Chapter 4: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Daniel stared at his phone.
The caller ID displayed a name that shouldn't have existed.
THOMAS REED.
The ballroom suddenly felt colder.
“Answer it,” I whispered.
Daniel didn't move.
Lauren stepped toward him.
“Daniel, don't.””
He looked at her.
“Why?””
“Because it's probably a prank. Someone is trying to upset you.””
“A prank from a dead man?””
She swallowed.
Michael moved closer.
“Dan, put it on speaker.””
Daniel accepted the call.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, there was only static.
Then a man's voice emerged.
“Daniel Bennett?””
Daniel gripped the phone.
“Who is this?””
“My name is Thomas Reed.””
Lauren covered her mouth.
Daniel looked at me.
“Prove it.””
The man gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
“Your father used to call you Danny Boy. You hated it when you were little. You once threw a sandwich at me because I called you that during a company picnic.””
Daniel's expression changed.
He remembered.
I remembered too.
Thomas had been Robert's closest friend. He used to visit our house on Sundays, bringing expensive chocolates for me and model airplanes for Daniel.
He had disappeared after the accident.
The police had told us his body was recovered from the wreckage.
We had attended a memorial service.
I had cried beside an empty coffin because they told me there was nothing left to identify.
“Where are you?”” Daniel demanded.
“Somewhere safe.””
“Why did everyone say you were dead?””
“Because someone needed me to be.””
Lauren suddenly grabbed her handbag.
Daniel noticed.
“Where are you going?””
“To the bathroom.””
“No.””
She stopped.
“Excuse me?””
“You're staying here.””
She laughed nervously.
“Daniel, I'm not your prisoner.””
He turned back to the phone.
“Thomas, tell me what happened.””
The older man's voice became strained.
“Robert discovered that someone was stealing money from the company. Not small amounts. Millions.””
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“Who?””
“Someone he trusted.””
“Who?””
“Your father was preparing to confront him when the accident happened.””
I felt my knees weaken.
Robert's death had been ruled an accident.
His car had left a wet road during a storm and struck a concrete barrier.
At least, that was what the police had told us.
“Are you saying my father was murdered?”” Daniel asked.
“I'm saying the accident wasn't what it appeared to be.””
I covered my mouth.
Daniel reached for my shoulder.
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“I tried. The people involved had influence. They had money.
They had connections. And after the accident, someone made sure the evidence disappeared.””
“Who was involved?””
Thomas paused.
Then he said, “Your bride knows more than she's telling you.””
Daniel turned toward Lauren.
She shook her head.
“Don't listen to him. He's manipulating you.””
Thomas continued.
“Lauren came to see me six times. She wanted information about Robert's trust. She wanted to know when you would inherit the controlling interest.””
Daniel's face became expressionless.
“Why would she need that information?””
“Because she wasn't the first person to come looking for it.””
“Who was?””
Thomas took a breath.
“Her father.””
Lauren's handbag slipped from her shoulder.
Daniel stared at her.
“Your father?””
Lauren said nothing.
“Lauren, is your father involved in this?””
She finally spoke.
“My father is a businessman. He has nothing to do with your father's death.””
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“Your father was Thomas Caldwell's accountant when Robert was alive. He helped move the stolen money.””
Daniel looked confused.
“Caldwell?””
“My name was Thomas Reed,” the caller explained.
“But the man who helped your father was Richard Caldwell.””
Lauren's father.
The room seemed to tilt.
I gripped the back of my chair.
“Lauren,” I whispered, “is this true?””
She looked at me with open resentment.
“You don't understand anything.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Then explain it.””
“My father made mistakes years ago.””
“Mistakes?””
“He was trying to protect his company!””
“By stealing from mine?””
“Your father's company!””
Daniel's voice rose.
“By getting him killed?””
Lauren's eyes filled with tears.
For one brief moment, I wondered whether she was frightened.
Then she said something that made me understand how little I knew about the woman standing in front of us.
“My father didn't kill Robert Bennett.””
Daniel's face hardened.
“Then who did?””
Lauren looked directly at him.
“He wasn't the one driving the car.””
The silence was suffocating.
Daniel stepped back.
“What are you saying?””
She shook her head.
“I didn't know what would happen. I swear.””
“What happened, Lauren?””
She pressed her hands against her temples.
“My father told me your father was going to destroy everything. He said the company would collapse if Robert exposed the accounts.””
“And?””
“He said someone needed to frighten him.””
My stomach dropped.
“Frighten him?”” I repeated.
Lauren wouldn't look at me.
Daniel's voice became dangerously quiet.
“What did they do?””
She started crying.
“They arranged for someone to follow him. They wanted him to stop digging.””
“Who?””
“I don't know.””
Thomas interrupted.
“I know.””
Everyone turned toward the phone.
“The driver who followed Robert that night was Richard Caldwell's former security chief. His name was Victor Shaw.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Where is he?””
“Dead.””
Daniel looked at Lauren.
“Convenient.””
She shook her head desperately.
“Daniel, please. I didn't arrange anything. I only found out pieces of this recently.””
“Then why did you pursue my father's trust?””
“Because my father told me it was the only way to save us.””
“Save you from what?””
She hesitated.
Then the answer came.
“Debt.””
Daniel stared at her.
“My father owes more money than you can imagine. If he doesn't get access to those shares, everything he owns will be taken.””
“So you married me for the trust?””
“No!””
She stepped toward him.
“I loved you.””
Daniel looked at the photographs in his hand.
“Then why were you meeting Thomas behind my back?””
She began sobbing.
“Because I was trying to find out what your father had left you!””
Thomas's voice interrupted.
“Daniel, there's something else.””
Daniel lifted the phone.
“What?””
“Lauren wasn't the only person looking for the trust. Someone inside your family has been helping her.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
Daniel looked at me.
“Who?””
Thomas answered.
“Your father's original trust administrator.””
Daniel frowned.
“That would be—”
“Your mother, Margaret.””
I stopped breathing.
Daniel turned toward me.
“Mom?””
I shook my head.
“No. Thomas, that's impossible.””
The caller was silent.
Then he said, “Margaret, I'm sorry. But the documents say otherwise.””
Daniel looked down at the photograph in his hand.
For the first time that evening, I saw doubt in his eyes.
May you like
And then Thomas added one final sentence.
“Your mother didn't just inherit the responsibility of protecting Robert's trust. She was given the authority to release it.””
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