Chapter 5: My Mother's Last Secret
The police escort brought me home just after sunrise.
I hadn't slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Marcus standing in our dining room, telling me to serve another woman wine on our anniversary.
I remembered how easily he'd smiled.
How naturally he'd lied.
Daniel was waiting outside when we arrived.
He'd spent the night at a nearby hotel after giving his statement.
“Are you okay?”” he asked.
“No. But I'm ready.””
Detective Maddox instructed two officers to check the house before we entered.
They found no one inside.
However, something had changed.
The door to my mother's old study was open.
I stopped in the hallway.
“That's strange.””
Daniel looked at me.
“What?””
“Marcus never goes in there. He says the furniture smells old.””
I walked inside.
The curtains were drawn, and the air smelled faintly of cedarwood and dust. My mother's writing desk stood against the window, just as she'd left it.
But the rug beside the bookcase had been moved.
A small scratch crossed the wooden floor.
Someone had dragged something heavy.
Daniel crouched beside it.
“Was there something underneath this rug?””
I nodded slowly.
“The safe.””
My mother had purchased an old steel safe years before she died. She'd kept it in a concealed compartment beneath the study's built-in bookcase.
I'd never been particularly interested in it.
She'd told me it contained important family papers, but after her funeral, I couldn't bring myself to open anything that belonged to her.
Now I understood why Emily had warned me.
One of the officers examined the compartment.
“The safe hasn't been opened,” he said.
“But someone has definitely tried to access it.””
I knelt beside it.
The small metal door was scratched near the lock.
Daniel looked at me.
“Do you know the combination?””
I nodded.
“Mom's birthday.””
I entered the numbers with trembling fingers.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then there was a heavy click.
The door opened.
Inside were three thick folders, a leather-bound notebook, an old USB drive, and a cream-colored envelope.
My name was written across it in my mother's handwriting.
*For Lauren. Only open when you are ready to know the truth.*
I picked it up.
The paper smelled faintly of lavender.
My mother had always kept lavender sachets in her drawers.
For a moment, I wasn't in the study anymore.
I was twelve years old, sitting at her kitchen table while she helped me with algebra. I could almost hear her telling me that numbers never lied, even when people did.
I opened the envelope.
My eyes immediately filled with tears.
My darling Lauren,
If you are reading this, something has happened that I prayed would never happen.
I need you to remember one thing above everything else: You are not helpless, you are not foolish, and you are not losing your mind.
People who want control often begin by convincing you that you cannot trust yourself.
I stopped reading.
Daniel quietly stepped back, giving me space.
I continued.
I began keeping records because I noticed unusual financial activity around the house. Marcus was asking questions about the property, and Emily had started borrowing money. Neither of them gave me honest answers.
I refused to change my will. This house belongs to you, and I wanted it protected.
There are copies of the original documents in the first folder. The second folder contains financial records. The last one contains something I hope you never need.
I looked at the folders.
My hands shook as I opened the second one.
Inside were bank statements, handwritten notes, and copies of transfers made from an account I'd never seen.
The name of the company appeared repeatedly.
*M&E Property Holdings LLC.*
I looked at Daniel.
“Do you recognize this?””
He leaned closer.
“That's the company listed on the email about selling your house.””
I flipped through the papers.
There were transfers from Marcus's personal account.
Then transfers from our joint savings account.
Then several payments to an account belonging to Emily.
Over the previous eighteen months, the total exceeded $180,000.
My sister hadn't simply been visiting Marcus.
She'd been receiving money from him.
I found another page.
It was a draft agreement for the sale of my mother's property.
The buyer's signature was already there.
The seller's signature was mine.
But I had never seen the document.
An officer photographed every page.
Detective Maddox, who had joined us, examined the agreement.
“This is important. We need to establish how this document was created and whether any money has already changed hands.””
I flipped to the last folder.
Inside was a calendar.
Several dates had been circled in red.
One was the date Marcus first insisted I start drinking his bedtime tea.
Another was the date I began experiencing dizziness.
And the final date was Sunday.
Beside it, my mother had written:
*Do not sign anything. Do not go anywhere with Marcus. Do not let them separate you from people you trust.*
My throat tightened.
“Mom knew something was going to happen.””
Daniel picked up the USB drive.
“Do you have a computer?””
I nodded.
Detective Maddox asked the officer to bring one from the property evidence team so the drive could be examined properly.
While they worked, I opened the leather notebook.
Most of the pages contained ordinary notes about household expenses.
Then I found an entry dated eleven days before my mother died.
*Emily came to see me today. She was crying. She said Marcus had offered to help her with her debts.
I told her to be careful. She asked whether Lauren could be persuaded to sell the house.*
Below that was another sentence.
I think my daughters are being pulled into something neither fully understands.
I felt sick.
My mother had known Emily was in trouble.
She'd tried to warn her.
And my sister had chosen Marcus anyway.
Then the officer announced that the USB contained several recovered files.
One was a scanned property document.
Another was a collection of financial records.
The final file was an audio recording.
It was dated four days before my mother's death.
Detective Maddox looked at me.
“Do you want us to play it?””
I nodded.
A few seconds of static filled the room.
Then I heard my mother's voice.
“Emily, you need to tell Lauren the truth.””
My heart stopped.
A second voice answered.
It was my sister.
“Mom, please. You don't understand what Marcus is threatening to do.””
My mother sounded frightened.
“What has he asked you to do?””
Emily began crying.
And then another voice entered the recording.
Marcus.
“Mrs. Mitchell, I think you've misunderstood the situation.””
The detective turned up the volume.
My mother's voice became sharp.
“Get out of my house, Marcus.””
There was a thud.
Then a sentence that made Daniel step closer to the computer.
“Emily, you have until Sunday to make your decision.””
The recording ended.
I stared at the screen.
My mother hadn't just suspected something.
She had confronted them.
And she'd left behind proof.
But why had Emily waited until now to warn me?
Detective Maddox opened the final document on the USB.
It was a photograph of a handwritten note.
The note was from my mother.
May you like
And at the bottom, beneath her signature, were six words.
*Emily was supposed to protect you.*
