Chapter 13: The Grandfather Who Had Been Dead for Thirty-Two Years
Daniel stared at the photograph.
His grandfather.
William Bennett.
The man whose funeral Robert had attended when Daniel was still a baby.
The man whose portrait hung in the hallway of our old house until I eventually put it away because looking at it made me uncomfortable.
The man Daniel had been told died of a heart attack thirty-two years earlier.
And now Lauren was telling him that William Bennett was alive.
“Where did you get this?”” Daniel asked.
Lauren folded her hands.
“From my father.””
“Your father is supposed to be dead too.””
“I know.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Stop speaking in riddles. Tell me what's happening.””
Lauren glanced toward the restaurant entrance.
Then she lowered her voice.
“My father and your grandfather have been working together for decades.””
“Working together?””
“Your grandfather didn't die. He disappeared after Robert discovered what he had been doing with the company.””
Daniel stared at her.
“Why would my grandfather steal from his own family?””
“Because he believed your father had stolen something from him first.””
“What?””
“Control.””
Lauren removed another photograph.
It showed a younger William Bennett standing beside Robert outside the company's first office.
Behind them was a sign bearing the original company name.
Bennett and Reed Engineering.
Lauren pointed toward the building.
“Your grandfather founded the business. Robert and Thomas helped expand it. But when the company became profitable, William believed he deserved to control every decision.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Dad told me Grandfather gave him the company.””
“That's what he wanted you to believe.””
She removed a third document.
It was a copy of an old partnership agreement.
William Bennett had retained a substantial ownership interest, but the shares had been placed under a complicated trust arrangement.
When Robert discovered the missing money, he also discovered that William had been secretly controlling several shell companies.
The theft wasn't simply an employee stealing from an employer.
It was a family operation.
“Your grandfather was moving money out of the company,” Lauren continued.
“Richard Caldwell helped him. James handled the security arrangements. Edward took care of the paperwork.””
“And Martin?””
“Martin made the legal documents look legitimate.””
Daniel stared at her.
“So everyone was involved?””
“Not everyone.””
“Who wasn't?””
Lauren looked down.
“Your mother.””
Daniel leaned back.
“Then why did you tell me she received money?””
“Because I believed she was part of the arrangement.””
“You believed?””
Lauren's eyes filled.
“My father told me she was being paid to keep quiet.””
“My mother never received a penny.””
“I know that now.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because I checked.””
He said nothing.
Lauren opened the folder and showed him several banking records.
The account had been opened under my name, but the contact details belonged to a company controlled by Richard Caldwell.
The money had been withdrawn through a series of transfers.
Not one cent had reached me.
Daniel's expression darkened.
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“Because my father threatened me.””
“That's not an answer.””
She looked at him.
“Because I was afraid.””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“You weren't afraid when you slapped my mother.””
Lauren flinched.
“I know.””
“You weren't afraid when you tried to take her house.””
“I know.””
“You weren't afraid when you tried to steal my father's inheritance.””
She lowered her head.
“I know.””
For several seconds, Daniel simply watched her.
Then he asked, “Why did you marry me?””
Lauren began crying.
“At first, because my father wanted me to.””
Daniel's face became expressionless.
“And later?””
She looked directly at him.
“Because I fell in love with you.””
He shook his head.
“You don't get to use that word anymore.””
Lauren reached across the table.
Daniel moved his hand away.
“My father told me that if I could get close enough to you, I could eventually access the trust. He said it would solve all our problems.””
“And you agreed.””
“Yes.””
“Even after you fell in love?””
She wiped her cheeks.
“I thought I could change things.””
Daniel looked at the photographs.
“Then why did you hit my mother?””
Lauren closed her eyes.
“Because she refused to sign over the house. My father told me that if the trust was released, we needed to control the property too. The land behind your mother's house connects to an old access road. It leads to the storage facility where the original company records were kept.””
Daniel froze.
“What storage facility?””
Lauren looked up.
“The one where your grandfather is staying.””
Before Daniel could ask another question, his phone vibrated.
A message from Detective Carter.
Leave the restaurant immediately. Do not confront Lauren. We have located William Bennett.
Daniel stood.
Lauren grabbed his sleeve.
“Wait.””
He looked down.
“What now?””
“My father is going to move him.””
“Why would he?””
“Because your grandfather has the original recording.””
Daniel's expression changed.
“What recording?””
“The one your father made before the accident. The recording that proves William ordered everything.””
Daniel stepped back.
“Then why does my father have another copy?””
“Because William kept the original. Robert secretly made a duplicate.””
Daniel looked at his phone again.
Another message arrived.
William Bennett is at the old Whitmore storage property. Officers are approaching.
He turned toward the exit.
Lauren stood.
“Daniel, please.””
He stopped.
She reached into her handbag and removed a small silver key.
“My father gave me this. It opens the storage unit where the original documents are kept.””
Daniel took it.
“Why are you giving me this?””
“Because I don't want anyone else hurt.””
He looked at her for a long moment.
Then he said, “You should have thought about that before you hurt my mother.””
He walked away.
At the storage property, Detective Carter's team had already secured the entrance.
Daniel arrived with Thomas and two officers.
The building was an old industrial warehouse surrounded by rusted fencing.
A single black car stood near the loading bay.
The officers approached with weapons drawn.
“Police! Nobody move!””
A man stepped out of the shadows.
He was thin, dressed in an expensive grey suit, and supported by a silver walking cane.
Daniel stopped.
The man's face was unmistakable.
William Bennett.
His grandfather.
The man who had supposedly been dead for thirty-two years.
William looked at Daniel.
For a moment, his expression softened.
“Danny.””
Daniel didn't move.
“Don't call me that.””
William sighed.
“You look just like your father.””
“Where is the recording?””
William smiled.
“Straight to business. I suppose Robert raised you well.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“You destroyed my family.””
William's smile disappeared.
“I built this family.””
“No. You stole from it.””
William looked toward Detective Carter.
“Are you going to let him speak to me like that?””
She approached.
“Mr. Bennett, you're under investigation for conspiracy, fraud, and attempted murder.””
William laughed.
Then he reached into his coat.
Every officer raised a weapon.
But he only removed a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
It showed Robert and me standing outside our house on the day Daniel was born.
On the back was a handwritten message.
The boy was never supposed to inherit anything.
Daniel stared at it.
William leaned closer.
“Your father made a mistake when he gave everything to you.””
Daniel looked up.
“What do you mean?””
William smiled coldly.
“Because the company was never his to give.””
Then a gunshot rang out from inside the warehouse.
Everyone dropped to the ground.
May you like
And William began laughing.
“Looks like your father has finally arrived.””
