Chapter 14: The Will They Tried to Hide
We reached home in less than twenty minutes.
Dad called Laura from the car and asked her to meet us. She advised him not to confront anyone physically and to document any removal of property or records.
When we entered the house, Vanessa stood in the living room beside Daniel Brooks.
Daniel was in his early forties, with neatly styled dark hair and a tailored gray suit. He looked more like a corporate consultant than someone who'd been moving money through suspicious accounts.
A leather briefcase sat open on the coffee table.
Several folders were spread across the cushions.
Vanessa turned toward us.
“Michael. I'm glad you're home.””
Dad stared at the papers.
“What are you doing in my office?””
“I came to collect my personal documents.””
“Then why is Daniel here?””
Daniel closed his briefcase.
“I'm assisting Vanessa with a private financial matter.””
“Your private financial matters have involved my credit card, my daughter's inheritance, and a disputed transfer of fifteen thousand dollars.””
Daniel's smile tightened.
“I understand there have been misunderstandings.””
“Then you can explain them to the investigators.””
Vanessa stepped forward.
“Michael, stop threatening everyone. I've brought the original will, and it proves that Emily isn't entitled to the money she's claiming.””
I looked at her.
“What will?””
“Your grandfather's will,” she replied.
“The one Sophie signed away her rights under.””
Dad frowned.
“Sophie never signed away her inheritance.””
Vanessa opened a folder and removed several pages.
“Here. Read it yourself.””
Laura arrived moments later and examined the document without touching it until she had photographed each page.
She looked at the signature.
“Where did you obtain this?””
Vanessa lifted her chin.
“From the original estate file.””
“Whose custody was it in?””
“Richard Hale's.””
Laura's expression sharpened.
“Mr. Hale is not currently authorized to represent you or Michael in this dispute. Do you have independent legal advice regarding this document?””
Vanessa ignored the question.
“The will states that the estate could be distributed to the surviving family members at the trustee's discretion. Emily was never guaranteed anything.””
I took the document from Laura after she finished photographing it.
The language was dense, but one paragraph stood out.
The trustee shall preserve the designated beneficiary's share until the beneficiary reaches the age of twenty-three, at which time the remaining principal shall be transferred in accordance with the original trust instructions.
My twenty-third birthday was six weeks away.
“This doesn't say I get nothing,” I said.
Vanessa snatched the page from my hand.
“You don't understand legal documents.””
Laura's voice was calm.
“Actually, that clause appears to contradict your claim. We need to authenticate the document and compare it with the original trust instrument.””
Daniel moved toward the briefcase.
“Perhaps we should leave.””
Dad stepped between him and the table.
“Not until you explain why you were authorized to collect an $8,400 necklace purchased using my credit card.””
Daniel's expression hardened.
“That necklace was part of a private arrangement.””
“An arrangement involving my daughter's name?””
“I wasn't aware of the exact purchasing details.””
Vanessa whipped around.
“You told me the paperwork was handled!””
Daniel glared at her.
“Not now.””
The exchange was brief, but it told me something important.
They weren't acting like two people who had planned everything together. They were acting like people who'd discovered that the other might abandon them when the truth came out.
Laura opened another folder.
“This document contains an account number that doesn't match the original estate records we obtained today.””
Vanessa went still.
“What?””
“The account number on the alleged will differs from the account number in the bank's archived trust documents.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“Old records often contain clerical errors.””
“Perhaps,” Laura replied.
“But the beneficiary designation also appears inconsistent with the version signed by Sophie.””
Dad stared at Vanessa.
“You knew the will was different.””
“No!””
“Then why did you bring it here?””
“Because Richard told me it was the original!””
Laura immediately took photographs of the document and noted the discrepancy.
“We will submit this for forensic examination. No one should remove or alter any further records.””
Daniel closed his briefcase.
“This conversation is becoming unproductive.””
Dad pointed toward the door.
“Then leave.””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
She didn't move.
For the first time, she seemed to realize that he might leave her to face the consequences alone.
“Daniel,” she whispered, “you promised me the investment was legitimate.””
He turned toward her.
“And you promised me the money was yours to manage.””
The room fell silent.
I watched Vanessa's face crumble.
“You said the trust was under your control.””
“I said I believed you had authority.””
“You told me you had spoken to Richard!””
“I did speak to Richard. That doesn't mean I knew you were using Emily's identity.””
Dad's eyes narrowed.
“So you admit the necklace was purchased with money that wasn't yours?””
Daniel looked toward the door.
“I admit nothing of the sort.””
Laura stepped forward.
“Mr. Brooks, please provide your full legal name, business address, and the details of the account associated with Northstar. The bank's investigator may contact you.””
Daniel gave her a cold smile.
“You can send your requests through my attorney.””
He picked up the briefcase and left.
Vanessa sank onto the sofa.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then she looked at me.
“Emily, you have to understand. I never intended for any of this to happen.””
I stared at her.
“You wore my belongings without asking. You tried to hit me when I complained. You used my name to purchase a necklace, and you spent money from my mother's account.””
“I was trying to secure my future!””
“By stealing mine?””
Her mouth trembled.
“I thought I could replace the money before anyone noticed.””
“When?””
She lowered her eyes.
I waited.
She didn't answer.
Dad sat opposite her.
“Where is Richard Hale?””
Vanessa looked up.
“I don't know.””
“You've been communicating with him.””
“He told me to come here and collect the will.””
“Did he give you that document?””
“Yes.””
“Did he tell you it was authentic?””
“He said it would settle everything.””
Laura placed the pages inside a protective folder.
“Then Mr. Hale will need to explain why the document appears inconsistent with the bank's records.””
Vanessa covered her face.
Madison entered the room carrying her laptop.
“Dad, I found the emails Mom sent Daniel.””
Vanessa shot to her feet.
“Madison, don't!””
Madison flinched but continued.
“I found them last night. I didn't know what they meant until I saw the papers in Mom's suitcase.””
She opened the laptop.
One email was dated four months earlier.
Vanessa had written:
Once Emily turns twenty-three, she'll demand the full account history. We need to settle the transfer before then.
Daniel's reply was beneath it.
Richard says the old beneficiary documents can be replaced. But the final transfer requires Michael's authorization.
Vanessa's response made my skin crawl.
Then we'll make sure he signs.
Dad read the email twice.
“What does that mean?””
Madison clicked the next message.
It contained an attachment: a draft financial authorization bearing Dad's name.
But the signature at the bottom was dated two weeks before the document had supposedly been created.
Dad stared at it.
“That signature was copied from an old property contract.””
Laura nodded.
“This may be evidence of attempted forgery.””
Vanessa began crying.
“I didn't create that document!””
“No,” Madison whispered.
“But you sent Daniel the scan of Dad's signature.””
Vanessa looked at her daughter.
Madison's voice broke.
“You told me it was just paperwork. You said nobody would get hurt.””
For the first time, Vanessa had nothing to say.
Laura collected the laptop records and arranged for a forensic copy to be preserved.
As she finished, Dad's phone rang.
The caller was the bank's fraud investigator.
He listened for almost a minute before speaking.
“Are you certain?””
A pause.
“Understood. Send the report directly to Ms. Chen.””
He ended the call and looked at us.
“The bank has traced another transfer from the original trust. It wasn't sent to Northstar.””
“Where did it go?”” I asked.
Dad swallowed.
“An account in my name.””
Vanessa went rigid.
Dad shook his head.
“I never opened it.””
Laura looked at the documents in her hands.
“If someone created an account using Michael's identity, we need to determine who had the authority and opportunity to do so.””
Madison turned toward her mother.
Vanessa looked away.
And suddenly, I understood why she'd been so desperate to get the original will.
May you like
She wasn't merely trying to protect her affair.
She was trying to keep us from discovering where the money had really gone.
