Chapter 12: The Witness Who Lied
The name on the document stared back at me.
I couldn’t believe it.
“Who is it?””
Mr. Collins looked at the signature.
“It’s Richard Parker.””
My mother froze.
My uncle.
Sarah’s older brother.
The man who gave the speech at her wedding.
The man who hugged Daniel after Sarah died.
I felt numb.
“No.””
My mother shook her head.
“Richard would never do that.””
Mr. Collins looked at her.
“Then we need to find out why his signature is here.””
Daniel remained silent.
Too silent.
That bothered me.
I watched his face carefully.
He wasn’t shocked.
He wasn’t confused.
He looked like someone watching a plan fall apart.
“Daniel.””
He looked at me.
“Did you know?””
His jaw tightened.
“No.””
But nobody believed him.
Mr. Collins gathered the papers.
“We need to verify this with a handwriting expert.””
My mother looked devastated.
“How many people knew?””
Nobody answered.
Because that was the terrifying part.
Sarah had spent her final months surrounded by people she loved.
And one by one, they were becoming suspects.
Rachel looked at me.
“Sarah told me something else.””
I turned.
“What?””
“She said if the house documents were discovered, you needed to find Richard.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
Rachel looked toward Daniel.
“Because she believed he knew where the original documents were.””
Daniel immediately reacted.
“Enough.””
Everyone looked at him.
He pointed at Rachel.
“You’re just repeating a dead woman’s fears.””
I stepped forward.
“Careful.””
He looked at me.
“Or what?””
I stared at him.
“Or everyone remembers exactly who you are.””
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Daniel’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
He quickly rejected the call.
But Mr. Collins noticed.
“Who was that?””
“No one.””
The phone rang again.
This time, the screen was visible.
Unknown number.
Daniel looked nervous.
I reached out.
“Answer it.””
He didn’t move.
“Daniel.””
My voice was firm.
“Answer it.””
After several seconds, he picked up.
“Hello?””
Nobody could hear the person on the other end.
But Daniel’s expression changed.
His eyes widened.
“What?””
A pause.
“That’s impossible.””
He looked toward the window.
Then whispered:
“You said he was gone.””
Everyone froze.
Mr. Collins stepped closer.
“Who?””
Daniel ended the call.
Nobody spoke.
I stared at him.
“You said ‘he.’”
Daniel looked away.
“Emily.””
“No.””
My heart was pounding.
“Who did you think was gone?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Then his phone received a message.
One sentence.
He looked at it.
And the color disappeared from his face.
Mr. Collins asked:
“What does it say?””
Daniel slowly lowered the phone.
I saw the fear in his eyes.
The message was simple.
*“Sarah’s brother remembers everything.””*
My blood ran cold.
Because Sarah’s brother wasn’t Richard.
Not the one everyone knew.
Sarah had another brother.
May you like
A brother nobody had mentioned in years.
And Daniel knew exactly who he was.
