Chapter 14: The Truth Rebecca Couldn't Hide
Thomas Bell was found the following morning.
He hadn't fled the country or disappeared into hiding. He had checked himself into a private hospital under his own name after suffering a severe panic attack.
Detective Harris interviewed him there, and by lunchtime, he had agreed to cooperate with the investigation.
Dad and I were allowed to hear his statement at the police station.
Thomas looked exhausted. His shirt was wrinkled, and his hands shook whenever he turned a page.
“I've spent nineteen years telling myself that I only handled paperwork,” he began.
“I told myself I wasn't responsible for what other people did with the documents.””
Detective Harris leaned forward.
“Were you aware that Olivia Walker had not authorized the sale of her designs?””
“Yes.””
“Did you prepare the licensing agreement?””
“Yes.””
“Did you alter Michael Walker's authorization?””
Thomas lowered his head.
“Yes.””
Dad looked away.
Thomas continued.
“Daniel told me the family had agreed to transfer the designs. He said Olivia was emotionally unstable and that Michael had authorized him to handle the business. I didn't verify the paperwork.””
“You knew the signature authorization was limited,” the detective said.
“I did.””
“And you proceeded anyway?””
Thomas nodded.
“I was paid to prepare the documents. I knew the transaction was questionable, but I convinced myself it was a private family matter.””
Dad's voice trembled.
“You helped them steal my wife's work.””
“Yes.””
“And you helped them take money from her insurance policy?””
Thomas closed his eyes.
“Yes.””
The admission hung in the room.
Detective Harris asked about the insurance amendment. Thomas explained that Daniel had approached him six days before Olivia's death, claiming she wanted to update her beneficiary arrangements.
Thomas had prepared the paperwork.
Rebecca had witnessed the signature.
But Olivia had never appeared in person.
“Did you know the signature was forged?”” the detective asked.
“I suspected it.””
“Why didn't you report it?””
Thomas looked at Dad.
“Because Daniel threatened to expose my own financial misconduct if I spoke. I had falsified records for other clients. I was afraid of losing everything.””
I felt sick.
All these people had made choices, each protecting themselves at someone else's expense.
And my mother had paid the highest price.
“Did Daniel tell you what he planned to do about Olivia?”” Detective Harris asked.
Thomas shook his head.
“He said he would convince her to withdraw the complaint. I never heard him say he intended to hurt her.””
“Did you know Rebecca was at the accident scene?””
“No.””
“Did you know Daniel was with her?””
Thomas hesitated.
“I knew they had arranged to meet Olivia that evening. I assumed it was to discuss the documents.””
Dad leaned forward.
“Where were they meeting?””
Thomas gave him the name of a roadside parking area outside Atlanta.
It matched the location described in Robert Ellis's statement.
Detective Harris wrote it down.
“Thank you. We will verify this information.””
Thomas turned toward Dad.
“I am sorry.””
Dad stared at him.
“I'm sure you are.””
He stood and walked out of the room.
I followed him into the corridor.
“Dad?””
He stopped near the window.
“I don't know what to do with all this anger,” he admitted.
“I spent nineteen years missing your mother, believing the worst thing that happened was that I couldn't save her.””
He looked at me.
“Now I have to face the fact that people I trusted took advantage of her, and I may never know every detail of that night.””
I took his hand.
“You don't have to know everything today.””
He nodded, but the pain remained in his eyes.
Later that afternoon, Detective Harris called us back to the station.
Rebecca had agreed to give a formal statement after consulting her attorney.
She sat in the interview room with her hands folded on the table. Without her usual makeup and carefully styled hair, she looked older and more fragile than I'd ever seen her.
When she saw me, she looked away.
Detective Harris explained that the conversation was being recorded.
“Mrs. Reed, do you wish to provide a statement concerning the insurance amendment and the events surrounding Olivia Walker's death?””
Rebecca swallowed.
“Yes.””
“Did you know that the amendment had been prepared without Olivia's authorization?””
“Yes.””
“Did you sign as a witness?””
“Yes.””
Dad closed his eyes.
Rebecca began to cry.
“I told myself it was temporary. Daniel said the money from Bellamy House would solve everything. He said Olivia would eventually agree to the transfer once she realized how much the collection was worth.””
“But she didn't agree,” I said.
Rebecca looked at me.
“No.””
“Why did you keep going?””
“Because I wanted what she had.””
The answer came quietly.
For the first time, she didn't dress her jealousy in excuses.
“I wanted her talent. Her recognition. The life she seemed to have without even trying. I told myself she was lucky and I was unlucky, as if that made stealing from her acceptable.””
She wiped her cheeks.
“After she discovered the contract, Daniel told me she was going to the authorities. He said we needed to meet her and persuade her to wait.””
“Were you at the roadside meeting?”” Detective Harris asked.
“Yes.””
“Was Daniel there?””
“Yes.””
“Did you see Olivia's car leave?””
Rebecca nodded.
“What happened afterward?””
Rebecca covered her face.
“I heard the crash.””
Dad stood abruptly.
“You heard it?””
Rebecca began sobbing.
“I was in the car with Daniel. We were leaving. We heard the impact behind us.””
The room became silent.
“Did you go back?”” Detective Harris asked.
Rebecca nodded.
“What did you see?””
“Olivia's car had left the road. Daniel told me to stay in the car while he checked the scene. I was terrified. I kept asking him to call an ambulance.””
“Did he?””
“He said someone else would find her.””
Dad's voice broke.
“Someone else?””
Rebecca stared at the table.
“He said we couldn't be connected to the accident. He told me that if we called for help, everyone would discover the insurance amendment and the stolen designs.””
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
“You left her there?””
Rebecca looked at me, tears streaming down her face.
“Yes.””
Dad stepped backward as if the floor had shifted beneath him.
Detective Harris raised a hand.
“Mrs. Reed, did you witness the collision itself?””
“No. I heard it. I didn't see what happened.””
“Did Daniel tell you what caused it?””
Rebecca shook her head.
“He said he didn't know. He insisted it was an accident.””
“Did you know whether Olivia was alive when he reached her?””
Rebecca covered her mouth.
“I don't know.””
Dad's eyes filled with tears.
“You could have called for help.””
“I know.””
“You could have saved her.””
“I know!””
Her voice echoed through the room.
Then she collapsed into sobs.
For a long time, nobody spoke.
Finally, Detective Harris asked the question I had been waiting for.
“Mrs. Reed, why did you marry Michael Walker after Olivia's death?””
Rebecca lifted her head.
“Because I thought if I became part of the family, I could keep the past buried. I told myself that if I loved Michael and raised Vanessa, I could make up for what I'd done.””
Dad stared at her.
“You used my grief as a hiding place.””
Rebecca nodded.
“Yes.””
“And you spent years making my daughter feel unwelcome in her own home.””
“I know.””
“No,” Dad said quietly.
“You know you were caught. I don't think you ever understood what you did to her.””
I looked at Rebecca.
For years, I'd wanted an apology that would make everything better.
Now that she was finally telling the truth, I realized no apology could return the years I'd spent believing I was unwanted.
“You don't get to tell me you did it for family,” I said.
“You destroyed my mother's work, hid the truth about her death, and then taught your daughter to hate me.””
Rebecca's face crumpled.
“I'm sorry, Emily.””
I stood.
“I hope you tell the truth about everything. But I'm not going to make you feel better about what you did.””
I walked out of the room with Dad.
Behind us, Detective Harris continued the interview.
As we reached the hallway, Dad put his arm around my shoulders.
For the first time since the investigation began, I felt that the truth was finally taking shape.
But it wasn't finished.
Daniel still hadn't explained what happened after he left the roadside.
May you like
And Detective Harris had just received new evidence from the original accident scene.
Evidence that might establish whether the crash had been a tragic accident—or something far more deliberate.
