Chapter 7
I drove to my mother’s house with Detective Bennett.
Emily stayed at the hospital with Maria and two officers.
I hated leaving her.
But I needed this to end.
My mother opened the door before we knocked.
Eleanor Mercer looked smaller than I remembered.
Her silver hair was uncombed.
Her eyes were red.
“Daniel.”
I walked past her.
“Where is the memory card?”
She closed the door.
“You won’t even let me explain?”
“You had four years.”
Bennett remained near the entrance.
“Mrs. Mercer, anything you say may become evidence in an active homicide investigation.”
My mother almost laughed.
“Homicide.”
“Yes.”
She looked at me.
“I knew this day would come.”
“Then stop wasting it.”
She walked to the living room.
Family photographs covered the walls.
Rachel smiling beside me.
Michael with his wife and sons.
Emily as a baby.
My father, Charles Mercer, holding both his boys.
My mother stared at his portrait.
“This started with him.”
“His gambling debts.”
Michael had already told us.
Mom nodded.
“Your father made terrible mistakes.”
“Did he steal company money?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“About three million originally.”
“Michael said more.”
“Interest. Threats. Payments. It grew.”
“And the Cole family?”
“Raymond’s father, Victor.”
“Loan shark?”
“Among other things.”
“Why didn’t Dad come to me?”
“He was ashamed.”
“So instead he stole from me.”
“He told himself he would repay it.”
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
My mother flinched.
Good.
I wanted the truth to hurt.
“Where does Vanessa come in?”
“Victor had two children. Raymond and Vanessa.”
“You knew her?”
“Not personally.”
“But you knew who she was when I introduced her as my girlfriend.”
Mom began crying.
“Yes.”
I stared at her.
“You let me marry her.”
“She threatened us.”
“With what?”
“Evidence against your father and Michael.”
“Dad was already dead.”
“She said releasing it would destroy the company.”
“I would have survived.”
“I thought I was protecting the family.”
“You protected a name.”
She lowered her head.
“And Emily paid for it.”
Mom covered her face.
“I never knew Vanessa was hurting her.”
“You never asked.”
“I thought she loved you.”
“You knew she was blackmailing our family.”
“I thought after the marriage she had what she wanted.”
I stared at her in disbelief.
“You thought marrying me to the woman connected to Rachel’s death would make everything better?”
“I didn’t know Vanessa helped kill Rachel.”
“Then tell me about the crash.”
Mom sat down.
Her hands shook.
“Rachel called me from Bellweather.”
“What did she say?”
“She said Michael was there with Vanessa and Raymond. She had evidence of the stolen money. She told me she was leaving.”
“Why were you at Bellweather?”
“I had followed Michael.”
“So you saw Rachel?”
“For a moment.”
“Did you speak to her?”
“No. She ran to her car.”
“Then what?”
“Raymond followed her. Vanessa and Michael followed him. I followed them.”
The room seemed smaller.
Mom continued.
“Rachel was driving too fast. Raymond caught up.”
“And hit her car.”
“Yes.”
“You saw it?”
“Yes.”
My hands clenched.
“The car went through the guardrail.”
“Yes.”
“Then?”
“I stopped farther back. Vanessa and Michael didn’t see me.”
“You watched them go down to Rachel.”
“Yes.”
“What did Raymond do?”
“He pulled her out.”
“Michael said he hit her.”
Mom nodded, crying.
“Once.”
“And you did nothing?”
“I was terrified.”
I felt sick.
“Everyone was terrified except Rachel.”
Mom whispered, “I know.”
“What happened after they left?”
“I ran to her.”
My heart hammered.
“She was conscious?”
“Yes.”
“What did she say?”
“She gave me the memory card.”
“Why?”
“She said, ‘Give this to Daniel.’”
I turned away.
“And you didn’t.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because she told me something else.”
I faced her.
“What?”
Mom’s lips trembled.
“She said Raymond told her the order came from inside the Mercer family.”
I stared at her.
“Michael?”
“She didn’t know.”
“Dad was dead.”
“Yes.”
“You?”
My mother recoiled.
“No!”
“Then who?”
“I didn’t know.”
“Who else is inside our family?”
She looked at my father’s portrait.
Bennett noticed.
“So you believed Charles Mercer may have arranged something before his death?”
Mom nodded.
“That made no sense.”
“It did if Rachel was close to discovering the financial theft before Charles died.”
Mom’s eyes filled with fear.
“Your father knew Rachel was investigating.”
I felt cold.
“He died six months before her.”
“Yes.”
“Are you saying he ordered her death before he died?”
“I don’t know.”
“Where is the memory card?”
She stood.
Went to an antique desk.
Opened a hidden drawer.
Removed a tiny envelope.
Bennett took it with gloved hands.
Evidence technicians arrived within minutes.
We watched from across the room as they copied the card.
There were three videos.
The first showed Rachel’s drive to Bellweather.
The second showed portions of the meeting through the windshield.
The third began after the crash.
We played it.
The camera was tilted.
Rachel had apparently removed the storage module but continued recording through internal backup.
We saw blurry headlights.
Raymond pulling open the driver’s door.
Michael shouting.
Vanessa pacing.
Then Rachel on the ground.
Alive.
Raymond leaned over her.
“You should have taken the warning.”
Rachel coughed.
“Daniel will find out.”
Raymond laughed.
“Daniel doesn’t even know his own family.”
Then he said something that made Mom gasp.
“Your father-in-law paid for the first plan before his heart gave out. We’re just honoring the contract.”
I felt the room spin.
My dead father.
He had put a price on Rachel.
Bennett paused the video.
Mom whispered, “Oh, Charles.”
I felt nothing.
Not grief.
Not anger.
Just emptiness.
We resumed.
Michael grabbed Raymond.
“No one said kill her.”
Raymond pushed him away.
“Your father did.”
“My father is dead!”
“His money isn’t.”
Vanessa stepped between them.
“We need to leave.”
Then headlights appeared.
The approaching truck.
Raymond hit Rachel once with the flashlight.
They fled.
Mom appeared on screen minutes later.
She ran to Rachel.
The audio was weak but clear.
Rachel gave her the memory card.
Then Rachel whispered something.
Mom leaned closer.
“What did she say?” Bennett asked.
My mother stared at the screen.
“She said she had another copy.”
“Where?”
“I didn’t hear.”
The video continued.
Mom called 911.
Then she heard another vehicle.
She ran toward her car, apparently afraid whoever returned might kill her too.
The camera showed only part of the road.
A black sedan stopped.
A person stepped out.
Tall.
Male.
He approached Rachel.
The angle never showed his face.
Rachel seemed to recognize him.
She said one word.
“Uncle?”
I froze.
Bennett looked at me.
“Do you have an uncle?”
“Yes.”
My father’s younger brother.
Robert Mercer.
Chairman emeritus of Mercer Industries.
The man who had taken over after Dad’s heart attack.
The man who signed Rachel’s funeral papers when I couldn’t hold a pen.
The man who told me to take six months away from the company.
The man who currently controlled nine percent of our board.
The video showed Robert kneeling beside Rachel.
His face finally entered the frame.
Mom screamed.
“No.”
Robert touched Rachel’s neck.
Checked her pulse.
Rachel whispered, “Help me.”
Robert looked toward the road.
Then back at her.
What happened next was quiet.
Almost gentle.
He took Rachel’s phone.
Removed something from her coat.
Then leaned close.
“You should have left the family alone.”
He stood.
Walked back to his car.
And drove away.
Rachel was still alive when he left.
Bennett paused.
“He didn’t visibly kill her.”
“No,” I said.
“But he robbed an injured woman and left her.”
“Yes.”
Then the video continued.
Eight minutes later, paramedics arrived.
The recording ended.
Bennett immediately called for Robert’s location.
An officer responded.
“He’s at Mercer Industries headquarters.”
I checked the time.
11:10 a.m.
Thursday.
Board meeting day.
My phone buzzed.
A message from Robert.
I heard about the trouble with Vanessa. Terrible business. Come by the office when you can. Family must stay together.
I nearly threw the phone.
Instead, I showed Bennett.
She said, “Do not respond.”
Then another message arrived.
This one from an unknown number.
A photograph loaded.
Raymond.
Standing outside Emily’s hospital.
My blood stopped.
Text beneath it.
You have one hour to bring Vanessa to the Mercer building.
Or I walk inside.
I called Maria.
“Lock the door.”
“What?”
“Now!”
Bennett was already radioing officers.
“Hospital security, emergency lockdown!”
I heard Maria moving.
Then Emily screamed in the background.
My heart stopped.
“Maria!”
A crash.
The call disconnected.
I ran for the door.
Bennett shouted behind me.
We raced to the car.
Three minutes later, Maria called back.
I answered on the first ring.
“Emily?”
“She’s safe,” Maria gasped.
“What happened?”
“A man tried the door.”
“Raymond?”
“I couldn’t see.”
“Where is he?”
“Gone.”
Bennett received an update.
Hospital cameras had captured the suspect.
Not Raymond.
I looked at the image.
An older man in a dark suit.
Walking away from Emily’s floor.
May you like
My uncle.
Robert Mercer.
