Chapter 8: The Woman in the Black SUV
Samantha didn't allow Richard to leave the conference room until he had provided a complete written statement and agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
She made no promises about what would happen to him.
Neither did I.
By the time she finished, my daughter had been in the NICU for nearly two days, and I had learned more about my family in forty-eight hours than I had in my entire life.
My mother had tried to escape my father.
My inheritance had disappeared into accounts controlled by him.
My husband's final investigation had led directly to the people who had benefited from that theft.
And Courtney had followed Lucas on the night before he died.
I couldn't stop thinking about the black SUV.
“Did Richard say he actually saw Courtney follow Lucas?”” I asked Samantha as we returned to my room.
“He says he saw her leave the meeting location shortly after Lucas drove away. He believes she followed him, but he didn't see what happened afterward.””
“Why would she follow him?””
“Possibly to find out what evidence he had. But that's only a theory.””
I sat on the edge of the bed.
“Can the police get her phone records?””
“They can seek the appropriate legal process if the evidence justifies it.””
“Then I want them to.””
Samantha sat opposite me.
“We'll provide the statement and the documents. The investigators will determine what further steps are warranted.””
I looked at my hands.
“I keep remembering the way she laughed on the porch.””
Samantha said nothing.
“She watched my father drag me out of my own house. She saw my water break. And she laughed.””
My voice cracked.
“I want to know how someone becomes that cruel.””
“Sometimes people reveal themselves when they believe no one can make them answer for their actions.””
I thought of Courtney's expensive clothes, her perfectly manicured nails, and the way she had treated my home like a property she was inspecting.
“She thought she had already won.””
“Perhaps she believed the transfer would succeed.””
“Then we need to show her she hasn't.””
That afternoon, Samantha returned with an update.
The trust administrator had preserved the electronic access records, and a forensic specialist had identified the device used to download the disputed authorization.
The device was associated with a tablet registered to Courtney.
The download itself didn't prove she had forged my signature or knew about Lucas's death. But it established a connection between her device and the document.
More importantly, the transfer request had been created using a digital certificate assigned to Charles.
The same certificate had been used to submit the recent corporate filing that listed Courtney as the intended beneficiary.
“Can they prove who physically used the device?”” I asked.
“Not yet. The records show which device accessed the system, not necessarily who was holding it. We're asking for additional evidence.””
I nodded.
Then Samantha's phone rang.
She listened for nearly a minute before speaking.
“Understood. Please preserve that recording and provide the chain-of-custody information.””
She ended the call and looked at me.
“The investigators have located a traffic camera near the intersection where Lucas's accident occurred.””
My heart lurched.
“What did it capture?””
“Possibly the black SUV Richard described. The camera doesn't cover the collision itself, but it may establish whether the vehicle was in the area.””
“Was it?””
“They're reviewing the footage.””
I stood.
“I want to see it.””
“Emily, I understand, but the investigators need to review it first. We don't want to compromise their work.””
I hated waiting.
But I had learned something since the porch: anger could make me move quickly, and moving quickly could make it easier for other people to manipulate me.
I sat back down.
“Then tell me as soon as they confirm anything.””
“I will.””
Later, I visited Grace.
Her breathing had improved, and the nurse said she was tolerating her feedings well. I touched her tiny hand and watched her curl her fingers around mine.
“Your daddy was stubborn,” I whispered.
“He would have argued with every doctor in this building if he thought it would help you.””
Grace made a small, sleepy sound.
I smiled through my tears.
“I hope you get his stubbornness.””
For a few minutes, the world felt normal.
Then my phone rang.
An unknown number.
I nearly ignored it, but something made me answer.
“Emily Bennett?””
The woman's voice was unfamiliar.
“Yes. Who is this?””
“My name is Vanessa Price. My father is Daniel Price.””
I gripped the phone.
“The man my mother mentioned?””
There was a long pause.
“Yes. My father has been trying to decide whether to contact you for years. After he saw the news about your husband, he finally told me the whole story.””
“What story?””
“My father drove your mother to meet a lawyer the night she died. He kept something she left in his care.””
I felt the room spin.
“Does he know what happened to her?””
“He believes he does. But he needs to speak with you in person.””
“Where is he?””
“At home. He's eighty-one now, and his health isn't good. He asked me to tell you that he is sorry it took him so long.””
I closed my eyes.
“Can I speak to him?””
“I'll ask him.””
I heard muffled voices on the other end.
Then a frail man's voice came onto the line.
“Emily?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Daniel Price. I knew your mother.””
“What happened to her?””
He exhaled shakily.
“She was frightened that night. She kept checking the mirrors, asking whether anyone was following us. I told her we were safe.””
“Were you?””
“No.””
My stomach tightened.
“Who followed you?””
“Your father.””
I held the phone so tightly that my knuckles hurt.
Daniel continued.
“He was in a black SUV. He followed us from the lawyer's office. When we stopped at a red light, he pulled alongside us and ordered Margaret to get out.””
“What did she do?””
“She told me to drive. She said if I stopped, he'd take the documents.””
“Did you drive away?””
“Yes.””
His voice broke.
“I should have called the police immediately. I should have taken her somewhere safe. Instead, I drove her to a small motel outside town. She said she needed to collect her thoughts and decide what to do next.””
“And then?””
“The following morning, I learned there had been an accident.””
I covered my mouth.
“Was my father involved?””
“I can't prove that. I didn't see the collision. But I saw his vehicle following her, and I saw him leave the motel parking lot shortly before the accident was reported.””
I couldn't speak.
Daniel waited.
Then he said, “Your mother gave me a sealed packet before she left. She told me to deliver it to her lawyer if anything happened to her.””
“Do you still have it?””
“Yes.””
“What is inside?””
“Copies of bank records, letters, and a photograph she took the night she confronted your father.””
“A photograph of what?””
“Your father with a man who had been helping him move the money.””
“Who was the man?””
Daniel took a shaky breath.
“Richard Cole.””
I looked through the glass wall at the hospital corridor.
Richard had admitted helping my father.
But now there was a photograph placing him beside my father on the night my mother tried to escape.
“Can you send it to Samantha?”” I asked.
“I will. But there's something else.””
“What?””
“Your mother told me that if Charles ever came after you, it would mean he'd discovered that the original account records still existed.””
I froze.
“The account records?””
“Yes. She hid the originals somewhere your father would never look. She said the money wasn't the only thing he had stolen.””
“What else did he take?””
Daniel's answer was almost inaudible.
“Your identity, Emily. Before you were old enough to know what it meant.””
The call ended after he promised to contact Samantha.
I sat motionless beside Grace's incubator.
My identity.
I thought of the forged signatures, the company shares, and the accounts opened before I was old enough to sign anything.
What if my father had used my name for years?
What if debts, contracts, and transfers had been recorded under my identity without my knowledge?
What if the reason he wanted control of Lucas's estate wasn't simply greed?
What if he was trying to prevent someone from discovering what he'd done in my name?
Samantha arrived twenty minutes later.
She had received a message from the investigators.
The traffic camera had captured the black SUV near the intersection shortly before the collision.
Its registration belonged to a company associated with Courtney.
But the vehicle's registered owner wasn't the only troubling detail.
The investigators had identified a second vehicle traveling close behind Lucas.
A gray sedan registered to Richard Cole.
Samantha showed me the report.
I stared at the two vehicles listed on the page.
Courtney in the SUV.
Richard in the sedan.
Both near Lucas's route.
Both connected to my father.
“Were they following him?”” I whispered.
“We don't know yet. The footage establishes their presence, not their intentions.””
I looked up.
“Then find out.””
Samantha nodded.
Before she could put her phone away, another message appeared.
This one came from the trust administrator.
The attempted transfer of $850,000 had been only the first request.
A second transaction had been prepared, this time for $2.3 million.
The destination account was different.
And the named beneficiary wasn't Courtney.
May you like
It was me.
Except I had never opened that account.
