Chapter 15: The Secret Rachel Left Behind
I couldn't stop looking at the appointment book.
Emma.
My stepdaughter.
The little girl who had been seven years old when Rachel died.
The same girl who now sat upstairs in my home, frightened that her biological father would abandon her.
"Why would Rachel arrange a meeting with Emma?"" I asked.
Evelyn closed the book.
"She may have wanted to tell her the truth about Daniel.""
"She was seven.""
"Rachel believed children deserved age-appropriate honesty, especially when adults were making decisions that affected their lives.""
I stared at the recorder.
"Did Rachel tell you what photograph she wanted to bring?""
"No.""
"Could it have been the photograph of Daniel and Tara?""
"Possibly.""
I stood.
"I need to talk to Emma.""
Evelyn nodded.
"But Marcus, don't pressure her. If Rachel spoke to her before the accident, she may remember something.""
I drove home.
Tara was sitting in the living room when I entered.
She looked exhausted.
"Where have you been?""
"With Evelyn.""
She stood.
"Did you find something?""
I watched her face.
"Rachel had an appointment with Emma the night she died.""
Tara froze.
For several seconds, she didn't speak.
Then she said, "That's impossible.""
"Why?""
"Emma was a child.""
"Rachel wanted to talk to her about Daniel.""
Tara turned away.
"Marcus, leave Emma out of this.""
"Why?""
"Because she's already been through enough.""
I stared at her.
"That's interesting. You didn't seem concerned about what she'd been through when you let Daniel manipulate her.""
Tara's eyes filled.
"Please.""
I walked upstairs.
Emma was sitting at her desk.
She looked up when I entered.
"Is everything okay?""
I sat on the edge of her bed.
"Emma, I need to ask you something about Rachel.""
Her expression changed.
"Mom's Rachel?""
I nodded.
"Do you remember meeting her shortly before the accident?""
Emma frowned.
"I don't know.""
"Did she ever give you something?""
She looked at her desk.
Then she opened the bottom drawer.
Inside was a small wooden box.
"I kept this.""
She placed it on the bed.
I recognized the handwriting on the lid.
For Emma.
My hands began to tremble.
"Where did you get this?""
"Mom gave it to me after Rachel died. She said it was something Rachel had wanted me to have.""
I opened the box.
Inside was a silver keychain shaped like a little star.
And beneath it was a photograph.
Rachel stood beside a seven-year-old Emma.
They were smiling.
On the back, Rachel had written:
You deserve to know the truth, sweetheart. None of this is your fault.
I stared at the photograph.
"Do you remember when this was taken?""
Emma nodded slowly.
"At Grandma's house.""
"Did Rachel talk to you?""
"Yes.""
"What did she say?""
Emma looked down.
"She said my dad wasn't a bad person because he didn't love me.""
I swallowed.
"Did she tell you who he was?""
Emma nodded.
"She said it was Uncle Daniel.""
I closed my eyes.
"Did she say anything else?""
Emma hesitated.
"She said he was making some very bad choices, and that sometimes people did terrible things because they were afraid of losing what they had.""
I felt my throat tighten.
"Did she mention Lily?""
Emma nodded.
"She said Lily and I were sisters, and nobody should ever make us fight over money.""
I looked at the photograph again.
Rachel had understood everything.
She'd known that Daniel would use Emma against Lily.
And she had tried to prevent it.
"Did she give you anything else?""
Emma looked toward the box.
"There's a letter.""
She reached beneath the fabric lining and pulled out a folded envelope.
It was addressed to me.
My name was written in Rachel's handwriting.
I couldn't breathe.
I opened it carefully.
Marcus,
If this reaches you, then I wasn't able to explain everything myself.
Please don't let the girls become victims of what the adults have done.
Daniel is not the only person responsible for the missing money. I have discovered that someone has been using your identity to authorize transfers.
I don't know how long this has been happening.
But I know the person has access to our home.
I stopped reading.
The person had access to our home.
Tara.
I continued.
I wanted to tell you everything, but I needed proof. I asked Evelyn to preserve the documents.
There is one thing I haven't told anyone.
Your father didn't leave the company to Lily simply because he wanted her to inherit money.
He left it to her because he knew what Daniel would eventually become.
My hands trembled.
And Marcus, if you ever discover that Tara has been helping him, don't assume she is doing it for money alone.
I looked up.
Emma was watching me.
"What's wrong?""
I shook my head.
"Nothing, sweetheart.""
But there was something else.
A final paragraph.
The person who helped Daniel obtain access to the trust is the same person who arranged for me to meet him on the night I died.
I read the sentence again.
Then I noticed the last line.
Ask Tara who gave her the keys to my car.
I lowered the letter.
My wife had access to Rachel's car.
The accident report had never identified who was following Rachel.
And my mother had said Tara was in Daniel's vehicle that night.
I stood.
"Emma, stay here.""
I walked downstairs.
Tara was in the kitchen, washing a glass.
I placed Rachel's letter on the counter.
"Who gave you the keys to Rachel's car?""
The glass slipped from Tara's hand.
It shattered against the sink.
She turned toward me.
"Why are you asking that?""
"Answer the question.""
She backed away.
"I don't remember.""
"Rachel's letter says you had access to her car.""
Tara stared at the paper.
Then she began shaking her head.
"Marcus, please.""
"Did you drive her car that night?""
"No.""
"Did you give Daniel the keys?""
She started crying.
"Please don't do this.""
I stepped closer.
"Did you?""
Tara covered her mouth.
Then she whispered:
"Daniel said he only wanted to look through her belongings.""
I felt cold.
"What belongings?""
"Her briefcase.""
"Why?""
"Because he believed she had taken the original will.""
I stared at her.
"Did you give him the keys?""
She nodded.
I took a step backward.
"Did you know Rachel was driving that night?""
Tara began sobbing.
"I didn't know what he was going to do.""
"That's not what I asked.""
"He said he wanted to scare her into giving him the documents.""
I felt my stomach turn.
"Did you know he was following her?""
"Yes.""
"Did you know you were in his car?""
She nodded.
"Did you know he was going to follow her all the way to the highway?""
Tara sank into a chair.
"I didn't think it would happen like that.""
I stared at her.
"Like what?""
She looked up.
Her eyes were red.
"Marcus, Rachel's car was already damaged.""
I stopped breathing.
"What?""
Tara covered her face.
"Daniel said he'd tampered with something earlier. He wanted her to stop and talk to him.""
I gripped the counter.
"What did he tamper with?""
"I don't know.""
"You were there!""
"I was in the car!""
I felt something rise in my throat.
"Rachel died.""
Tara began crying uncontrollably.
"I know.""
"You knew he had damaged her car, and you still got into that vehicle with him?""
She didn't answer.
I stepped away.
For two years, I'd shared a home with a woman who knew something about my wife's death.
She had watched me raise Lily.
She had watched my daughter cry herself to sleep.
And she had sat at the dinner table while telling Lily she wasn't family.
I couldn't look at her anymore.
I called Evelyn.
She answered immediately.
"I need you to come to my house.""
"What happened?""
"Tara just admitted Daniel tampered with Rachel's car before the accident.""
There was a long silence.
Then Evelyn spoke carefully.
"Marcus, don't let either of them leave. I'm contacting the authorities.""
I looked at Tara.
She was staring at the broken glass.
Then she whispered something.
"There's something else.""
I closed my eyes.
"What now?""
She looked up.
"Rachel didn't die immediately.""
I felt the blood drain from my face.
"What?""
"After the crash, Daniel stopped the car.""
I stared at her.
"Then why didn't he help her?""
Tara started crying again.
"Because Rachel was still alive. She was trying to reach for something in the passenger seat.""
"What?""
"A small recorder.""
I felt my hands go numb.
Tara continued.
"Daniel took it. He said it contained evidence that would destroy him.""
I stared at her.
"Where is it?""
She looked toward the front door.
"I don't know.""
Then she whispered the words that changed everything.
"But I remember what Rachel said before Daniel drove away.""
I couldn't speak.
Tara looked directly into my eyes.
"She said, 'Marcus already knows who did this.''"
My heart stopped.
Because I hadn't known.
I hadn't known anything.
And if Rachel had said those words while she was dying, then someone had convinced her that I was part of what happened.
Someone had made my wife believe that the man she loved had betrayed her.
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And suddenly, I realized the biggest question wasn't why Daniel wanted Rachel dead.
It was who had told Rachel that I was the one she couldn't trust.
