying to do!””
Dr. Hayes entered.
“Mr. Bennett, you need to calm down. Your blood pressure is rising.””
Nathan ignored him.
“Get me my phone.””
“Absolutely not,” the doctor replied.
“I'm serious.””
“So am I.””
Margaret sat beside him.
“Nathan, Claire knows what she's doing.””
He turned toward her.
“Mom, you signed those papers. You trusted Michael. How can you keep making decisions for this family?””
Margaret flinched.
“I made a mistake.””
“You put Ellie in danger.””
“I know.””
Nathan looked away.
For several seconds, the only sound was the monitor.
Then Margaret spoke.
“There is something else you need to know.””
He turned back.
“What?””
“When Michael came to my house, he asked me about your father.””
Nathan's expression changed.
“What about him?””
“He asked whether I still had his old photographs.””
“Why?””
“I don't know. But he seemed particularly interested in one photograph of your father standing outside the courthouse.””
Nathan closed his eyes.
“That's where the trust was signed.””
Margaret nodded.
“He said your father had hidden something inside the frame.””
Nathan slowly sat forward.
“Which photograph?””
“The large one in my living room.””
He looked at her.
“Mom, that photograph is at your house?””
“Yes.””
Nathan grabbed her wrist.
“Then Michael knows where it is.””
At 10:35 a.m., Daniel Price entered Whitmore Financial's headquarters.
He wore a dark blue suit and carried a leather briefcase.
The receptionist greeted him.
“Good morning, Mr. Price.””
“Arthur in?””
“He's expecting you.””
Daniel walked toward the private elevator.
On the thirty-second floor, Arthur Whitmore was waiting in his office.
He was seventy-one, impeccably dressed, and known throughout Atlanta's financial community as a generous philanthropist.
His office overlooked the city.
A large photograph of him with the governor hung behind his desk.
Daniel closed the door.
“Michael wants the deed.””
Arthur didn't look up from his paperwork.
“Michael wants a lot of things.””
“He knows about the safety deposit box.””
Arthur slowly removed his glasses.
“How?””
“Evelyn.””
Arthur sighed.
“I warned Michael that woman would become a problem.””
“Can you access the box?””
“Not without the proper authorization.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Then get it.””
Arthur smiled.
“You're becoming impatient.””
“My uncle nearly killed Nathan. We need the shares transferred before he wakes up fully.””
Arthur stood.
“Your uncle?””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“You know what I mean.””
Arthur walked to the window.
“Daniel, your family has spent twenty years fighting over something that was never yours.””
Daniel's face hardened.
“Don't lecture me.””
Arthur turned.
“I'm reminding you who paid for your education. Who gave you your first job. Who protected you when your father disappeared.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“And I'm reminding you that Michael has enough evidence to destroy you.””
Arthur's smile disappeared.
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Arthur opened a drawer and removed a small envelope.
“Your mother left this with me.””
Daniel frowned.
“My mother?””
“Evelyn.””
Arthur placed the envelope on the desk.
“She asked me to give it to you if something happened to her.””
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
Daniel, if you are reading this, it means I failed to keep you away from your father.
Daniel's hands began to shake.
He read the next line.
Your father is not the man you think he is.
He looked up.
“What's this?””
Arthur shrugged.
“Your mother's confession.””
Daniel read further.
Michael was responsible for your grandfather's death. He arranged the accident that killed him because your grandfather discovered the thefts. Nathan spent years protecting you from the truth.
Daniel stopped.
His face drained.
“What?””
Arthur walked around the desk.
“Your father has never cared about you, Daniel. He only cares about what he believes was stolen from him.””
Daniel looked down at the letter.
There was a final paragraph.
If you want to save yourself, find the original trust deed. The proof is hidden inside your grandfather's old photograph.
Daniel looked at Arthur.
“You knew?””
Arthur said nothing.
“You knew my grandfather was murdered?””
Arthur adjusted his cuff.
“I knew enough to stay out of it.””
Daniel dropped the letter.
“Then why did you help Michael?””
“Because your uncle offered me a business arrangement.””
Daniel stared.
“And now?””
Arthur smiled.
“Now I intend to keep the company.””
He pressed a button beneath his desk.
Two security guards entered.
Daniel stepped backward.
“What is this?””
Arthur pointed toward him.
“Take Mr. Price to the conference room.””
Daniel tried to resist.
“You can't do this!””
Arthur leaned closer.
“You should have stayed out of your father's business.””
At Margaret's house, the front door stood open.
Nathan's mother had returned to collect a few belongings before going back to the hospital.
She was walking toward the living room when she heard a noise upstairs.
“Hello?””
No answer.
She approached the staircase.
A shadow moved across the landing.
Margaret froze.
“Who's there?””
A man's voice came from the hallway.
“Hello, Mother.””
Michael stepped into view.
Margaret grabbed the banister.
“You need to leave.””
He smiled.
“I came for Father's photograph.””
“It's not yours.””
“Everything in this house belonged to him.””
“Not anymore.””
Michael walked downstairs.
“Where is it?””
Margaret shook her head.
“I'm not telling you.””
Michael stopped in front of her.
“Do you remember what happened the last time you chose Nathan over me?””
Margaret's eyes filled.
“You killed your father.””
Michael's smile vanished.
“Careful.””
“You did. You arranged that accident.””
Michael grabbed her arm.
“Your husband was a weak man.””
Margaret struggled.
“Don't you dare!””
He shoved her against the wall.
“Where's the photograph?””
Margaret pointed toward the living room.
Michael released her and walked over.
The large framed portrait hung above the fireplace.
It showed Nathan's father standing outside the old family construction office.
Michael lifted it from the wall.
He turned it over.
A small wooden compartment had been built into the frame.
Inside was a folded document.
Michael pulled it out.
His face lit up.
“Finally.””
Margaret stood behind him.
“You don't understand what you're holding.””
Michael turned.
“I understand perfectly.””
“No. Your father didn't leave the shares to you because he knew what you were capable of.””
Michael laughed.
“He left them to Nathan because he wanted to punish me.””
Margaret shook her head.
“He left them to Nathan because Nathan was the only son he could trust.””
Michael slapped her.
She fell against the sofa.
He looked down at the document.
Then he noticed something.
A second piece of paper was attached to the back.
He removed it.
And his expression changed.
It was not a trust deed.
It was a handwritten statement.
Signed by Nathan's father.
If Michael Bennett ever returns, this document must be delivered to law enforcement. It contains evidence of his involvement in my attempted murder.
Michael stared at it.
For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
Then he heard a sound behind him.
A phone camera clicking.
Margaret was standing near the fireplace, holding her mobile.
She had recorded everything.
Michael lunged.
But she threw the phone across the room.
It slid beneath the sofa.
He grabbed her shoulder.
“WHERE IS IT?””
Margaret screamed.
“HELP!””
The front door burst open.
Two police officers rushed inside.
“POLICE! HANDS WHERE WE CAN SEE THEM!””
Michael released her.
For a split second, he considered running.
Then he looked at the document.
And smiled.
He slowly raised his hands.
“You're too late,” he said.
One officer handcuffed him.
“Save it.””
Michael looked directly at Margaret.
“Ask Nathan what happened to the original trust.””
At the hospital, Claire returned with Detective Lawson just after noon.
Nathan was sitting upright when she entered.
“Claire!””
She rushed to him.
“Are you okay?””
“Where have you been?””
“Finding answers.””
Rebecca placed the brass key on the bedside table.
“We have a situation.””
Nathan looked at it.
“Where did you get that?””
Claire explained everything.
The storage archive.
Evelyn's confession.
Arthur.
Michael's arrest.
Nathan listened without interrupting.
When she finished, he looked toward Rebecca.
“Did you recover the document from my father's photograph?””
“Yes.””
“Where is it?””
“Being examined.””
Nathan closed his eyes.
“Then Michael knows.””
Rebecca nodded.
“He made a statement before transport. He said we were too late.””
Nathan looked at Claire.
“Did he say anything else?””
Claire shook her head.
Then she remembered the second document Evelyn had mentioned.
“Wait. What about the original trust deed?””
Nathan's expression changed.
Rebecca pulled out her notebook.
“We haven't found it.””
Nathan looked toward the window.
“Because the photograph was never the hiding place.””
Claire frowned.
“What?””
Nathan swallowed.
“My father made two copies of the original deed.””
“Where is the second one?””
Nathan stared at her.
“Your father's grave.””
Claire felt her heart stop.
“My father?””
Nathan nodded.
“He asked your father to bury it with him.””
Claire stared.
“That's impossible.””
Nathan's eyes filled.
“Your father knew Michael would search every bank, every office, and every house. He chose the one place nobody would think to look.””
Rebecca stood.
“Where is your father buried?””
Claire whispered the name of the cemetery.
Rebecca immediately called her officers.
But before she could finish the conversation, a nurse rushed into the room.
“Detective Lawson!””
Rebecca turned.
“What?””
“There's been an incident downstairs.””
“What kind of incident?””
The nurse looked at Claire.
“Mr. Bennett's mother has been brought in by ambulance.””
Nathan sat upright.
“What happened to my mother?””
The nurse swallowed.
“She's been stabbed.””
Claire grabbed Nathan's hand.
“Margaret?””
The nurse nodded.
“And before she lost consciousness, she kept repeating one thing.””
Nathan's face went white.
“What?””
The nurse looked at Rebecca.
“She said the original trust deed wasn't the only thing hidden in the grave.””
May you like
Then she turned to Claire.
“She said your father left you a letter.””
