Chapter 8: The Person Who Knew Too Much
The message stayed on my screen.
Five words.
Five words that could destroy whatever trust I had left.
Do not trust your mother.
I looked at Mom.
She saw the message.
Her face collapsed.
“Ethan…”
I pulled the phone away.
“Who is Karen Mills?””
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
She shook her head.
“I swear.””
Daniel took the phone from me.
“Did she ever contact you before?””
“No.””
“Did you know she worked at the bank?””
“No.””
I watched Mom carefully.
Every reaction.
Every pause.
Every breath.
Because after everything that happened, I no longer knew what was real.
Daniel typed something into his phone.
“What are you doing?””
“Verifying the number.””
A minute later, he looked up.
“She is an employee at the bank.””
My chest tightened.
“So the call was real.””
“Yes.””
“Then why would she say that?””
Nobody answered.
The silence felt heavy.
Later that afternoon, Daniel arranged a meeting with the bank.
I sat across from Karen Mills in a small conference room.
She looked nervous.
More nervous than someone who simply wanted to explain a mistake.
She kept glancing at the door.
“Are you afraid?”” I asked.
She looked at me.
“I’m afraid of losing my job.””
“Why?””
“Because I questioned a transaction I was told not to question.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Ms. Mills, please explain.””
She opened a folder.
“Six months ago, a withdrawal request came through.””
“From Ethan’s trust?””
“Yes.””
“Who submitted it?””
She hesitated.
“Linda Carter.””
Mom closed her eyes.
I felt a wave of disappointment.
“Mom…”
She immediately shook her head.
“No.””
Karen looked at me.
“The request had your mother’s account information.””
“So she did it.””
Karen quickly interrupted.
“Not exactly.””
Everyone stopped.
“What does that mean?””
She pulled out a document.
“The request came from her login.””
Daniel frowned.
“But?””
“But the computer used was not hers.””
My heart skipped.
“What?””
Karen pointed to the record.
“The request was submitted from a device registered to Richard Hayes.””
The room went silent.
Mom covered her mouth.
I stared at the document.
Richard.
Again.
Always Richard.
Karen continued.
“I noticed because your grandfather had placed special notes on the account.””
“What notes?””
She looked at me.
“Any unusual activity required additional verification.””
“Then why did the withdrawal happen?””
Her expression changed.
“Because someone provided documents.””
“What documents?””
She looked uncomfortable.
“Permission forms.””
My stomach dropped.
“Signed by?””
Karen looked at the paper.
“Your grandfather.””
I felt cold.
“He was dead.””
“Yes.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Did the bank approve the documents?””
Karen nodded.
“After verification.””
“What verification?””
She looked at me.
“That’s the problem.””
“What?””
“The verification came from someone claiming to be your grandfather’s legal representative.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“Who?””
Karen looked down.
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
“The record was altered.””
The room went quiet.
Daniel slowly stood.
“Someone erased the identity trail.””
I stared at him.
“Can they do that?””
“Not legally.””
“Then who had access?””
Nobody answered.
Then Karen spoke softly.
“There is one more thing.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She opened another file.
“This happened after the withdrawal.””
My eyes moved to the page.
It was a complaint.
A bank employee had reported suspicious activity.
The complaint was never investigated.
“Who filed it?””
Karen looked at me.
“You did.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
She turned the paper around.
My name was printed at the bottom.
Ethan Carter.
I stared.
“I never filed this.””
Karen nodded.
“I know.””
“Then why is my name there?””
She looked at Daniel.
“Because whoever did this wanted it to appear like Ethan approved everything.””
The room felt smaller.
Someone wasn’t just stealing money.
They were building a story.
A fake story where I was responsible.
A story where nobody would believe me.
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time from Richard.
We need to talk before you make a mistake.
I looked at the screen.
Then at Daniel.
“What does he mean?””
Daniel’s face became serious.
“Ask him.””
I typed one reply.
About what?
The answer came seconds later.
May you like
And when I read it, I felt the last piece of my childhood disappear.
About the money your father left you.
