Chapter 6: The Stranger Who Knew My Mother's Secret
"Get away from the window," my father whispered.
I moved behind the curtains.
The black SUV remained parked across the street.
Its headlights were off.
Its windows were tinted.
My father took a photograph of the license plate from the side window, then called the police.
"There's someone watching our house," he told the dispatcher.
"I believe it may be connected to a suspected attempt on my life.""
I stared at him.
He had finally said it aloud.
An attempt on his life.
The dispatcher instructed us to remain inside.
Five minutes later, the SUV pulled away.
But before it disappeared around the corner, the rear passenger window lowered slightly.
A hand emerged.
It held a white envelope.
The envelope landed on our driveway.
Then the vehicle accelerated.
My father immediately called the police again.
When the officers arrived, one of them collected the envelope using gloves.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
There were no fingerprints we could identify.
Just one sentence.
*Stop looking for what Claire left behind.*
My father read it twice.
Then he folded it.
"That's enough," he said.
"We're not going to that bank alone.""
An hour later, Detective Harris arrived with another officer.
She was in her early fifties, with short brown hair and a serious expression.
She examined the medicine bottle, photographed the torn documents, and listened as my father explained the previous night's recording.
When he finished, she looked at him.
"Mr. Carter, I need you to understand that these are serious allegations. We can't assume everything in those recordings means what it appears to mean. But we can investigate.""
"What about my accident?""
"That's already being reopened.""
She turned toward me.
"Ryan, I also need your statement about what happened today.""
I explained everything.
The conversation.
Vanessa's threat.
The blouse.
The slap.
Detective Harris wrote everything down.
When I finished, she closed her notebook.
"Do you have a safe place to stay if your stepmother returns?""
My father answered immediately.
"He stays with me.""
I looked at him.
He lowered his voice.
"If that's what Ryan wants.""
It was the first time he'd asked me what I wanted all afternoon.
I nodded.
Detective Harris gave us her card.
"Don't confront either of them. Preserve every recording. And don't delete any messages.""
Then she looked at my father.
"One more thing. You mentioned a two-million-dollar insurance policy?""
He nodded.
"Did you personally purchase it?""
"No. I already had a policy through the company. Daniel handled the paperwork when he said we needed to update the beneficiaries.""
"When was that?""
"About fourteen months ago.""
Detective Harris exchanged a glance with her partner.
"Mr. Carter, I need the full policy documents. Not copies Vanessa or your brother provided. We need the original records from the insurance company.""
After they left, my father and I sat in the kitchen.
Neither of us touched the food he'd ordered.
At last, I asked the question I'd been holding inside.
"Did Mom know she was going to die?""
My father closed his eyes.
"I don't know.""
"She wrote that someone was threatening her.""
"I know.""
"Then why didn't you protect her?""
His face crumpled.
"I thought I was protecting her.""
"How?""
He leaned forward, pressing his palms against his eyes.
"Your mother came to me once. She told me Daniel was stealing from the company. I got angry. I accused her of being paranoid.""
I stared at him.
"What happened after that?""
"She stopped talking about it.""
"Did you believe her?""
"No.""
His voice broke.
"And I've regretted that every day since she died.""
I looked away.
I wanted to forgive him.
But every time I remembered the slap, something inside me closed.
That evening, we went to a hotel under the police department's advice while officers secured our house.
At 9:40 p.m., my father received a call from an unfamiliar number.
He answered on speaker.
A woman's voice spoke.
"Is this Michael Carter?""
"Yes. Who is this?""
"My name is Eleanor Brooks. I was your wife's attorney.""
My father sat upright.
"My wife's attorney?""
"Yes. Claire asked me to contact you if anything happened to her.""
He looked at me.
"Why didn't you contact me before?""
There was a pause.
"Because I received instructions to wait until your son turned eighteen.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What does Ryan have to do with this?"" my father asked.
Eleanor continued.
"Your wife established a private trust in his name. It contains documents and evidence that she believed would expose the people responsible for the financial fraud.""
My father gripped the phone.
"Where is it?""
"At a bank in downtown Atlanta. Safety deposit box 317.""
I looked at the photograph in my hand.
The same number.
Eleanor continued.
"But there's something else you should know.""
"What?""
"Your wife didn't just leave financial evidence. She left a recorded statement explaining what happened during the months before her death.""
My father swallowed.
"Can we see it?""
"Yes. But there's a condition.""
"What condition?""
Eleanor's voice became quieter.
"Claire instructed me that the recording could only be released when both you and Ryan were present.""
My father nodded.
"That's fine.""
Then Eleanor said something that made the room go silent.
"Mr. Carter, your wife also left a specific warning about your brother.""
"What warning?""
A long pause followed.
Then she spoke.
"She said that if Daniel ever discovered the recording existed, he would try to destroy it at any cost.""
My father stood up.
"Then we need to get it tomorrow morning.""
"There's one more problem," Eleanor said.
"What?""
"I received a call from Daniel Carter twenty minutes ago.""
My father's expression hardened.
"What did he want?""
"He asked whether I still had Claire's original will.""
My father stopped breathing.
Eleanor continued.
"And when I refused to answer, he told me something very disturbing.""
"What?""
"He said your wife never intended Ryan to inherit anything.""
I looked at my father.
Then Eleanor added:
"Mr. Carter, I checked the original will immediately after that call.""
Her voice trembled.
"Someone has already replaced it.""
My father slowly sat down.
"Replaced it with what?""
Eleanor took a breath.
"A document naming Daniel Carter as the sole beneficiary of your entire estate.""
Then she whispered:
"And the signature on the replacement will belongs to your son.""
I stared at the phone.
My blood turned cold.
Because I had never signed a will.
And if someone had forged my signature, they weren't just trying to steal my father's money.
May you like
They were preparing to make me look like the person who had helped them do it.
*End of Chapter 6*
