Chapter 4: The Phone She Was Never Supposed to Have
“Vanessa. Put the phone down.””
My father's voice was barely recognizable.
My stepmother stood near the hallway, holding a black phone against her ear. Her face had lost every trace of the helpless woman who had spent years pretending to protect our family.
“I'm hanging up,” she said.
“No,” Dad replied.
“You're going to tell me who you were calling.””
Vanessa slowly lowered the phone.
“It's a personal matter, Marcus.””
“A personal matter? You just told someone we found Danielle's letter and that you needed to leave tonight.””
She glanced at me.
Then at Brittany.
Then toward the front door.
I recognized that look.
She was calculating.
For three years, Vanessa had controlled every argument in our house by deciding who was allowed to speak, who deserved an apology, and when everyone was supposed to move on.
But now she had lost control.
“Marcus, you're making a terrible mistake,” she said.
Dad held up Danielle's letter.
“Then explain this.””
Vanessa laughed nervously.
“Your former lawyer has been filling your head with nonsense. Robert Hayes has always been jealous of our financial success.””
“Robert says you've intercepted his letters for six years.””
“He's lying!””
“Then why did you have a second phone?””
Vanessa tucked it into her handbag.
“Because I have a business.””
“You don't have a business.””
“I have investments.””
“With whose money?””
She didn't answer.
Dad took a step toward her.
“Was it Ethan's inheritance?””
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
“You think your son is innocent in all this? He has no idea how much money this family has spent raising him.””
I stared at her.
“I'm eighteen. I never asked you to spend a dollar on me.””
“You lived in my house!””
I pointed toward the deed.
“My mother's house.””
Vanessa's mouth tightened.
“Don't you dare.””
Dad raised his hand.
“Enough. Nobody touches that document again.””
Then the lawyer's voice came through the speakerphone.
“Marcus, are you still there?””
Dad tapped the screen.
“Yes, Robert. Vanessa is here.””
“Put me on speaker.””
“You already are.””
“Good. Vanessa, I know you can hear me.””
She crossed her arms.
“Robert, this is a family matter.””
“No, Vanessa. It stopped being a family matter when you submitted forged financial documents to a bank.””
Dad went completely still.
“Forged documents?””
Robert sighed.
“Marcus, I need you to listen. Danielle hired me to investigate unusual withdrawals from an investment account shortly before her death. We discovered that someone had been using forged authorization letters to move money between accounts.””
“Who?””
“Your wife.””
Vanessa slammed her handbag onto the hallway table.
“That's ridiculous!””
Robert continued.
“Danielle discovered the first transfer. She contacted me privately and instructed me to secure the remaining funds in a trust for Ethan.””
Dad covered his mouth.
“Why didn't she tell me?””
“Because she was afraid someone had access to your personal documents.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“Marcus, don't believe him. Your first wife was paranoid near the end.””
That was the moment my father finally snapped.
“Don't you dare use her illness to excuse what you've done!””
Brittany began crying again.
“Mom, what did you do?””
Vanessa turned toward her daughter.
“Go upstairs, Brittany.””
“No!””
It was the first time I'd heard Brittany refuse her mother.
She stepped behind Dad.
“Mom, you told me we were only going to scare Ethan.””
Vanessa's expression changed.
“Brittany, stop talking.””
“You said Dad would send him away. You said everything would be better afterward.””
“That's enough!””
“And you told me the money was ours!””
Vanessa grabbed her daughter's wrist.
Dad immediately stepped between them.
“Don't touch her.””
For the first time, Vanessa looked frightened.
Robert spoke again.
“Marcus, there's something else. I found evidence of an attempted transfer last month.””
Dad looked down at his phone.
“What transfer?””
“The trust administrator received a request to liquidate Ethan's account. The authorization included your signature.””
My stomach dropped.
“Was the money transferred?”” I asked.
“No,” Robert answered.
“The bank flagged the request because the signature didn't match the original records.””
Dad looked at Vanessa.
“Did you forge my signature?””
She began shaking her head.
“I was trying to protect us.””
“Answer me!””
“You wouldn't understand!””
“TRY ME!””
Vanessa suddenly snatched her handbag and ran toward the front door.
Dad followed her.
“Stop!””
She reached for the handle, but the door opened before she could turn it.
A man in a navy suit stood outside.
He was holding a leather briefcase.
“Good afternoon,” he said calmly.
“I'm Daniel Price. I'm here on behalf of the bank's fraud investigation department.””
Vanessa froze.
Daniel glanced at her handbag.
“Mrs. Williams, we need to discuss several transactions connected to your name.””
Dad stared at him.
“What transactions?””
The investigator opened his briefcase.
“Before I explain, I need to confirm something. Has anyone in this house authorized the sale of the property at 18 Oakridge Lane?””
My father looked at me.
Then at the deed.
“No,” he answered.
Daniel placed a printed document on the hallway table.
“Because someone has already listed the property for sale.””
I looked at the signature at the bottom.
It was my father's.
May you like
And beside it was a date.
Three days earlier.
