Chapter 16: What My Father Had Buried
"Charles knows who did it.""
The words sat between us like a loaded weapon.
Evelyn was trembling. Daniel had gone pale. Detective Harris stood beside the hospital door, waiting for someone to explain why my mother's handwriting had just accused my father of murder.
I looked at Dad.
"Is it true?""
He didn't answer.
"Dad.""
He slowly closed the black notebook.
"Your mother believed I knew who killed Robert.""
"Did you?""
"I knew who had a reason to want him dead.""
"That's not what I asked.""
His jaw tightened.
"Yes.""
The room seemed to tilt.
For twelve days, I'd watched my father protect me from Derek, from Martin, from people who wanted my inheritance. He'd sat beside my hospital bed, held Lily, and promised that he would never let anyone hurt us again.
Now I was wondering what else he'd hidden.
"Who killed Robert Bennett?""
Dad looked at Evelyn.
She was staring at him with an expression that was almost hatred.
"Tell her," Evelyn whispered.
Dad exhaled.
"Your mother did.""
Silence.
Evelyn made a small, broken sound.
Daniel stepped forward.
"That's impossible. Robert died in his sleep.""
"That's what the family was told," Dad replied.
"But your mother found evidence that Robert had been poisoning people to keep them quiet.""
I stared at him.
"And you knew?""
"I investigated the financial crimes surrounding the company. I wasn't the officer assigned to the original death investigation, but I saw the medical report. There were inconsistencies.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because I couldn't prove it.""
Evelyn shook her head.
"Robert wasn't poisoned by Anna.""
Dad looked at her.
"You don't know that.""
"I was married to him. I knew when he was sick. He was terrified during his final weeks. He kept saying someone was watching him.""
"Who?""
Evelyn looked down.
"Martin.""
Daniel frowned.
"Martin worked for Robert. He couldn't have—"
"He was more than an employee," Evelyn interrupted.
"Robert trusted him with everything. The accounts, the private investigators, the payments. Martin knew where every secret was buried.""
Renee stepped closer.
"Then why does the notebook say Anna killed him?""
Dad opened the book again.
"Because the notebook records what Robert believed happened. It isn't necessarily the truth.""
He turned to the last page.
Beneath the words about Robert's death was a small reference number.
"Your mother was following a payment trail," he continued.
"She believed Martin arranged Robert's poisoning and then used the death to seize control of the company's hidden assets.""
Evelyn stared at the page.
"But Anna was blamed.""
"Yes. Martin planted evidence suggesting she had access to Robert's medication. When she discovered the scheme, he arranged the staged accident.""
My throat tightened.
"So my mother spent sixteen years hiding because Martin wanted her dead?""
"Because Martin wanted the ledger," Daniel said.
"And because it proved he had arranged the poisoning, the financial fraud, and the attempted murder of your mother.""
I looked at Dad.
"And you knew where the ledger was?""
"I knew she had hidden it somewhere. I didn't know where.""
"Then why did you let me believe you had nothing to do with this?""
His expression broke.
"Because I failed her once. I wasn't going to put you in the same danger.""
I pulled my hand away.
"Keeping me ignorant didn't protect me. It left me married to a man who was sent to get close to me.""
Dad lowered his eyes.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Detective Harris's phone rang.
He answered, listened, and turned toward us.
"We have a location for Vanessa.""
"Where?"" Renee asked.
"She's at a private airfield outside Portland. She's scheduled to leave within the hour.""
Daniel swore.
"She's running.""
"Or she's being moved," Harris replied.
He looked at Dad.
"We need to know whether she has Lily's location.""
Dad immediately called the security team protecting the baby.
The answer came back quickly.
Lily was safe at the secured residence with Margaret, the pediatric nurse who had been assigned to her care.
I closed my eyes.
Thank God.
But then the security officer added something.
A woman had attempted to enter the property using an authorization code issued to a family member.
The code belonged to Vanessa.
"She was at the house?"" I whispered.
"Not physically," Dad replied.
"Someone used her credentials.""
Detective Harris was already moving.
"We need to speak to Margaret.""
He called her.
No answer.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
My stomach dropped.
"Call the residence.""
A security officer answered on the second ring.
His voice was strained.
"Detective, we've secured the child. But the nurse is missing.""
The room went silent.
"Which nurse?"" I asked.
"Margaret.""
The real Margaret Hayes.
The woman who had spent years helping my mother.
The woman who had promised to protect Lily.
Dad grabbed his coat.
"We're going.""
Renee stepped in front of him.
"Charles, you cannot charge into an active investigation.""
"That's my granddaughter.""
"And if you get yourself arrested, you won't help her.""
He stopped.
Then he looked at me.
I had never seen him so afraid.
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of Margaret sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. Her hands were tied.
Underneath it was one sentence.
*Tell Charles to bring the black notebook.*
A second message arrived.
*And tell him he has until midnight.*
Dad stared at the photograph.
Then he whispered something I barely heard.
"Martin.""
I looked at him.
"What?""
He pointed to the reflection in the vehicle's window.
A man was visible behind the camera.
May you like
It was Derek.
And beside him stood Vanessa.
