Chapter 6: The Woman in the Security Footage
Brittany arrived at our house that afternoon carrying the blue document wallet.
She stood on the front porch in yesterday's clothes, her eyes swollen from crying. When I opened the door, she held the wallet out with both hands as though it were something dangerous.
"I should have told you sooner," she said.
I didn't take it immediately.
"Where did you get that?""
"Mom's bedroom.""
"Why was it there?""
"Because she brought it home after the dealership. She thought she'd hidden it, but I found it in her closet this morning.""
I stepped aside.
"Come in.""
Brittany walked into the living room, glancing nervously toward the staircase.
"Is Dad here?""
"He went to the hardware store. He'll be back soon.""
She nodded, then sat on the edge of the sofa.
I closed the front door.
For a few seconds, we looked at each other without speaking.
We had grown up in the same house for three years, but we had never been close. Vanessa had always compared us. If I earned a good grade, Brittany complained that I made her look bad. If Brittany received a new phone, Vanessa reminded me that I was older and should be grateful for what I had.
I had resented Brittany for years.
But looking at her now, I saw a frightened girl who had finally realized that the person she trusted most might have been lying to her.
"Why are you helping me?"" I asked.
She lowered her eyes.
"Because I knew something was wrong yesterday, and I still let Mom tell me what to say.""
"You signed a document.""
"I know.""
"You knew the car belonged to me.""
"I thought you had agreed to sell it.""
I waited.
She wiped her cheeks.
"That's not an excuse. I should have called you. I should have asked.""
For the first time, her apology sounded real.
I took the wallet and opened it on the coffee table.
Inside were old insurance papers, bank statements, several folded letters, and a business card for Daniel Reeves.
His title read Financial Consultant.
The phone number was handwritten on the back.
I pulled out the first stack of papers.
Most were ordinary household records, but near the bottom I found a bank statement dated six months before Mom died.
The account holder's name was Sarah Carter.
The balance was just over $184,000.
I stared at the number.
"Mom never told me about this.""
Brittany shook her head.
"There's more.""
She reached into the wallet and removed a folded document.
It was a letter addressed to Mom from Daniel Reeves.
The first paragraph mentioned an investment account. The second referred to an unauthorized transfer. The third contained a sentence that made my skin prickle.
As previously discussed, the funds were moved temporarily to prevent access by an individual who had obtained your personal banking information.
There was no name.
But beneath the letter was a handwritten note in Mom's script.
Ask Michael about the night Vanessa visited the house before we were married.
I looked up.
"What night?""
Brittany shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"Did your mother ever talk about visiting our house before she married Dad?""
"No.""
I sat back, trying to make sense of it.
Vanessa had entered our lives after Mom died. Dad had met her through work, and they'd married a year later. As far as I knew, Vanessa had never met Mom.
But the note suggested otherwise.
The front door opened.
Dad stepped inside carrying a paper bag from the hardware store.
He stopped when he saw Brittany.
"What are you doing here?""
She stood immediately.
"I brought something for Emily.""
Dad noticed the blue wallet.
His expression sharpened.
"Where did you get that?""
"Mom's closet," Brittany answered.
"I found it this morning.""
Dad set the bag down.
"Did Vanessa know you had it?""
Brittany nodded reluctantly.
"She told me to throw it away.""
I felt a chill move through me.
"Why?""
"She said it was old paperwork and that Emily was using it to make trouble.""
Dad held out his hand.
"Let me see.""
I passed him the letter from Daniel Reeves.
He read it slowly, then examined the handwritten note.
When he reached the sentence about Vanessa's visit, he went completely still.
"Michael?"" I asked.
He sat down.
"Four years ago, before Sarah died, I was working nights at the hospital's maintenance facility. One evening, I came home early because a shift had been canceled.""
He rubbed his forehead.
"Vanessa was in the kitchen with Sarah.""
I stared at him.
"You knew Mom had met her?""
"I knew they had spoken once. Sarah told me Vanessa had come by to discuss a work-related issue.""
"What kind of issue?""
Dad shook his head.
"Sarah wouldn't explain. She asked me not to get involved.""
Brittany looked stunned.
"My mom said she'd never met Sarah.""
Dad turned toward her.
"Then she lied to you, too.""
Brittany sank onto the sofa.
I looked at the note again.
"Why would Mom write this down?""
Dad's face was pale.
"I don't know, Emily. But I remember something else about that evening.""
He leaned forward, staring at the letter.
"Sarah asked me whether I'd ever shared our financial information with anyone outside the family. I told her no. She seemed relieved, but she also looked frightened.""
"Did she tell you why?""
"No. She said she was tired and wanted to rest.""
The room fell silent.
I picked up the bank statement.
"Mom had more than $184,000 in this account. Could that be the money in the trust?""
"Possibly," Dad said.
"But we shouldn't assume anything until Mr. Bennett confirms it.""
Brittany suddenly reached into her pocket.
"There's something else.""
She pulled out her phone and opened a photograph.
It showed Vanessa standing in a bank lobby beside a man wearing a gray suit.
The image was grainy, as if taken from a distance.
I recognized Vanessa immediately.
The man was older, with silver hair and a narrow face.
Daniel Reeves.
"When was this taken?"" I asked.
"Three weeks ago," Brittany whispered.
"I took it because Mom told me she was meeting a friend, but she wouldn't tell me who. I thought she was having an affair.""
Dad studied the photograph.
"Where was this?""
"The bank on Maple Street.""
He enlarged the image.
Behind them, mounted on the wall, was a sign displaying the bank's name.
It was the same bank listed on Mom's statement.
Dad looked at me.
"We need to show this to Mr. Bennett.""
Before we could move, Brittany's phone rang.
Vanessa's name appeared on the screen.
Brittany answered, putting it on speaker.
"Where are you?"" Vanessa demanded.
"At Emily's.""
A sharp inhale came through the phone.
"Did you take the wallet?""
Brittany looked at me.
"Yes.""
"Bring it home immediately.""
"No.""
The silence on the line lasted several seconds.
Then Vanessa's voice dropped to a whisper.
"You have no idea what you've done.""
Brittany's hands trembled.
"Why were you at that bank with Daniel?""
Vanessa didn't answer.
"Mom, what did you do with Sarah's money?""
A sound came through the speaker—a chair scraping, perhaps, or a door slamming.
Then Vanessa spoke again.
"If you want your mother to stay out of prison, you will bring me that wallet and never mention Daniel Reeves again.""
The call ended.
Brittany stared at her phone.
Dad slowly stood.
But I couldn't move.
Because Vanessa hadn't denied taking the money.
She hadn't denied knowing Daniel.
And she hadn't asked what was inside the wallet.
She had asked for it back.
May you like
Whatever my mother had discovered before she died, Vanessa was still afraid of it.
And now we had proof that she had been trying to hide it for years.
