Chapter 17: Anthony's Evidence
Robert gripped his cane.
"Anthony, this is not the place.""
Anthony removed his coat and placed it over a chair.
"Actually, Father, this is exactly the place.""
The room became silent.
I stared at him.
"Father?""
Anthony looked at me.
"Yes. Robert raised me, but Henry was my biological father.""
Daniel stepped forward.
"Did you know about us?""
Anthony nodded.
"I knew about Thomas. I knew about Daniel. I discovered Samuel five years ago.""
Samuel looked surprised.
"How?""
"Henry contacted me before he died. He told me he had finally decided to reveal everything.""
I swallowed.
"Why didn't you come to us?""
Anthony's expression softened.
"Because he asked me to wait until he could arrange a meeting. Then he died before he could explain the entire situation.""
Robert struck the floor with his cane.
"Enough.""
Anthony turned toward him.
"You've controlled this family for long enough.""
Robert's face reddened.
"You owe everything you have to me.""
Anthony gave a bitter laugh.
"I owe you nothing.""
He reached into his briefcase and removed a thick folder.
Inside were photographs, financial statements, and several medical documents.
He placed them in front of Roy.
"This is what Robert has been hiding.""
Roy examined the first page.
"What am I looking at?""
"Payments made to hospital employees, legal firms, and private investigators between 1987 and 2005.""
Daniel leaned over.
"Why were investigators paid?""
Anthony looked at Robert.
"To locate Patricia's relatives, monitor Henry, and make sure nobody connected the twins to the Dawson inheritance.""
I stared at the records.
"Who authorized these payments?""
Anthony pointed toward the bottom of each page.
Robert Dawson.
The signature appeared repeatedly.
I felt my stomach turn.
"How could one man control so much?""
Anthony answered quietly.
"Because he controlled the money, the lawyers, and the people who were supposed to protect the family.""
Robert stood.
"Those documents were stolen.""
Anthony didn't move.
"They were given to me by your former accountant.""
"You have no idea what you're doing.""
"I know exactly what I'm doing.""
Anthony removed another envelope.
"This contains the original medical report from Patricia's hospital stay.""
Evelyn, who had just entered the sitting room, stopped abruptly.
"That's impossible.""
Anthony looked at her.
"Your mother gave it to me.""
Evelyn approached slowly.
"She told me she destroyed everything.""
"She lied.""
Anthony opened the envelope.
The report contained several handwritten notes.
One was dated October 16, 1987.
The nurse had documented a sudden change in Patricia's condition after medication was administered.
Another note mentioned an unauthorized dosage adjustment.
And a third named Vivian Carter.
Evelyn covered her mouth.
"My mother...""
Anthony looked at her.
"She confessed to me before she became ill.""
"Did she say who ordered her to do it?""
Anthony nodded.
"Robert.""
Robert struck the floor with his cane again.
"That woman was unstable!""
Anthony looked directly at him.
"She was terrified of you.""
Robert turned toward me.
"Margaret, you need to understand. I did what was necessary to protect the Dawson family.""
I stared at him.
"Patricia was a young mother.""
"She was a threat.""
"She had two newborn babies.""
"She was trying to take control of Henry's inheritance.""
I stepped forward.
"You let a woman die because you were afraid she might ask for help?""
Robert's expression hardened.
"She should have known her place.""
Daniel suddenly moved toward him.
Roy caught his shoulder.
"Daniel. Don't.""
Daniel's voice trembled.
"You let Thomas push me down the stairs. You helped hide it. You let my mother spend twenty years thinking she had lost her family.""
Robert looked at him.
"Your father made those decisions.""
"Because you taught him to.""
For the first time, Robert had no answer.
Anthony placed another document on the table.
"This is the most important one.""
It was a trust agreement dated 1987.
The document showed that Robert had established a secret inheritance for Anthony.
But there was another beneficiary.
Margaret Dawson.
I looked at the page.
"Why is my name here?""
Anthony pointed to a clause.
"Because Henry transferred his ownership shares into a family trust. You were supposed to become its administrator if he died.""
Robert shook his head.
"That trust was never valid.""
Anthony handed Roy a second page.
"It was registered. And the original documents are still on file.""
Roy studied the signatures.
"Looks legitimate to me.""
Robert's face turned red.
"Henry had no right!""
Anthony leaned closer.
"He had every right. It was his company.""
Then he removed a small digital recorder.
"This is the final piece.""
Robert went completely still.
Anthony pressed play.
Henry's voice filled the room.
"If you're hearing this, Robert, then I am gone. I want the truth known. I want Margaret and all my children to know what happened.""
A second voice answered.
Robert.
"You'll destroy everything.""
Henry replied:
"Everything was already destroyed when you decided our family belonged to you.""
The recording continued.
Robert's voice became quieter.
"Patricia should never have become involved.""
Henry answered:
"She was the mother of my children.""
Then Robert said something that made Anthony stop the recording.
"She wasn't the only woman I paid to keep quiet.""
I looked at him.
"What did he mean?""
Anthony's face was pale.
He turned toward Robert.
"Tell them.""
Robert said nothing.
Anthony continued.
"Henry wasn't the only person in this family who had fathered children outside marriage.""
Daniel frowned.
"What does that have to do with anything?""
Anthony opened the folder to the final page.
It contained a list of names.
Five women.
Five birth dates.
And beside each name was a payment record.
I counted the entries.
There were four other children.
Four more potential Dawson heirs.
Samuel looked at Anthony.
"Are you saying we have more siblings?""
Anthony nodded.
"Yes.""
Then he pointed to the final name.
"One of them is the reason Robert ordered Patricia's death.""
I looked down.
The name was familiar.
I had heard it before.
It belonged to a woman who had attended Henry's funeral.
A woman who had cried beside Thomas.
May you like
A woman who had insisted that Margaret Dawson had abandoned her family.
*Evelyn Dawson.*
