Chapter 6: The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
“That's impossible,” I whispered.
The facility manager shifted nervously.
“She insists she knows you personally. She says her name is Margaret Cole.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Dad, we need to call the police.””
“We will,” I replied.
“But first, I want to see her.””
Helen had told me not to confront anyone alone, and I wasn't going to ignore her advice. I asked the security guard to remain beside us and called my attorney before we left the storage unit.
When I explained that a woman claiming to be Richard's widow had appeared, Helen went silent.
Then she said, “Frank, do not let her take any documents. I'll meet you there with a colleague.””
Twenty minutes later, we entered the facility's front office.
A woman sat in a plastic chair beside the reception desk. She wore a gray coat, dark sunglasses, and a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck.
Her hair had turned almost completely white.
But when she stood, I recognized the way she held her shoulders.
Margaret.
She removed her sunglasses.
“Hello, Frank.””
My mouth went dry.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I managed, “I attended your funeral.””
She lowered her gaze.
“I know.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Who are you?””
Margaret looked at him carefully.
“You must be Daniel. You were only a little boy when I last saw you.””
He stared at her.
“Why does everyone keep telling me things I don't know?””
“Because the people around you have been lying for years.””
I felt anger rise through my shock.
“You were declared dead. There was a funeral. Your daughter—”
“Brittany knows I'm alive.””
The words struck harder than I expected.
I looked at Daniel.
He appeared just as stunned.
“Brittany knew her mother was alive?”” he asked.
Margaret nodded.
“She found me two years ago.””
“Then why did she tell me her mother died?””
“Because I asked her to.””
“Why?””
Margaret took a shaky breath.
“Because I was afraid.””
I folded my arms.
“Afraid of whom?””
She glanced at the security guard, then at the documents in my hand.
“Michael Hayes. And Thomas Reed.””
I felt my pulse quicken.
“What happened to Richard?””
Margaret closed her eyes.
“I don't know every detail. But I know he discovered that Michael and Thomas were diverting money from the company. He confronted them, and three days later, he was gone.””
“Are you saying they killed him?””
“I'm saying I never believed his death was an accident.””
Daniel dragged a hand through his hair.
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“I did. They found nothing conclusive. Then someone broke into my house, took Richard's papers, and left a note saying my daughter would be next.””
Margaret's voice cracked.
“I was terrified. I left Atlanta and built a life under another name. I thought distance would keep Brittany safe.””
“But you contacted her two years ago,” Daniel said.
“Yes.””
“And she kept it secret from me?””
Margaret looked at him with something close to pity.
“She had reasons.””
“What reasons?””
Margaret hesitated.
Then she turned to me.
“Frank, did you find the ledger?””
I tightened my grip on the documents.
“How do you know about the ledger?””
“Because Richard told me he had left a copy with you. He believed Michael would eventually come looking for it.””
I thought of Eleanor's hidden key.
She must have known more than she had told me.
Perhaps she had spent years protecting a secret she believed would destroy the family if it ever came into the open.
Margaret continued.
“The ledger proves that money was transferred through several accounts. But the most important evidence isn't in that book.””
She reached into her coat and removed a small envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Richard standing outside a roadside diner.
He looked older than I remembered, his face thinner, his hair longer.
On the back was a date from two years after his supposed death.
Daniel took the photograph.
“That's my wife's father.””
“Yes,” Margaret said.
“I believe Richard survived the accident.””
The room seemed to tilt around me.
“You believe he's alive?””
“I received this photograph anonymously. The person who sent it wrote one sentence: He is waiting for the right time to come home.”
I stared at Richard's face.
If he had survived, why had he never contacted me?
Why had he allowed his wife and daughter to believe he was dead?
And why had someone gone to such lengths to erase him?
Margaret leaned closer.
“Frank, I came here because I heard Michael was trying to get your house. If he obtains the original company documents, he can destroy the evidence connecting him to the missing money.””
I thought of Brittany's demand that I transfer ownership.
The stolen funds.
The threatening message.
The man in the dark sedan.
Everything was beginning to fit together, but one piece remained horribly wrong.
“Why did Brittany stage an assault?”” I asked.
“Why make Daniel believe I attacked her?””
Margaret looked down at her hands.
“Because Michael told her that if you refused to sign, he would make sure Daniel lost everything.””
Daniel's voice rose.
“That's not an explanation! She could have talked to me!””
“She didn't trust you to believe her,” Margaret said.
He stared at her.
“Why wouldn't I believe my own wife?””
Margaret's expression softened.
“Because she knew that when it came to your father, you would choose him.””
Daniel went pale.
The truth of that statement was unbearable.
He had chosen Brittany without asking a single question. He had struck me because he had believed her tears were proof.
Now, for the first time, he seemed to understand how easily his anger had been manipulated.
“I hurt my father,” he whispered.
Margaret didn't answer.
Neither did I.
There was no excuse that could erase what he had done.
Helen arrived with another attorney shortly afterward. She examined the documents, photographed the ledger, and arranged for the original records to be secured.
She also advised us to report the suspicious withdrawals and preserve every recording from my security camera.
As we prepared to leave, Margaret caught my arm.
“Frank, there's something else you need to know.””
I turned.
“Tell me.””
She looked directly into my eyes.
“Richard didn't disappear because of the money alone. He discovered that someone inside your family had been helping Michael.””
I felt cold spread through my chest.
“Who?””
Margaret opened her mouth.
Before she could answer, Daniel's phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
It was Brittany.
He answered on speaker.
“Where are you?”” he demanded.
Her voice came through in broken whispers.
“Daniel, please. You have to listen to me. Michael is here.””
Daniel straightened.
“Where?””
“At the house. He has a gun.””
My blood turned to ice.
Then Brittany said something that made Margaret cover her mouth.
“He says if Dad doesn't hand over the ledger, he's going to kill him.””
A loud crash came through the phone.
Then Michael's voice.
“Tell Frank he has thirty seconds.””
The call ended.
Daniel was already running toward the exit when Helen shouted for him to stop.
But I was moving, too.
Because I knew Michael.
And if he had finally decided to threaten his own family with a gun, it meant one thing.
May you like
Whatever was written in that ledger was dangerous enough to make him kill again.
And this time, he wasn't going to let anyone walk away.
