Chapter 9: The Man James Called Family
Richard Hale arrived at the Whitmore estate two hours later.
Not because James invited him.
Because James called him.
And because Richard believed he was walking into a normal business meeting.
That was his first mistake.
The second he entered the room, he smiled.
“James, what’s going on?””
Then he saw Detective Collins.
His smile faded.
Only slightly.
But enough.
James noticed.
“You seem surprised.””
Richard looked around.
“I wasn’t expecting police.””
“Neither was I.””
The silence between them was heavy.
Richard glanced at me.
“Emily?””
His tone changed.
Almost annoyed.
“What is she doing here?””
I felt something inside me tighten.
For years, Richard had visited the estate.
He had always been polite.
Friendly.
But now his reaction was different.
Like my presence was a problem.
James stepped forward.
“She found something.””
Richard looked at him.
“What?””
“The truth.””
Richard laughed softly.
“James, I think you’re exhausted.””
Detective Collins placed the letter on the table.
“Do you recognize this?””
Richard looked at it.
His face remained calm.
Too calm.
“I’ve seen many documents.””
James’s eyes narrowed.
“This was written by my wife.””
Richard picked it up.
Then he froze.
Just for a second.
But it happened.
And everyone saw.
“You knew her,” James said.
Richard slowly placed the letter down.
“Of course I knew her.””
“Better than you admitted.””
Richard looked away.
That was enough.
James’s voice became colder.
“How long?””
Richard didn’t answer.
“How long did you know Vanessa?””
Finally, Richard sighed.
“Longer than you think.””
My stomach turned.
Another secret.
Another hidden relationship.
Detective Collins stepped forward.
“Mr. Hale, we need answers.””
Richard looked at James.
“I did what I had to do.””
James stared.
“Do you hear yourself?””
“I protected what we built.””
“You tried to steal it.””
Richard’s expression hardened.
“You don’t understand.””
James laughed bitterly.
“No. I understand perfectly.””
Richard looked at me.
Then at Sophie’s room upstairs.
“Everything was supposed to be simple.””
Those words made my skin crawl.
James stepped closer.
“What was supposed to be simple?””
Richard said nothing.
Then his phone rang.
He checked the screen.
His expression changed.
Detective Collins noticed.
“Who is it?””
Richard ignored her.
The phone rang again.
Then a message appeared.
Richard read it.
And for the first time, he looked afraid.
James grabbed the phone from his hand.
Richard didn’t stop him.
The message was short.
Only one sentence.
*She knows about the second envelope. Get her before she talks.*
James looked up slowly.
“Second envelope?””
Nobody moved.
Then all eyes turned toward me.
Because I suddenly understood.
The envelope I found.
The one everyone was searching for.
It wasn’t the only one.
May you like
And somewhere inside the Whitmore estate…
There was another secret waiting to be found.
