Chapter 6: The Betrayal Sitting Inside My Company
Charles Bennett had been my business partner for twelve years.
We started with two rented offices and a single delivery truck.
We built Johnson-Bennett Logistics into a successful transportation company serving clients across Georgia and neighboring states.
When Danielle died, Charles had personally taken over several of my responsibilities.
He had told me to spend time with Nia.
He had even helped arrange my wedding to Vanessa.
Now I was staring at a photograph of him meeting with the woman who had helped destroy my family.
Robert placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Marcus, don't confront him yet.""
I turned.
"He's been inside my company. He knows everything.""
"Which is why we need evidence before he realizes what we know.""
I paced across the office.
"He's been using my business to help Vanessa?""
"We don't know the full extent yet.""
I looked at the photograph again.
"Then we're going to find out.""
That afternoon, I went to the company headquarters.
The receptionist smiled when she saw me.
"Mr. Johnson! We weren't expecting you today.""
"Is Charles in his office?""
"Yes. He's meeting with someone.""
"Who?""
She glanced at her computer.
"Ms. Wells.""
My heart stopped.
Patricia.
I walked down the hallway without another word.
Charles's office door was slightly open.
I heard him laughing.
Then Patricia spoke.
"Vanessa says Marcus found the envelope.""
Charles stopped laughing.
"How much does he know?""
"Enough to become a problem.""
"Did Harrison get the original files?""
"Not yet.""
Charles sighed.
"Then we need to move faster.""
I stood outside the door, listening.
Patricia continued.
"What about the little girl?""
Charles lowered his voice.
"Once the guardianship paperwork is filed, she'll be out of the house.""
Patricia laughed.
"And Marcus?""
"He'll be too busy dealing with the investigation to notice what we're doing.""
I felt my fists tighten.
Then Charles said something that nearly made me kick the door open.
"Besides, after what happened to Danielle, nobody will believe Marcus when he starts making accusations.""
I pushed the door open.
Both of them jumped.
Charles stood so quickly that his chair rolled backward.
"Marcus!""
Patricia dropped her handbag.
I walked inside.
"Keep talking.""
Charles stared at me.
"What?""
"Tell me what happened to Danielle.""
His face went pale.
"You're misunderstanding something.""
"That's what Vanessa said. That's what Harrison said. Is that the only sentence you people know?""
Patricia grabbed her handbag.
"I have to leave.""
I moved toward the door.
"Sit down.""
She froze.
Charles stepped between us.
"Marcus, calm down. We can discuss this privately.""
I laughed.
"Privately? You've been discussing my daughter behind my back.""
Charles looked toward Patricia.
She shook her head.
He turned back to me.
"Listen. I know you're grieving. I know things have been difficult since Danielle died.""
"Don't use my wife to excuse what you've done.""
"I'm trying to protect you.""
"From whom?""
He hesitated.
Then he made the mistake of looking toward Patricia.
I understood immediately.
"You're working with her.""
Charles rubbed his forehead.
"Vanessa approached me because she was worried about your financial decisions.""
"My financial decisions?""
"She said you were becoming unstable. That you were spending too much time investigating Danielle's death.""
I stepped closer.
"Danielle's death?""
Charles swallowed.
"She said you needed help.""
"Help that involved changing my daughter's inheritance?""
He looked down.
That was enough.
I pulled out my phone and called Robert.
"Come to my office. Now.""
Charles's expression changed.
"Who are you calling?""
"My attorney.""
Patricia suddenly stood.
"Marcus, you don't understand what you're doing.""
I turned toward her.
"Then explain it.""
She opened her mouth.
But Charles interrupted.
"Patricia, don't.""
I looked at him.
"Why? What are you afraid she'll say?""
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Patricia began crying.
"Vanessa told us it was only supposed to be temporary.""
I stared at her.
"What's temporary?""
"The guardianship arrangement. She said once you signed the insurance documents, everything would go back to normal.""
"What insurance documents?""
Charles closed his eyes.
Patricia continued.
"The new policy. The one that would make Vanessa the legal guardian and beneficiary.""
I felt my stomach turn.
"Why would I sign something like that?""
"Because she planned to tell you Nia was having behavioral problems. She had been collecting statements from people who would say you weren't managing her properly.""
I thought about Nia eating food from the trash.
About the basement.
About the camera.
They hadn't just been abusing my daughter.
They had been creating a story that would make the abuse look like my fault.
Robert arrived fifteen minutes later with two investigators.
Charles tried to leave, but one investigator asked him to remain while they documented the office and reviewed the relevant records.
Patricia agreed to provide a statement.
I watched Charles sit behind his desk, his hands shaking.
"Marcus," he whispered, "you have to understand. I didn't know Danielle was going to die.""
I stopped.
The entire office became silent.
"What did you just say?""
Charles looked at Patricia.
She covered her mouth.
I walked toward him slowly.
"Nobody said anything about Danielle dying.""
Charles's eyes widened.
He realized what he had revealed.
Robert stepped forward.
"Mr. Bennett, I strongly suggest you stop speaking until the investigators advise you otherwise.""
But I couldn't look away from Charles.
I remembered Danielle's funeral.
His hand on my shoulder.
His promise that he would always help me protect Nia.
And now I understood that the betrayal had begun long before I married Vanessa.
"Charles," I whispered, "what did you know about my wife's treatment?""
He looked down.
Then his phone vibrated on the desk.
A message appeared on the screen.
I glanced at it before he could turn it over.
It was from Dr. Harrison.
*THE ORIGINAL FILES ARE AT THE HOUSE. GET THEM BEFORE MARCUS FINDS THE BASEMENT SAFE.*
I stared at the message.
The basement safe.
Vanessa had locked my daughter in that basement repeatedly.
But apparently, there was something else hidden down there.
Something everyone involved was desperate to recover.
I looked at Robert.
"We need to go home.""
He frowned.
"Why?""
I pointed at Charles's phone.
"Because I think Danielle left us the evidence they've been trying to destroy.""
Then my own phone rang.
It was Nia's temporary caregiver.
Her voice was shaking.
"Mr. Johnson, I'm sorry. I thought she was asleep.""
I gripped the phone.
"What happened?""
"Someone came to the house asking for your daughter.""
"Who?""
The woman hesitated.
Then she whispered:
"He said he was Nia's biological grandfather.""
I went completely still.
May you like
Because Nia's biological grandfather had been dead for six years.
And whoever had just walked into my house knew something about my daughter that even I didn't.
