Chapter 11: Mark's Warning
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
Victor and Paul were taken outside for questioning.
Daniel sat at the kitchen table with his wrists cuffed in front of him.
I sat across from him.
For the first time since we had met, there was nothing between us except a wooden table and the truth.
An officer placed Mark's envelope in front of me.
“You're sure you want to open this?””
I nodded.
Inside was a flash drive and a handwritten note.
*Emily,*
*If you're reading this, Daniel knows I've talked.*
*I'm sorry.*
*I should have warned you sooner.*
I looked at Daniel.
He stared at the floor.
The note continued.
*Daniel didn't start the scheme. He inherited it.*
My fingers tightened around the paper.
*Your father knew Daniel's father before you met Daniel. They had a business arrangement. When your father discovered money was being moved without his consent, he threatened to expose them.*
I stopped.
Daniel looked up.
“You need to hear the whole thing.””
I ignored him.
I read on.
*Your father planned to cut Daniel and his family out completely. But before he could, he died.*
My chest tightened.
That part was true.
Or at least I thought it was.
*After his death, Daniel found the trust documents. He discovered that your father had left the house protected. Daniel couldn't touch it without your signature.*
I looked at Daniel.
“You knew.””
He whispered, “Yes.””
I continued.
*He married you because he believed he could eventually convince you to sign.*
The room went silent.
The officer standing nearby looked at Daniel.
Daniel closed his eyes.
I felt strangely calm.
The kind of calm that comes when something you've feared is finally confirmed.
I kept reading.
*But Daniel wasn't the only one waiting for the house.*
I looked at the officer.
“There's more.””
He nodded.
I read the next paragraph.
*Your father had borrowed money from someone before he died. Money he intended to repay after selling another property. He never got the chance.*
My father's debts.
Something else I had never known.
*That debt was transferred to a private investment group. They now believe the trust property can be used to settle it.*
I looked at Daniel.
“Is that who those men were?””
He nodded.
“They're collectors.””
“For your father's debt?””
“No.””
He swallowed.
“For mine.””
I stared at him.
Mark's letter continued.
*Daniel used your father's old debt as leverage. He told the investment group that once you signed the refinance documents, they would get paid.*
I felt sick.
“He used my father's debt too?””
Daniel whispered, “I had no choice.””
I slammed the letter down.
“You always had a choice.””
The officer cleared his throat.
“There's a file on the flash drive.””
I handed it to him.
He connected it to a laptop.
A video appeared.
Mark sat in a parked car.
He looked terrified.
“If you're watching this, Emily, I didn't know how else to tell you.””
He looked directly into the camera.
“Daniel has been working with your father's attorney.””
I felt my pulse jump.
“He has been feeding Daniel information about the trust for years.””
The officer paused the video.
I stared at the screen.
“Play it.””
Mark continued.
“The attorney told Daniel your father had left a second letter.””
I frowned.
“What second letter?””
Mark looked off-camera.
“He said the letter contained instructions about someone named Rachel.””
Rachel stiffened.
The officer looked at her.
“What does Rachel have to do with this?””
The video continued.
Mark's voice dropped.
“Daniel was supposed to find Rachel before Emily did.””
Rachel's face went pale.
I turned toward her.
“What?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Mark continued.
“Rachel isn't just Daniel's girlfriend.””
Daniel suddenly stood.
“Stop the video.””
The officer pushed him back down.
“Sit.””
Daniel's eyes were fixed on the screen.
Mark looked directly into the camera.
“She is the daughter of the man who financed your father's original business.””
Rachel covered her mouth.
“No.””
Mark nodded slowly on the video.
“Her father lost everything.””
Rachel whispered, “My father died broke.””
Mark continued.
“He believed Daniel's family stole from him.””
Rachel's eyes filled with tears.
“That can't be true.””
I looked at Daniel.
He wouldn't meet my eyes.
Mark's voice became quieter.
“Rachel was sent into Daniel's life to find the trust documents.””
Everyone froze.
Rachel shook her head.
“I didn't know.””
Mark looked directly into the camera.
“But somewhere along the way, she fell in love with him.””
Rachel began crying.
Daniel finally spoke.
“She was never supposed to know.””
I turned toward him.
“You knew?””
He looked at me.
“Yes.””
“You knew who she was?””
“Yes.””
“And you still dated her?””
“I needed her father's records.””
Rachel stared at him.
“You used me.””
Daniel looked away.
I pressed play again.
Mark's final words appeared on the screen.
“There is one person who knows where your father's second letter is.””
The video froze for a moment.
Then Mark said the name.
“Daniel's mother.””
Daniel's face changed.
The officer noticed.
“You knew?””
Daniel whispered, “No.””
His mother had lied about the trust.
She had lied about Rachel.
She had lied about the money.
And now Mark was saying she knew where the final letter was.
My phone buzzed.
A text appeared from an unknown number.
*Your mother-in-law is at the cemetery.*
May you like
A second message followed.
*She's waiting beside your father's grave.*
