Chapter 14: Madison's Father
Madison read the line over my shoulder.
Then she stopped breathing.
"No.""
Linda rushed toward her.
"Madison—"
"No!""
Madison backed into the vault wall.
"You told me my father was dead.""
Linda's face crumpled.
"He is.""
"Marcus Bell?""
Linda didn't answer.
"Is Marcus Bell my father?""
Dad looked as shocked as Madison.
All those years, I'd assumed Linda's first husband had been Madison's father.
Apparently, Dad had believed the same thing.
Madison's voice cracked.
"Answer me!""
"Yes.""
The word landed like broken glass.
Madison slid into a chair.
Dad stared at Linda.
"You lied about her father too.""
"I was protecting her.""
"That's your answer for everything.""
Linda snapped.
"Because sometimes people need protecting from the truth!""
Madison looked up.
"Was he a criminal?""
Linda's eyes filled.
"Yes.""
"Did he hurt Mom?""
I held my breath.
Linda looked at me.
Then away.
"I don't know.""
Madison laughed through her tears.
"You know.""
"I wasn't there.""
"The silver car.""
"I wasn't driving.""
Silence.
My entire body went cold.
Dad stepped forward.
"What did you say?""
Linda realized what she'd admitted.
Daniel whispered, "You weren't driving.""
Linda's mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
I stepped closer.
"Then who was?""
She shook her head.
"Linda.""
"No.""
"Who was driving the silver sedan?""
She closed her eyes.
"Marcus.""
Madison began sobbing.
Dad leaned against the table.
"You were in the car.""
Linda nodded once.
"Why?""
"Because Marcus wanted the documents.""
"What documents?""
"The evidence Susan had.""
My hands tightened around the edge of the box.
"You followed my mother.""
Linda started crying.
Not the angry tears she'd used before.
These were ugly.
Uncontrolled.
"Marcus said we were going to scare her.""
I felt Daniel move beside me.
"What happened?""
"We followed her from Thomas's office.""
"Why?""
"Marcus thought she had the originals.""
"And then?""
"It was raining.""
I hated those words.
I'd heard them my entire life.
It was raining.
As if weather had killed my mother.
Linda continued.
"Marcus pulled alongside her.""
Dad's voice shook.
"What did he do?""
"He wanted her to stop.""
"How?""
"He kept moving closer.""
I felt sick.
"Did he hit her car?""
Linda covered her face.
"I don't know.""
"Did he?""
"I heard something.""
"What?""
"A scrape.""
Dad turned away.
His shoulders shook.
Linda continued.
"Susan accelerated. Marcus accelerated. I told him to stop.""
"You expect me to believe that?"" I asked.
"No.""
She looked at me.
"I don't expect you to believe anything I say.""
For once, she sounded truthful.
"Then why did Mom crash?""
"Marcus moved toward her lane again. Susan swerved.""
My knees weakened.
Daniel caught my elbow.
Linda whispered, "She went off the road.""
Madison covered her ears.
"No.""
"I screamed at Marcus to stop.""
"Did you call 911?""
Linda said nothing.
That was the answer.
Dad turned.
"You left her there.""
"Marcus wouldn't let me get out.""
"You left my wife dying in a wreck!""
"He threatened Madison!""
Madison looked up.
Linda pointed toward her daughter.
"She was six years old in the back seat!""
Madison went completely still.
"I was there?""
Linda nodded.
The red scarf.
The rain.
The gas station.
Madison hadn't remembered a random drive.
She had been in the car that chased my mother off the road.
"I didn't know," Madison whispered.
"I know.""
"You let me live with that memory and told me I was imagining it.""
"I wanted you to forget.""
Madison looked at her mother with horror.
"You wanted everyone to forget.""
Linda collapsed into the chair opposite her.
"Marcus controlled everything. The money. The accounts. Me.""
Andrew asked quietly, "Then why did you steal Emily's trust years later?""
Linda looked at him.
"Because Marcus came back.""
"When?""
"After Robert and I married.""
Dad flinched.
"He knew about Susan's trust. He knew Charles had helped with the paperwork.""
"So you forged Emily's signature.""
"Marcus said if I didn't cooperate, he'd tell Robert everything.""
I stared at her.
"You could have told Dad yourself.""
"I would have lost everything.""
"So you stole from me instead.""
She lowered her head.
"Yes.""
No excuse.
No justification.
Just yes.
It didn't make forgiveness easier.
It made the betrayal clearer.
Daniel picked up the flash drive.
"What is this?""
The branch manager provided a laptop that wasn't connected to the bank network.
We inserted it.
Several folders appeared.
Scanned documents.
Audio files.
Photographs.
And one video.
The timestamp was from the day before Mom's accident.
I clicked it.
Mom appeared on-screen.
Alive.
Sitting at her kitchen table.
Our kitchen table.
"If you're watching this, I wasn't able to finish what I started.""
My throat closed.
Mom looked directly into the camera.
"Emily, none of this is your burden.""
I started crying.
"You may inherit money. You may inherit property. But you do not inherit my fear.""
Dad covered his face.
Mom continued.
"If Robert is with you, tell him I loved him. Tell him I hid the trust because I wanted him to be your father, not your banker.""
Dad broke.
A sound escaped him that I'd never heard before.
Then Mom's expression became serious.
"Linda Vale is involved with Marcus Bell. But Linda is afraid of him.""
Linda stared at the screen.
Mom continued.
"If Linda ever tells the truth, listen carefully. Fear makes people do terrible things, but fear does not erase responsibility.""
Linda began crying harder.
Then Mom said:
"Marcus keeps records because he trusts no one. Thomas believes those records are stored in a private account under the name Brighton Family Services.""
Nathan looked at us.
"The company.""
Mom gave an account number.
Nathan wrote it down.
Then the video ended.
His phone rang almost immediately afterward.
He answered.
Listened.
Then looked at us.
"Police located Linda's former financial records.""
"What did they find?"" Andrew asked.
Nathan's expression hardened.
"Brighton Family Services is still active.""
Linda stood.
"That's impossible.""
Nathan continued.
"And someone moved money out of it this morning.""
"Who?""
He looked at Madison.
"Marcus Bell.""
Madison whispered, "You said he was dead.""
Linda looked terrified.
"I thought he was.""
Nathan shook his head.
"He's alive.""
Then the bank manager entered the vault.
"Ms. Carter?""
I looked at him.
"There's a man in the lobby asking for you.""
Linda stood so quickly her chair fell backward.
"No.""
The manager frowned.
"He says his name is Marcus Bell.""
Madison's face turned white.
May you like
And Linda whispered:
"Don't let him see her.""
