Chapter 17: My Mother's Last Secret
I found Mum in the kitchen.
She was sitting at the table, staring at a cup of tea she hadn't touched.
I placed the photograph in front of her.
She looked at it.
Then she closed her eyes.
“I wondered when you'd find that.””
My voice was barely controlled.
“How long have you known Edward was alive?””
“Since shortly after he disappeared.””
“Three years before I met Grayson?””
She nodded.
“Why were you meeting him?””
Mum looked toward the window.
“Because he contacted me.””
“To threaten you?””
“At first.””
She took a breath.
“Then he offered me something.””
“What?””
“The truth about your grandfather's final days.””
I sat opposite her.
“What truth?””
Mum folded her hands.
“Arthur wasn't simply hiding the archive from Edward. He was trying to identify the person who had leaked information about the company.””
“Margaret?””
“Not just Margaret. Someone inside the Bennett organization had been sending Edward technical summaries and financial information.””
I felt the room tilt.
“Who?””
Mum looked at me.
“Your grandfather suspected Richard.””
I stood so quickly that my chair scraped across the floor.
“No.””
“He was wrong.””
“You're saying Grandfather suspected Dad of betraying him?””
“He suspected that someone had used your father's credentials to access confidential records. He didn't know whether Richard was involved or whether someone had copied his access.””
“Why didn't you tell Dad?””
“Because I found evidence that cleared him.””
She opened her handbag and removed a folded sheet of paper.
It was a copy of an internal access report.
The report showed that Richard's credentials had been used to download technical files on three separate occasions.
But the access had come from a location outside the company's network.
Dad's credentials had been cloned.
Mum pointed to a line near the bottom.
“The original access logs were altered. I discovered the changes while auditing the accounts.””
“By Edward?””
“Yes. But I also found payments to someone who worked for him.””
“Who?””
Mum didn't answer.
I looked at the report again.
The payments had been routed through Whitmore Legacy Holdings.
The same company that had listed Mum as a director.
“Why is your name on this company?””
“Because Edward used it to hide the money he was paying people. When I discovered the accounts, I registered a claim against the company to prevent the funds from being transferred.””
“Without telling Dad?””
“I was trying to protect him.””
I shook my head.
“Everyone keeps saying that. Everyone keeps deciding what I should know, what Dad should know, what the family should know.””
Mum reached for my hand.
“Claire—”
“No. You let me marry Grayson. You let me believe I was imagining things. You let me walk into that house without knowing how much you already understood.””
“I never wanted you hurt.””
“But I was hurt.””
Her eyes filled.
“I know.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked the question I had been avoiding.
“Did you ever believe Edward might be right about Grandfather?””
Mum looked genuinely shocked.
“No.””
“Did you ever think the invention belonged partly to him?””
“No. Arthur developed the original system. Edward contributed money and business contacts, but he never owned the intellectual property.””
“Then why did you keep meeting him?””
“Because I needed him to admit where the money had gone.””
She looked down.
“And because he told me something about your grandfather's death.””
I leaned forward.
“What?””
Mum's voice dropped.
“Arthur didn't die believing he had lost the company. He died believing someone in his family had betrayed him.””
I felt a chill.
“Who?””
“He never told me.””
“Did he leave a message?””
Mum nodded.
“He gave me a sealed letter. He asked me to keep it until the archive was opened.””
She reached into her handbag again.
This time, she removed a small cream envelope.
My name was written across the front.
I opened it carefully.
My dear Claire,
If this letter has reached you, then the people who wanted to control our family's future have finally forced the truth into the open.
There is one thing you must understand. A person can betray you out of greed, but they can also betray you out of fear. Do not confuse the two. Both can cause damage, but only one may be repaired.
When you discover who used your father's name, remember that I never stopped loving him.
The final record is not in the vault.
It is with the person who has spent the longest time pretending not to remember.
I read the final line twice.
“Who is that?””
Mum looked toward the hallway.
“Margaret thinks it refers to her.””
“But you don't?””
She shook her head.
“I think it refers to me.””
Dad arrived an hour later.
He listened without interrupting as Mum explained the photograph, the access report, and the letter.
When she finished, he stood near the doorway.
“Why did you let me believe I was responsible?””
Mum began to cry.
“I never believed you were.””
“But you knew Arthur suspected me.””
“Yes.””
“And you said nothing.””
“I was afraid that if I told you, you'd confront Edward before I had enough evidence.””
Dad shook his head.
“You could have trusted me.””
“I know.””
He turned away.
I had never seen my parents look so far apart.
Then Eleanor called.
“Richard, we have a development.””
She had received confirmation that Edward was able to communicate through written responses.
He had agreed to answer questions under supervision.
The authorities wanted someone from the Bennett family present.
Dad immediately said he would go.
But Mum stopped him.
“No. I need to speak to him.””
Dad stared.
“Evelyn, absolutely not.””
“I know what he will say.””
“You don't know what he'll do.””
Mum looked at me.
“Claire should come.””
I hesitated.
Then I nodded.
Edward looked smaller than he had in the photographs.
He sat in a medical chair near a window, his right hand resting on a blanket.
His hair was white.
His face was deeply lined.
But his eyes were alert.
When we entered, he looked at Mum.
Then he smiled.
“Evelyn.””
My mother didn't smile back.
“Edward.””
He looked at me.
“Claire Bennett.””
I sat opposite him.
“You know who I am.””
“I know exactly who you are.””
A nurse placed a writing pad on the table.
Edward picked up a pen with difficulty.
I asked the first question.
“Did you plan my marriage to Grayson?””
He wrote slowly.
*YES.*
The single word made my stomach tighten.
“Did you order him to steal the apartment?””
Edward shook his head, then wrote:
*LORNA.*
“Did you know?””
He nodded.
I took a breath.
“Did you steal my grandfather's invention?””
He looked at Mum.
Then he wrote:
*I TOOK WHAT I BELIEVED I DESERVED.*
I leaned forward.
“You signed an agreement acknowledging the rights belonged to Arthur.””
His eyes narrowed.
He wrote:
*ARTHUR LIED.*
Mum slammed her hand against the table.
“No. You lied.””
Edward looked at her.
For several seconds, he seemed to struggle with the pen.
Then he wrote:
*ASK EVELYN ABOUT THE FINAL RECORD.*
I turned toward my mother.
“What final record?””
She looked pale.
Edward continued writing.
*SHE HAS IT.*
Mum shook her head.
“No.””
He tapped the paper.
*YOU PROMISED.*
I stared at her.
“What did you promise him?””
Mum's voice trembled.
“I promised I would never reveal the identity of the person who helped him obtain the original technical files.””
I felt my heart pounding.
“Who was it?””
Mum looked at Dad.
Then she whispered:
“Your grandfather's closest friend.””
Edward smiled faintly.
And wrote one final name.
*DANIEL REEVES.*
I froze.
Daniel had helped us.
He had found the internal file.
He had connected us to Vanessa.
He had helped expose Grayson.
May you like
But now Edward was accusing him of being the original traitor.
And the worst part was that Daniel had known exactly where to find every piece of evidence.
