Chapter 4: The Woman Everyone Blamed
I stared at the photograph until the words on the back stopped making sense.
Ask Maria who really saved Emily.
My fingers tightened around the paper.
For three days, everyone in that chapel had looked at Maria like she was a dangerous woman who had lost her mind.
But what if she was the only person who had been telling the truth?
Detective Collins leaned over my shoulder.
“Where did you find that?””
“Under my desk.””
She took the photograph carefully.
“Do you recognize the person standing behind your wife?””
I looked closer.
The picture showed Emily sitting at our kitchen table, her face pale and exhausted.
Michael stood beside her.
But behind them, reflected faintly in the window, was someone else.
A woman.
Someone watching.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
Detective Collins turned the photo toward the light.
“Someone wanted you to find this.””
“Maria?””
“Maybe.””
I looked toward the hallway.
“Where is she?””
“She’s waiting at the station.””
I grabbed my coat.
“I need to talk to her.””
When I arrived, Maria was sitting alone in an interview room.
Her hair was messy.
Her eyes were swollen from crying.
The moment she saw me, she stood.
“Is Emily alive?””
I nodded.
Maria covered her mouth.
A quiet sob escaped.
“Thank God.””
I studied her.
“Why didn’t you tell me everything before the funeral?””
She looked down.
“Because I tried.””
“What?””
Maria sat back down.
“I called you three times the night before the funeral.””
I frowned.
“I never got those calls.””
Her eyes moved toward me.
“Because someone answered.””
My chest tightened.
“Who?””
She swallowed.
“Your brother.””
Silence filled the room.
“Michael had your phone?””
“No.””
“Then how?””
Maria looked terrified.
“He knew your password.””
I felt a chill.
Only one person had helped me set up my phone password after I broke my old one.
Michael.
Detective Collins entered the room.
“Maria, tell him what you told us.””
Maria looked at me.
“I worked for your family for eight years. I loved Emily like my own daughter.””
She wiped her eyes.
“She was kind to everyone. Even people who didn’t deserve it.””
Her voice became quieter.
“Three weeks ago, I noticed she was scared.””
“Scared of Michael?””
Maria nodded.
“She told me she found something.””
“What?””
“She said your brother was moving money.””
My stomach dropped.
“What money?””
“Family accounts. Business accounts. She said he was hiding something.””
I looked at Detective Collins.
“Why didn’t Emily tell me?””
Maria looked away.
“Because she was afraid.””
“Afraid of what?””
Maria’s voice shook.
“She thought Michael would come after you next.””
The room went silent.
I remembered Emily’s final days.
The way she looked over her shoulder.
The way she suddenly stopped talking whenever Michael entered the room.
I had thought she was sick.
I thought the fear came from her illness.
But maybe I was wrong.
“Why did you break the coffin?”” I asked.
Maria looked directly at me.
“Because I heard her.””
She leaned forward.
“I was helping the funeral workers prepare the chapel. Everyone left for a few minutes.””
Her hands trembled.
“I heard tapping.””
“Why didn’t you call someone?””
“I did.””
“To who?””
She looked at me.
“You.””
My heart sank.
“And?””
“Michael answered.””
The room became ice cold.
“What did he say?””
Maria closed her eyes.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry about her. She’ll be gone before anyone notices.’”
I stood up.
My chair scraped loudly against the floor.
“No.””
Maria looked at me.
“I know what I heard.””
Detective Collins stepped closer.
“Daniel, we need to move carefully.””
I barely heard her.
My mind replayed every moment.
Michael standing beside me at the funeral.
Michael telling me Maria was crazy.
Michael pushing everyone away from the coffin.
He wasn’t shocked.
He was afraid.
The next morning, Emily was moved to a private hospital room.
When I entered, she was awake.
But she looked different.
Stronger.
Like surviving death had taken away her fear.
“Daniel.””
I sat beside her.
“Maria told me everything.””
Emily closed her eyes.
“I knew she would.””
“You knew?””
She nodded.
“She was the only person I trusted.””
I grabbed her hand.
“Tell me what happened that night.””
Emily looked toward the window.
“Michael came over after dinner.””
“What did he want?””
“He asked me to sign papers.””
“What papers?””
“Documents transferring control of some investments.””
My jaw tightened.
“And you refused.””
“Yes.””
She looked at me.
“Then he poured me tea.””
The room went quiet.
“What happened after?””
Emily swallowed.
“I remember feeling dizzy.””
She looked at me with fear.
“Then I heard him say something.””
“What?””
Her voice became barely a whisper.
“He said, ‘By tomorrow, Daniel will own everything, and nobody will question it.’”
I froze.
“He thought you were dead.””
Emily nodded.
“But I wasn’t.””
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
Detective Collins.
I answered immediately.
“Daniel, you need to come home.””
“What happened?””
Her voice lowered.
“We found something in Michael’s apartment.””
“What?””
A pause.
May you like
Then she said:
“A second coffin.””
