Chapter 12: My Mother Had Been Keeping Her Own Secret
“Call her again!””
I was standing in the middle of the railway station, gripping my phone.
Dad immediately dialed Mum's number.
It went straight to voicemail.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Margaret remained seated, her hands folded over her handbag.
“Where does Evelyn live now?”” she asked.
Dad turned sharply.
“You tell me.””
Margaret looked offended.
“I haven't seen your wife in twelve years.””
“Then why did you have a photograph of her outside your house?””
“Because she came to see me.””
“When?””
“Two days ago.””
Dad stepped closer.
“What did she want?””
Margaret hesitated.
“She asked whether the second key was still in my possession.””
“And what did you tell her?””
“That it was.””
Dad looked toward me.
“Claire, we're leaving.””
I didn't move.
“Not until someone explains why my mother is involved.””
Margaret sighed.
“Your mother was the person who first discovered Edward's attempt to steal the archive.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“Evelyn worked as an accountant for your grandfather's company before you were born. She found irregular payments being made to a subsidiary controlled by Edward.””
Dad shook his head.
“She never told me that.””
“She did. You didn't believe her.””
My father went completely still.
I looked between them.
“Dad?””
He rubbed his forehead.
“Twenty years ago, your mother found some financial records that suggested Edward was paying someone inside the company. I thought it was a bookkeeping error.””
“And?””
“She insisted it was deliberate. We argued about it.””
Margaret nodded.
“She left the company shortly afterward. Edward told Arthur that she had made a mistake and was becoming paranoid.””
I felt a strange ache in my chest.
My mother had never mentioned any of this.
“Why did she come to see you now?””
Margaret looked down at the brass key.
“Because she wanted to know whether the original archive was still safe.””
“Did she know where it was?””
“No. Arthur never told her.””
“Then why did Lorna come?””
Margaret's expression hardened.
“Because Lorna has been trying to find the key for years. I suspect she discovered Evelyn had contacted me.””
I looked at Dad.
“Where is Mum?””
“I don't know.””
He took out his phone again.
This time, he called our family solicitor.
While he spoke, I turned toward Margaret.
“You said my mother isn't the person she claims to be. What did you mean?””
Margaret looked uncomfortable.
“I didn't say that.””
“Then why did she warn me about you?””
“Because she knows something about my brother that I don't think she has told you.””
I waited.
Margaret took a breath.
“Edward didn't die of natural causes.””
The station seemed to grow quieter.
“What?””
“Officially, he suffered a sudden medical emergency. But before his death, he was preparing to testify in an investigation involving the stolen technology.””
Dad stared at her.
“Why didn't you tell anyone?””
“Because I received a warning.””
“From whom?””
Margaret looked toward the station entrance.
“Someone who knew exactly where I lived. Someone who told me that if I spoke, my family would pay.””
I felt cold.
“Who?””
Margaret didn't answer.
Instead, she reached into her handbag and removed a folded letter.
“Your grandfather wrote this to me shortly before he died.””
She handed it to me.
I recognized his handwriting immediately.
Margaret,
If Edward is no longer around to protect the people involved, someone else will take his place.
The person I fear most is not the man who wants my invention.
It is the person who knows how to make the rest of the family believe that surrendering it is their own idea.
I read the sentence twice.
Then I looked at Margaret.
“Who was he talking about?””
She looked toward my father.
“I believe he meant someone close to your family.””
Dad shook his head.
“No.””
Margaret continued.
“Arthur suspected that the theft involved more than one person. He believed the person responsible had access to the family accounts, company records, and private correspondence.””
I felt my pulse quicken.
My mother.
Dad.
Me.
Someone had been watching all of us.
At 6:30, we arrived at my parents' house.
Mum's car was parked outside.
The front door was locked.
Dad used his key.
“Evelyn?””
No answer.
We entered.
Her handbag was on the kitchen counter.
A cup of tea sat beside it.
Still half full.
I called her name again.
Nothing.
Then I noticed the back door was slightly open.
Dad rushed toward it.
Outside, the garden gate was swinging in the wind.
A flowerpot had been knocked over.
On the ground lay a small gold bracelet.
My mother's bracelet.
I picked it up.
“Dad…”
He took it from me.
His face went pale.
He immediately called the police.
While we waited, I walked through the kitchen.
A drawer was open.
Several papers were scattered across the counter.
One document caught my attention.
It was a printed copy of the Bennett family trust.
Beside my mother's name was a handwritten note.
*SECOND TRUSTEE — REMOVE BEFORE TRANSFER.*
I showed it to Dad.
He stared at it.
Then he sat down.
“What does this mean?””
He rubbed his face.
“Your mother and I are joint trustees. Neither of us can authorize a transfer without the other's approval.””
“So someone wants to remove her?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because if one trustee becomes unavailable, the trust agreement contains an emergency succession provision.””
I frowned.
“Who would take her place?””
Dad looked at me.
“You.””
My stomach dropped.
“Me?””
He nodded.
“But only after a formal review.””
I stared at the note.
Someone wasn't simply trying to steal Grandfather's invention.
They were trying to change who controlled the family trust.
And my mother stood in their way.
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
They examined the house and took photographs.
There were no signs of forced entry.
Which meant Mum might have opened the door herself.
Dad sat in the living room, answering questions.
I walked into the study.
Her computer was still on.
A document was open on the screen.
It was an email draft.
The recipient was an address I didn't recognize.
The subject line read:
*THE SECOND KEY — FINAL ARRANGEMENTS.*
I read the message.
I cannot keep protecting Richard from what happened twenty years ago.
Claire deserves to know the truth.
I will meet you tonight, but I will not hand over the key unless you tell me what happened to Edward's original records.
There was no signature.
But the email had been drafted from Mum's account.
I checked the time.
It had been created less than an hour earlier.
I called Dad.
He entered the study immediately.
“What is it?””
I showed him.
He read the email.
His face changed.
“Who was she meeting?””
“I don't know.””
He looked at the recipient address.
Then he pulled out his phone and searched his contacts.
A moment later, he stopped.
“That's not possible.””
“What?””
He turned the screen toward me.
The email address belonged to a company called Whitmore Legacy Holdings.
The company was registered under the name of Edward Whitmore's estate.
But the director was not Lorna.
It was someone else.
Someone whose name made my knees weaken.
*EVELYN BENNETT.*
My mother.
I stared at the screen.
“She owns the company?””
Dad shook his head.
“No. This registration is dated six months ago.””
“Then how can she be the director?””
He didn't answer.
A knock sounded at the front door.
One of the officers called us into the hallway.
“Mr. Bennett, we've found your wife's vehicle.””
Dad rushed outside.
“Where?””
“About two streets away. It was parked near an abandoned office building.””
I followed him.
The officer opened the passenger door.
Inside was Mum's handbag.
Her phone was on the seat.
And tucked beneath the windshield wiper was a small envelope.
Dad opened it.
A handwritten message was inside.
*Richard, stop looking for Evelyn. She has made her choice.*
Below it was another sentence.
*Ask Claire who her mother met on the day of her wedding.*
I looked at Dad.
He was shaking.
“What happened on my wedding day?”” I whispered.
He stared at the message.
Then he said:
“Your mother went to meet Lorna before the ceremony.””
My heart stopped.
“Why?””
Dad swallowed.
“Because she was trying to stop this marriage.””
I stared at him.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
He looked away.
And then, from somewhere behind us, my phone rang.
It was Mum.
I answered immediately.
“Mom! Where are you?””
Her voice was barely audible.
“Claire, sweetheart, don't let your father tell you that I betrayed you.””
“Where are you?””
“I need you to listen. I have the original agreement. I know who forged Grandfather's signature.””
“Who?””
There was a sudden crash.
Mum gasped.
Then she whispered:
“It's someone you already trust.””
The call disconnected.
A second later, a message arrived.
It contained a photograph of my mother sitting in a room.
Her hands were tied.
Behind her stood Grayson.
May you like
And beneath the photograph was a message:
*BRING THE SECOND KEY TO THE WHITMORE HOUSE. COME ALONE, OR YOUR MOTHER WILL NEVER COME HOME.*
