Chapter 9: The Mistress's Final Confession
I couldn't speak.
Vanessa continued crying on the other end of the phone.
“Marcus, please. You have to understand.””
“Understand what?””
“Your mother contacted me before we ever started seeing each other.””
I looked at Officer Brooks.
He was already recording the conversation.
“Why?””
“She said you were unhappy. She said Danielle was controlling you and that you needed someone who understood you.””
I laughed bitterly.
“So she introduced us?””
“No. She didn't introduce us. She arranged for us to meet.””
My stomach tightened.
“Where?””
“At a charity dinner in Atlanta. You were there with your company. Your mother told me which table you would be sitting at.””
I remembered that evening.
I'd been drinking too much.
Vanessa had approached me near the bar.
She'd complimented my presentation, asked about my work, and laughed at every joke I made.
I'd thought it was spontaneous.
It wasn't.
“Why would my mother do that?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“She said she wanted you away from Danielle.””
“Why?””
“Because she believed Danielle was taking control of the family.””
I looked at Danielle.
She was standing across the room, listening.
Her face had gone completely white.
“Vanessa,” I said, “what did my mother promise you?””
“She said she'd help me build a future with you.””
“And the money?””
“She told me about Lily's trust after we started seeing each other.””
I felt disgusted.
“So you knew about my daughter?””
“Of course I knew.””
“Did you know she was sick?””
Vanessa began crying harder.
“Yes.””
“Then why did you help keep me away?””
“Because Patricia told me you were going to leave Danielle anyway. She said one weekend wouldn't change anything.””
“One weekend?””
“She said Lily had a minor infection. She told me Danielle exaggerated everything.””
I gripped the phone.
“My daughter was hospitalized.””
“I know.””
“She was dying.””
“I know!””
Vanessa's voice broke.
“I didn't know it would happen like that.””
I stared at the wall.
“Like what, Vanessa? What did you think would happen?””
She didn't answer.
Officer Brooks leaned closer.
“Ms. Cole, we need you to be specific. Did you send the message to Lily from Mr. Williams's phone?””
Vanessa went silent.
Then she whispered, “Yes.””
Danielle made a choking sound.
I closed my eyes.
“Why?””
“Patricia asked me to.””
“What exactly did she ask you to write?””
“She said Lily had been calling too much. She said you were trying to spend time with me, and the calls were creating problems.””
I couldn't believe it.
“So you wrote that I was tired of my own daughter?””
Vanessa started crying.
“I thought it would stop her calling.””
“She was eight years old!””
“I know!””
“No, you don't know. You don't get to say you know!””
Officer Brooks interrupted.
“Ms. Cole, did you access any other conversations on Mr. Williams's phone?””
“No.””
“Did you delete messages?””
Vanessa hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Which messages?””
“Messages between Patricia and me.””
I looked at Officer Brooks.
He motioned for me to ask another question.
“Why did you delete them?””
“Because I was scared.””
“Of what?””
“She said if Danielle found out, she'd tell everyone I was the reason Lily died.””
The room went silent.
Danielle stepped forward.
“Ask her what happened at the hospital.””
I repeated the question.
“Vanessa, were you at the hospital?””
“No.””
“Did you speak to my mother while Lily was there?””
“Yes.””
“What did she say?””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“She called me Saturday night. She said Lily had gotten worse, but that everything was under control.””
“Did she tell you to keep me away?””
“Yes.””
“How?””
“She said you were with me and that you shouldn't come home until Sunday.””
I felt sick.
“And you agreed?””
“I was selfish.””
At least she had finally said something true.
Officer Brooks asked another question.
“Did Patricia ever tell you why she wanted Marcus away from his daughter?””
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she said something that made the detective sit forward.
“She said Lily had overheard a conversation she wasn't supposed to hear.””
I froze.
“What conversation?””
Vanessa whispered, “A conversation about the trust.””
“Who was there?””
“Patricia. Dr. Reed. And someone else.””
“Who?””
“I don't know his full name.””
“Describe him.””
“He was a tall man. Dark hair. He wore a blue company badge.””
Officer Brooks exchanged a glance with his partner.
“Where did this meeting take place?””
“At Marcus's house.””
“When?””
“About a month ago.””
I turned toward Danielle.
She looked equally confused.
“Did you ever see this man?”” she asked me.
I shook my head.
Vanessa continued.
“Patricia said Lily had walked downstairs while they were talking. She heard them discussing what would happen to her inheritance if she died.””
My throat tightened.
“What did Lily hear?””
“I don't know exactly. But Patricia told me the child was becoming suspicious.””
I remembered the recording.
Grandma, I wasn't telling.
My daughter had been frightened because she knew something was wrong.
Officer Brooks ended the call and immediately contacted his team.
“We need to identify this third individual.””
I stood.
“Could he have been involved with the medication?””
“Possibly. We don't know yet.””
Danielle sat down.
“Marcus, Lily tried to tell us.””
I looked at her.
“She recorded everything.””
“She was terrified.””
Her voice cracked.
“And we weren't there.””
I had no answer.
A few hours later, Officer Brooks called us back to the station.
He had obtained additional footage from a camera outside our house.
The video showed a man entering our property on three separate occasions.
On the first visit, he carried a black briefcase.
On the second, he left holding a folder.
On the third, he arrived with Patricia.
Officer Brooks paused the footage.
“Do either of you recognize him?””
I leaned toward the screen.
At first, I didn't.
Then the man turned toward the camera.
My stomach dropped.
I knew him.
Not from our neighborhood.
Not from the hospital.
From my own company.
His name was *Ethan Price*, my chief financial officer.
He had worked for me for seven years.
He had access to our business accounts, legal documents, and private financial records.
And he had been the person I trusted to handle my grandfather's estate paperwork.
Officer Brooks enlarged the image.
“Mr. Williams, do you know why your company's chief financial officer was visiting your mother?””
I stared at the screen.
Then I remembered something.
Three weeks before Lily died, Ethan had asked me to sign a stack of documents during a late-night meeting.
He'd told me they were routine corporate authorizations.
I'd signed them without reading.
Officer Brooks placed another document on the table.
It was a bank transfer.
A large amount of money had been moved from an account connected to the family trust.
The transfer had been initiated two days before Lily was hospitalized.
The destination account belonged to a company I had never heard of.
*Price Family Holdings LLC.*
I looked at Officer Brooks.
“Who owns that company?””
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned the document toward Danielle.
Her eyes widened.
Because the company's registered owner wasn't Ethan Price.
It was Patricia Williams.
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And beneath her name was a second authorized signatory.
*Dr. Samuel Reed.*
