Chapter 5: The Call He Never Mentioned
I didn't show Daniel the message.
I wanted to see whether he'd volunteer the truth.
Instead, I slipped my phone into my pocket and studied the man who had been my closest friend for nearly twenty years.
“Why were you the last person Emily called?””
Daniel's face tightened.
“Who told you that?””
“So it's true?””
He glanced toward Vanessa.
She shook her head almost imperceptibly.
That tiny movement told me they were still communicating without words, just as they had been in the hallway.
“Answer me,” I said.
Daniel dragged a hand over his face.
“She called me because she was frightened.””
“Of Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
Vanessa laughed sharply.
“Oh, that's convenient. Blame me for everything now.””
Daniel turned on her.
“You wanted me to convince Emily to stay quiet.””
“I wanted you to tell her she was destroying Lucas's life with her paranoia!””
“My wife believed someone was stealing from our company.””
“Your wife believed whatever she wanted to believe!””
I stepped between them.
“Enough. Daniel, what happened during that call?””
He looked at me for a long time.
Then he spoke.
“Emily said she had the recording. She told me she'd found proof that the payments were being authorized through a secondary account. She was on her way to meet me.””
“Where?””
“An old office building near downtown Nashville.””
I knew the building. My company had rented space there years earlier, before moving into a larger office outside the city.
“Why meet there?””
“Because she didn't want anyone at the house to know what she was doing.””
“Did she tell you she was afraid for her life?””
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
“She said she'd received a threat.””
The hallway seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
“What kind of threat?””
“She wouldn't tell me the exact words. She only said someone had warned her to stop digging.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“This is absurd. Emily was under enormous stress. She was convinced everyone was against her.””
I turned toward her.
“Then why did you hide her letter?””
“Because I knew what it would do to you!””
“What would it do to me?””
She looked at Daniel, then at the floor.
“I thought it would make you hate me.””
“You're not answering the question.””
“Because the truth is complicated!””
“Try me.””
Vanessa took a shaky breath.
“I made mistakes before I met you. I worked for people who did things I shouldn't have helped them do. When I realized what was happening, I tried to leave.””
Daniel gave a humorless laugh.
“You tried to leave after the money stopped coming.””
She slapped him.
The sound echoed through the corridor.
“Don't you dare talk about me like you were innocent!””
Daniel touched his cheek.
For the first time, he looked genuinely angry.
“You asked me to destroy the audit.””
My head snapped toward him.
“What?””
Vanessa's face went white.
Daniel looked at me.
“Three days before Emily died, Vanessa called me. She said Emily had found something and wanted me to make it disappear.””
“Did you?””
“No.””
Vanessa's voice trembled.
“You promised you wouldn't tell him.””
“I promised to help you fix it. I never promised to lie forever.””
I felt something break inside me.
“Daniel, did you know Vanessa before she met me?””
He didn't answer quickly enough.
“How long?””
“Almost four years.””
I stared at him.
Vanessa and I had met at a charity dinner two years after Emily's death. She'd told me she was new to the area, had recently ended a difficult relationship, and was looking for a fresh start.
Four years.
That meant she'd known Daniel before Emily died.
And she had never mentioned him.
“Did you introduce us?”” I asked.
Daniel shook his head.
“No. You met her independently.””
“Did you know we were dating?””
“Yes.””
“And you said nothing?””
“I didn't know what she was planning.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Lucas, please. I did fall in love with you.””
I looked at her.
“Did you know who I was when we met?””
She opened her mouth, but no answer came.
That was answer enough.
I took off the boutonniere pinned to my lapel and placed it on a nearby table.
“I need you both to tell me the truth.””
Daniel nodded.
Vanessa began sobbing.
“Lucas, I swear I never wanted Emily to die.””
The words stopped me cold.
I hadn't accused her of killing Emily.
Neither had Daniel.
I slowly turned toward my bride.
“Why would you say that?””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
“I meant—I meant I never wanted any of this to happen.””
“You specifically said you never wanted Emily to die.””
“I misspoke!””
Daniel looked away.
I watched him.
“Did Emily die because of something you did?””
He shook his head immediately.
“No.””
“Did you arrange to meet her that night?””
“Yes.””
“Did you see her?””
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
“No.””
“Did you speak to her after the phone call?””
He hesitated.
That hesitation lasted only a second, but I saw it.
“Daniel.””
He swallowed.
“I called her again.””
“When?””
“About twenty minutes after our first conversation.””
“What did she say?””
“She was driving.””
“Where?””
“I don't know.””
“Did she sound frightened?””
“Yes.””
“Did she tell you someone was following her?””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
She was now watching him with an expression I couldn't read.
Then he said, “She told me she thought someone had tampered with her car.””
My knees nearly buckled.
The official report had described Emily's vehicle as having lost traction on the wet road. I'd spent two years imagining her gripping the steering wheel, trying desperately to control the car.
Now Daniel was telling me she'd suspected the car itself might be unsafe.
“Did you tell the police?””
“Yes.””
“Why wasn't it in the report?””
“Because they found no evidence of tampering.””
“Did they examine the car?””
“Yes.””
“Did you see the examination results?””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
I pulled out my phone and opened the anonymous messages again.
There was a third message.
Ask Daniel what happened to the original recording. He didn't lose it. He kept it.
I looked up.
Daniel had gone pale.
“What's wrong?”” I asked.
“Nothing.””
I held up my phone.
“Someone says you kept Emily's recording.””
He took a step backward.
Vanessa stopped crying.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then Daniel reached inside his jacket and withdrew a small black flash drive.
“I was going to give you this,” he whispered.
“When?””
“Today.””
“Why today?””
His eyes moved toward the abandoned wedding flowers.
“Because I thought once you married Vanessa, you'd never believe me.””
I took the drive from his trembling fingers.
“What is it?””
“The original recording.””
Vanessa suddenly lunged for it.
I pulled my hand away.
“Don't!””
She stopped so abruptly that her heel slipped on the polished floor.
“Lucas, you don't understand what's on that drive!””
“Then tell me.””
Her eyes filled with panic.
“Because if you listen to it, you'll learn that Emily wasn't the only person who knew about the money.””
Daniel closed his eyes.
I stared at Vanessa.
“Who else knew?””
May you like
She whispered the answer.
“You did.””
