Chapter 12: The Truth Behind Thomas's Death
Nobody moved.
Daniel stood with the phone pressed against his ear long after Richard had disconnected.
Then he slowly lowered it.
"He's got Tiffany.""
I looked at my son.
"Did Richard say where she is?""
"No.""
James took out his phone.
"I'm contacting the authorities.""
Eleanor stood abruptly.
"Wait. If Richard has Tiffany, we need to be careful.""
Daniel turned toward her.
"Why should we listen to you?""
"Because I know how Richard thinks.""
She opened her handbag and removed a small notebook.
"I kept records of every conversation I had with him. I never trusted him completely.""
James looked surprised.
"You've been documenting him?""
Eleanor nodded.
"I began doing it after Thomas died. I knew something was wrong with the company accounts, but Richard had convinced me that the transfers were temporary.""
She handed James the notebook.
"These are the dates and amounts. There are also several telephone numbers.""
James flipped through the pages.
Then he stopped.
"Where did you get this number?""
Eleanor pointed.
"Richard's private office.""
James looked at me.
"This could help investigators establish the connection between the accounts.""
Daniel wasn't listening.
He was staring at the floor.
"Mom, we have to get Tiffany back.""
I looked at him.
"She's your wife.""
He nodded.
"But after tonight, I don't know if she'll still be.""
I placed my hand on his shoulder.
"Whatever happens, we don't let Richard hurt anyone else.""
Helen arrived twenty minutes later.
She examined the documents, contacted the bank's fraud department, and arranged for the original trust agreement to be reported as stolen.
Then she looked at Daniel.
"Do not meet Richard alone. Do not hand over the ledger. And do not make any promises.""
Daniel nodded.
But I could see the determination in his eyes.
He was thinking about Tiffany.
Despite everything she had done, he still wanted to protect her.
Helen took me aside.
"Margaret, there's something I need to tell you privately.""
We moved into the hallway.
She lowered her voice.
"Thomas left another letter with me. He instructed me to give it to you only if Richard returned.""
She removed a sealed envelope from her briefcase.
My name was written across it.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
I opened it.
My darling Margaret,
If Richard has returned, then the danger I feared has finally reached our family.
There is something I never told you about the night I suffered my first heart attack.
I stopped reading.
The first heart attack.
Thomas had told me it was exhaustion. He had come home late from the office, complained of chest pain, and collapsed in the kitchen.
The doctors had said it was a cardiac event.
I had never questioned it.
I continued.
Richard came to see me at the hospital. He told me he had documents proving I had transferred the company to him. He threatened to destroy everything I had built.
I refused.
Three days later, I became seriously ill again.
My hands began trembling.
I read the final paragraph.
I don't believe my second collapse was an accident. I cannot prove it, but I fear Richard has been trying to silence me.
I covered my mouth.
Helen gently touched my arm.
"Margaret?""
I couldn't speak.
Thomas had been afraid.
And I had spent six years believing his final days had been peaceful.
I looked at the letter again.
There was something written beneath his signature.
A short sentence.
Ask Daniel what he saw in the hospital corridor.
I turned toward my son.
"Daniel.""
He approached.
"What?""
I held out the letter.
He read the sentence.
His expression changed immediately.
"Mom...""
"What did you see?""
He looked toward Helen.
Then toward James.
Finally, he whispered, "I saw Uncle Richard leaving Dad's hospital room with a medical bag.""
I felt the floor disappear beneath me.
"A medical bag?""
Daniel nodded.
"I asked him what he was doing there. He said he had brought Dad some paperwork.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because he said Dad had asked him to come. And because when I entered the room, Dad was sleeping.""
I gripped his arm.
"Did you tell the doctors?""
"No.""
"Did you see the bag again?""
Daniel hesitated.
"Yes. It was in the hallway near the nurses' station.""
Helen immediately took out her phone.
"Daniel, are you certain?""
"I remember it because there was a red medical cross on the side.""
James opened his notebook.
"Do you remember the date?""
Daniel closed his eyes.
"March seventeenth. The day before Dad died.""
Helen looked at him.
"That's important.""
She stepped away and made a call.
A few minutes later, she returned.
"The hospital still retains certain archived medical records. I'll request the relevant documentation through the appropriate legal channels.""
I looked at Thomas's letter.
"Do you think Richard killed my husband?""
Helen didn't answer immediately.
"I think your husband believed his death might not have been natural. But we need evidence before drawing conclusions.""
My phone suddenly vibrated.
A message had arrived from an unknown number.
There was a photograph attached.
Tiffany was sitting in a chair in what looked like an empty warehouse. Her hands were tied in front of her.
Her face was bruised.
Beneath the photograph was a message.
*MIDNIGHT. BRING THE BLUE LEDGER. COME ALONE.*
Daniel made a choking sound.
He grabbed the phone.
"Tiffany!""
Another message arrived.
This one contained a short video.
Tiffany looked directly into the camera.
"Daniel, please. Don't bring the ledger. Your mother needs to know the truth.""
A man stepped into the frame.
Richard.
He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Tell him what you told me.""
Tiffany began crying.
"Daniel, your father didn't die because of his heart.""
Richard smiled at the camera.
Then he leaned toward Tiffany and whispered something.
She closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, she looked directly into the lens.
"Your father was poisoned.""
The video ended.
Daniel stumbled backward.
I felt my entire body go numb.
Helen immediately contacted the police.
But before she could finish explaining the situation, my phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
"Mrs. Bennett, this is Detective Samuel Carter with the Savannah Police Department.""
"Yes?""
"We've received information regarding your husband's death six years ago. There's something you need to understand.""
I held my breath.
"What?""
The detective paused.
"We've identified the physician who signed the final medical report.""
"Who was it?""
His answer shattered what little peace I had left.
"Dr. Richard Bennett.""
I stared at the phone.
"Richard wasn't a doctor.""
The detective's voice became firm.
"Exactly, Mrs. Bennett. That's why we're reopening the investigation.""
And then he added:
"Because the physician who actually treated your husband has just come forward. He says Thomas was conscious when someone entered his hospital room that night.""
I gripped the edge of the table.
"Who entered the room?""
The detective answered.
"Your son, Daniel Bennett.""
Daniel looked up sharply.
"That's a lie!""
But the detective continued.
"And Mrs. Bennett, there's surveillance footage to support his statement.""
I stared at my son.
The man I had raised.
May you like
The boy Thomas had loved more than anything.
And suddenly, I had no idea what had happened in that hospital room six years ago.
