Chapter 12: What Vanessa Did at Sixteen
Vanessa stopped backing away.
Nathan watched her with satisfaction.
“You wanted secrets?”” he said.
“Ask your bride.””
“She’s not my bride.””
His smile disappeared.
Police pushed him toward the cruiser.
“Wait!”” I shouted.
Ramirez looked at me.
“He needs to explain.””
Nathan laughed again.
“No. Vanessa does.””
The cruiser door slammed.
I turned toward her.
She looked exhausted.
Terrified.
But there was something else.
Defeat.
“You knew Rachel.””
Vanessa whispered, “Yes.””
“How?””
She looked toward my house.
“Can we check Sophie first?””
For once, I agreed.
Officers cleared the house.
Claire came out of the safe room holding Sophie.
Sophie ran straight into my arms.
“Daddy!””
I lifted her.
“I’m here.””
“Uncle Nathan broke the window.””
I looked at her.
She had called him Uncle Nathan.
Of course she had.
For three years, he had occasionally attended Vanessa’s family gatherings.
The thought made me sick.
Emily emerged behind Claire.
She was tall, dark-haired, and pale.
She looked nothing like Sophie.
But something about her eyes reminded me of Rachel.
She saw Vanessa.
“You.””
Vanessa lowered her head.
Emily slapped her.
Hard.
Officers immediately stepped between them.
“That’s enough!””
Emily was shaking.
“You knew where I was.””
Vanessa touched her cheek.
“Yes.””
“For how long?””
“Years.””
“You let me believe Linda abandoned me.””
“I’m sorry.””
“You don’t get to say that.””
Linda’s earlier confusion suddenly made sense.
She genuinely hadn’t known.
Emily turned to me.
“I’m sorry I came here.””
“You warned Claire.””
“I tried.””
“Why?””
“Because Thomas called me this morning.””
“What did he want?””
“The drive.””
“Why would he think you had it?””
“Because Rachel once told him she had given evidence to his forgotten daughter.””
Martin frowned.
“But she hadn’t.””
“No.””
Emily looked at Vanessa.
“She gave it to the daughter he actually trusted.””
Every eye moved to Vanessa.
My skin went cold.
“Explain.””
Vanessa sat on the front step.
“When I was sixteen, Nathan brought me to St. Anne’s.””
“Why?””
“He was working there. Rachel was sick.””
I stared at her.
“She met you?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because she knew who my family was.””
“Thomas?””
Vanessa nodded.
“She knew Linda had once been involved with him. She knew Nathan had helped Thomas. She thought I might be different.””
“Were you?””
Vanessa started crying.
“For a while.””
She told me Rachel had secretly contacted her.
Not because she trusted Nathan.
Because she needed someone Thomas underestimated.
A teenage girl.
“Rachel showed me the Alder Creek records,” Vanessa said.
“She asked you to hide them?””
“She asked me to help protect Sophie.””
The words disgusted me.
“You protected Sophie by pulling her hair?””
Vanessa flinched.
“No.””
“By slapping her?””
“No.””
“By forging my signature?””
“I became exactly what Rachel was afraid of.””
At least she admitted it.
“What happened when you were sixteen?””
“Rachel gave me access to the private trust file. She told me never to open it unless Thomas returned.””
“But you opened it.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“My family was losing everything.””
“When?””
“Three years ago.””
My heart stopped.
Right before she met me.
Vanessa looked at me.
“I found the information about Sophie’s inheritance.””
“And then you researched me.””
“Yes.””
“You approached me deliberately.””
“Yes.””
Every memory became poisonous.
“You pretended to love me.””
Vanessa looked directly at me.
“At first.””
I laughed bitterly.
“There it is.””
“No, Daniel. Listen.””
“I’ve listened enough.””
“I was supposed to get close to you. Thomas promised to clear my parents’ debts.””
“So you sold us.””
“Yes.””
The word came out broken.
“Then something changed.””
I said nothing.
“I fell in love with you.””
Emily scoffed.
Vanessa looked at Sophie.
“And I loved her too.””
Sophie hid her face against my shoulder.
I felt rage.
“You do not use that word about my daughter.””
Vanessa started sobbing.
“I know what I did today.””
“You abused her.””
“Yes.””
“Not just today.””
Vanessa went still.
I remembered Sophie saying she had been pinched and locked in her room.
“You hurt her while I traveled.””
Vanessa nodded.
“Why?””
No answer.
“WHY?””
“Because she reminded me of Rachel.””
The sentence stunned me.
“What?””
“Every time Sophie talked about her mother, I remembered the promise I made.””
“What promise?””
Vanessa wiped her face.
“That I would protect Rachel’s child from Thomas.””
Emily whispered, “And instead you became him.””
Vanessa broke down.
Nobody comforted her.
After a moment, she reached into the torn lining of her wedding dress.
Officers tensed.
“Slowly.””
She pulled out a tiny memory card.
“I kept this because Thomas would kill me if he knew.””
Ramirez took it.
“What is it?””
“The real plan.””
My stomach tightened.
“What plan?””
“Thomas never intended for me to control Sophie’s inheritance.””
“But the documents—”
“Were temporary.””
She looked at me.
“He wanted me blamed for everything.””
“Why?””
“Because after your staged death, I was supposed to become Sophie’s guardian.””
“And then?””
Vanessa’s lips trembled.
“Three months later, Sophie was supposed to die too.””
My arms tightened around my daughter.
Claire gasped.
Emily covered her mouth.
I could barely speak.
“How?””
“An accident.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“That was Thomas’s plan. Then the assets would pass under the secondary beneficiary clause.””
Martin frowned.
“There is no secondary beneficiary listed in the documents we saw.””
“There is in the original trust.””
“Who?””
Vanessa looked toward Emily.
Emily stepped backward.
“No.””
Vanessa nodded.
“You.””
Emily stared at her.
“That’s impossible.””
“Rachel changed it before she died.””
Emily’s voice cracked.
“Why would she leave anything to me?””
“Because she knew who you were.””
Emily began crying.
Vanessa continued.
“Thomas found out. That’s why he kept you hidden. He planned to inherit through you.””
“How?””
“By controlling you.””
Ramirez inserted the memory card into a police device.
A video appeared.
Thomas Alder sat behind a desk.
Beside him was Nathan.
Thomas’s voice came through clearly.
“Daniel dies first.””
My blood froze.
“Vanessa becomes guardian. Let the investigation focus on her.””
Nathan asked, “And Sophie?””
Thomas didn’t hesitate.
“Three months.””
My daughter’s name coming from his mouth made me sick.
Nathan nodded.
“And Emily?””
Thomas smiled.
“Emily signs whatever I put in front of her.””
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then an officer ran toward us from the street.
“Ramirez!””
“What?””
“We have a problem.””
“What happened?””
“Thomas Alder is gone.””
Ramirez stared at him.
“He was in custody.””
“He collapsed during questioning. Ambulance transported him to St. Anne’s.””
Nathan’s hospital.
My stomach dropped.
“And?””
“The ambulance never arrived.””
Ramirez’s face hardened.
“Where is it?””
“We found it abandoned six blocks away.””
I looked at Sophie.
Then at Emily.
Two beneficiaries.
Two targets.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A photograph appeared.
Thomas stood inside a private aircraft hangar.
Beside him was Linda.
Her hands were tied.
Underneath was one message.
BRING EMILY AND THE DRIVE.
May you like
Then a second message arrived.
OR SOPHIE LOSES ANOTHER GRANDMOTHER TONIGHT.
