Chapter 6: The Photograph That Changed Everything
I called the police immediately.
Jennifer contacted the local authorities while Marcus began checking the location of my parents' mansion.
I was already reaching for my car keys.
“Daniel, wait,” Jennifer said.
I turned.
“My mother is in trouble.””
“And we are contacting the police. You going there alone could make everything worse.””
“I can't just sit here.””
“You're not sitting here. You're helping us by staying where we can reach you.””
I hated every word.
But I knew she was right.
Twenty minutes later, a patrol officer confirmed that my mother was physically safe.
She had dropped her phone during an argument with my father.
No one had been seriously injured.
I exhaled.
Then the officer added something unexpected.
“Your father says this is a private family dispute. He doesn't want anyone entering the property.””
I looked at Jennifer.
“Can we speak to my mother?””
“Not yet,” she replied.
“The officers are still there.””
At 10:15 a.m., Marcus received a message.
It contained a photograph.
My mother was standing in the front garden, holding a small brown envelope.
Her face looked terrified.
Behind her, my father stood near the front door.
The photograph had been taken from across the street.
Marcus enlarged it.
“Look at her right hand.””
I leaned closer.
She was holding something small and metallic.
A key.
“That's probably the safe key,” I said.
Marcus nodded.
“Possibly.””
Then Jennifer's phone rang.
She answered, listened, and put it on speaker.
A female voice came through.
“Mr. Brooks? This is Officer Bennett. Your client’s mother has requested to speak with him.””
Jennifer looked at me.
“Put her through.””
A moment later, Mom's voice filled the room.
“Daniel?””
“Mom, are you okay?””
“Yes.””
“What happened?””
“Your father found out I had the photograph.””
“What photograph?””
She took a shaky breath.
“The one from the basement.””
“Mom, I need you to tell me exactly what happened.””
She began crying.
“Your father and Victor were arguing about money. Victor said he had proof that Robert had been taking money from their company for years.””
I closed my eyes.
“What did Dad do?””
“He told Victor to leave. Victor refused.””
“And then?””
“I went upstairs.””
“Mom.””
“I heard a loud crash. Then Melissa came running up the stairs.””
My stomach tightened.
“What did she say?””
“She said Dad told her to get the car.””
I gripped the edge of the table.
“What happened to Victor?””
“I don't know, Daniel.””
“You said you helped Dad bury the truth.””
“I helped him hide the records. That's what I meant.””
I looked at Jennifer.
She was writing everything down.
“What records?””
“Bank statements. Contracts. A second set of company accounts.””
“Where are they?””
Mom hesitated.
“In the basement.””
“Behind the wine cellar?””
“Yes.””
I stood.
“Then why did you tell me to look there?””
“Because your father is planning to destroy them.””
“Why?””
“Because Victor's family has started asking questions again.””
I frowned.
“After all these years?””
“Yes.””
“Who contacted them?””
My mother went silent.
Then she said:
“You did.””
I stared at the phone.
“What?””
“Your property listing appeared online. Someone recognized the address and contacted Victor's daughter. She believes the house contains evidence about her father.””
I felt a chill.
“Who is Victor's daughter?””
“Emily Hale.””
The name meant nothing to me.
But Jennifer immediately looked up.
“Daniel, ask your mother whether Emily contacted her.””
I repeated the question.
Mom answered.
“She came to the house last week.””
My stomach dropped.
“Last week?””
“Yes. Your father told me she was a real estate agent interested in the property.””
I looked at Jennifer.
“That doesn't make sense.””
Mom continued.
“She asked to see the basement. Your father refused. Then she asked about a photograph.””
“What photograph?””
“The one your father keeps in his study.””
I rubbed my forehead.
“Mom, why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
She whispered:
“Because the photograph shows your father, Victor, and another person.””
“Who?””
My mother began crying again.
“Your grandfather.””
I stopped breathing for a moment.
My grandfather had died eleven years earlier.
He had been a respected businessman, the man who had originally purchased the mansion.
“What was he doing there?””
“He owned part of the company before your father took control. Victor believed your grandfather had left money in a separate account for the employees.””
“And?””
“Your father said the money never existed.””
I looked at Jennifer.
She was no longer writing.
She was listening carefully.
“Mom, where is the photograph now?””
“In the study. Behind the painting.””
“Which painting?””
“The landscape above your father's desk.””
I closed my eyes.
I remembered that painting.
My grandfather had given it to my father shortly before he died.
“Can you get it?””
“I tried.””
“And?””
“Your father caught me.””
I heard a door close in the background.
Mom's breathing changed.
“He's coming.””
“Mom, listen to me. Don't touch anything. Don't argue with him. Just wait for the police.””
She whispered:
“Daniel, there's something else.””
“What?””
“The house wasn't supposed to belong to you.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“Your grandfather left instructions. He wanted the property held for all three of his children.””
I went still.
“My father had two brothers.””
“Yes.””
“One died years ago. The other moved to Arizona.””
“Your grandfather believed the house should stay in the family. Robert changed the documents after his death.””
I looked at Jennifer.
She raised her eyebrows.
“Are you saying Dad stole the house from his own brothers?””
Mom's answer was barely audible.
“Yes.””
Then the line disconnected.
At 1:40 p.m., Jennifer received the original property records from the county archive.
She spread them across the conference table.
“Daniel, there's something important here.””
I leaned forward.
She pointed to an old document.
“Your grandfather created a family trust before he died. The mansion was listed as one of its assets.””
I stared at the page.
“Why didn't I know about this?””
“Because the trust was dissolved shortly after his death.””
“By whom?””
Jennifer turned the page.
“Your father.””
“How?””
“He claimed the other beneficiaries had agreed to transfer their interests.””
“Did they?””
“That's what we need to establish.””
Marcus entered the room holding his tablet.
“I found Emily Hale.””
He showed us a photograph of a woman in her early thirties.
She was standing outside a courthouse.
“She's Victor's daughter,” he explained.
“She's been investigating her father's disappearance for years.””
“Did she contact my mother?””
“According to a witness, yes.””
Jennifer looked at the old trust document.
“Daniel, I think we have two separate issues. The ownership of the property and whatever happened to Victor Hale.””
I nodded.
“Then we investigate both.””
Marcus enlarged another photograph.
It showed the mansion's basement.
The wooden paneling behind the wine cellar had been partially removed.
But there was something else in the picture.
A small metal plate attached to the wall.
I recognized the writing.
My grandfather's initials.
“What's that?”” I asked.
Marcus zoomed in.
“Looks like a manufacturer's label.””
Jennifer examined it.
“No. That's not a manufacturer's label.””
She turned the photograph sideways.
Then she looked at me.
“Daniel, I think that's the marking for an old document safe.””
My mouth went dry.
The safe Thomas had mentioned.
The one that supposedly contained the original ledger.
But Marcus was shaking his head.
“There's a problem.””
“What?””
“The contractors who removed the wooden paneling said the safe was already empty.””
“Empty?””
“Yes. They also said your father gave them instructions to remove the entire section of wall.””
Jennifer frowned.
“When?””
“Last Friday.””
I checked the date.
Three days before the shoe incident.
Exactly as Thomas had said.
Then Marcus opened another photograph.
This one had been taken inside the basement.
It showed a rectangular outline in the concrete floor, directly beneath the safe.
Someone had recently disturbed the surface.
I stared at it.
“What's underneath that?””
Marcus didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
“The contractors believe there's another compartment below the floor.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
“Did they open it?””
“No.””
“Why not?””
Marcus turned his tablet around.
The final photograph showed my father standing in the basement, holding a metal crowbar.
Beside him was Melissa.
And between them, partially visible beneath a sheet of plastic, was something that looked like an old wooden box.
Jennifer stared at the image.
“Daniel, we need to find out what's in that box.””
My phone vibrated.
An incoming call.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A woman's voice spoke.
“Daniel? My name is Emily Hale.””
I looked at Marcus.
“Victor's daughter?””
“Yes.””
She paused.
“I know you've been asking questions about my father.””
“What do you know?””
“I know he didn't run away.””
My grip tightened.
“Then what happened to him?””
She took a breath.
“My father called me the night he disappeared. He said he had discovered something terrible about your family.””
I looked at the photograph of my father in the basement.
“What did he discover?””
Her voice dropped.
“He said your grandfather had left behind a second will.””
I stared at Jennifer.
Emily continued.
“And according to that will, the mansion wasn't supposed to go to your father, your mother, or even you.””
“Who was it supposed to go to?””
There was a long silence.
Then Emily answered.
“My father.””
Before I could respond, she added:
“And Daniel, there's something you need to know about the man your father claims disappeared eleven years ago.””
I held my breath.
May you like
Emily's next words turned my entire understanding of the past upside down.
“Victor Hale was alive when your father put him on a plane. But the man who boarded that plane wasn't my father.””
