Chapter 6: The Witness Who Disappeared
"Robert?""
Nothing.
"Robert, can you hear me?""
A faint scraping sound came through the speaker.
Then a man's voice whispered:
"Stop looking.""
The call disconnected.
Rachel immediately tried calling back.
No answer.
She sent a message requesting confirmation that Robert was safe and that the original documents remained secured.
Then she contacted the authorities to report the suspicious call.
I stood in the middle of my father's office, staring at my phone.
"Someone is threatening him.""
"Possibly," Rachel replied.
"But we need to avoid assumptions. We have enough reason to request protection for the evidence.""
I looked toward Lily.
She had fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from the hearing.
Her teddy bear rested against her cheek.
I walked over and placed my jacket over her.
Then I turned back to Rachel.
"Who witnessed the revocation?""
"We'll find out through the records.""
"But Robert was about to tell us.""
"I know.""
She opened her laptop and began making calls.
Within an hour, we had confirmation that Robert's office had been accessed remotely earlier that afternoon.
The access had originated from a company network belonging to Daniel.
Rachel forwarded the information to the investigating authorities.
Then she received an email from an unfamiliar address.
There was no greeting.
Just a scanned document.
The heading read:
*LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ARTHUR BENNETT — FINAL AMENDMENT.*
My father's name.
His signature.
And a handwritten instruction at the bottom.
No member of the family is to receive this document until Marcus has personally verified its contents.
I leaned toward the screen.
"That's his handwriting.""
Rachel enlarged the document.
The amendment revoked Daniel's authority over Lily's trust and named me as its sole guardian.
But the final paragraph was even more important.
It referred to an attached medical statement concerning my father's condition before his stroke.
Rachel read it twice.
"Marcus, this could be significant.""
"What does it say?""
"Your father believed someone had been administering medication to him without his knowledge.""
I felt sick.
The document didn't identify anyone.
But it referenced a witness.
A nurse.
Her name was written beneath the physician's signature.
*Emily Carter.*
I recognized the name.
Emily had worked at the private hospital where my father received treatment.
She had been particularly kind to Lily.
On one visit, she'd brought my daughter a small coloring book and sat with her while I spoke to the doctors.
I remembered my father holding her hand.
At the time, I thought he was simply thanking her.
Now I wondered whether he had been trying to tell her something.
Rachel searched the public professional directory and found an address associated with Emily.
"She left the hospital eight months ago," Rachel said.
"Can we contact her?""
"Yes. But we'll do it through proper channels.""
She drafted a formal request for an interview and sent it to the investigating attorney.
Meanwhile, I received another message from an unknown number.
*You have the wrong witness. Emily was never the one who signed the statement.*
I showed Rachel.
She frowned.
"Whoever is sending these messages knows details from the estate records.""
"Could it be Daniel?""
"Possibly. Or someone with access to the same files.""
A second message arrived.
*Find the woman who worked the night shift. She kept the original medication log.*
Rachel immediately photographed the message and forwarded it to the authorities.
Then she called Emily's former hospital.
After several transfers, she reached a supervisor who agreed to pass along a request for contact.
We waited.
At 8:26 p.m., my phone rang.
An unfamiliar woman spoke.
"Is this Marcus Bennett?""
"Yes.""
"My name is Emily Carter.""
I stood up.
"Thank you for calling. I'm trying to understand what happened to my father.""
There was a long silence.
Then she asked:
"Are you somewhere private?""
"I'm with my attorney.""
"Good. I was hoping you'd say that.""
Rachel moved closer.
Emily continued.
"Your father asked me to keep a copy of his medication records. He told me he didn't trust the people visiting him.""
My heart began racing.
"Who was visiting him?""
"Your wife. Your brother. Sometimes both.""
"Did you see anything unusual?""
Emily took a breath.
"On three separate nights, I noticed that the medication listed in his chart didn't match what was being administered.""
Rachel began writing.
"Did you report it?""
"I reported the discrepancy. The hospital said it was a documentation error.""
"Who told you that?""
"The supervising physician.""
"Did you believe him?""
Emily's voice became quieter.
"No.""
I closed my eyes.
"What happened next?""
"I was told to stop asking questions. Two days later, I was removed from your father's care.""
"Why?""
"They said I had violated patient confidentiality.""
Rachel leaned toward the phone.
"Ms. Carter, do you still have the original records?""
"Yes.""
"Are you willing to provide them to the appropriate investigators?""
"Yes. But there's something you need to understand.""
I gripped the phone.
"What?""
"Your father wasn't just afraid of your brother.""
I glanced at Lily, still sleeping.
"Who else?""
Emily hesitated.
Then she said:
"He was afraid of someone inside the hospital. Someone who had access to his prescriptions and medical records.""
Rachel asked for the person's name.
Emily didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she said, "I have a copy of the original medication log. But before I hand it over, I need to tell you what happened the night your father died.""
My throat tightened.
"What happened?""
"I was working that night, even though I wasn't assigned to his room.""
"Why?""
"Because I received a phone call from your father earlier that evening.""
I stared at the wall.
"My father called you?""
"Yes. He was barely able to speak, but he managed to tell me one thing.""
"What?""
Emily's voice cracked.
"He said, 'If anything happens to me, tell Marcus that the person he trusts most is the one who opened the door.''"
I felt my blood run cold.
Rachel slowly stopped writing.
"What door?"" I asked.
Emily began crying.
"The medication room.""
May you like
Then she whispered the name of the person who had entered it that night.
*"Marcus, it was your wife.""*
