Chapter 5: The Person Hiding in Our House
Dad refused to let me go anywhere near the estate.
For the next hour, we remained at the bank while Detective Bennett coordinated with the police.
My father paced the room.
“Whoever sent that message knows where James sleeps,” he said.
“They know about the letter. They know what my mother left behind.””
Detective Bennett nodded.
“Which means we should assume the person has access to your property.””
“Then why aren't we arresting everyone who works there?””
“Because we need evidence.””
Dad slammed his palm against the table.
“My son is being threatened!””
“I understand, Mr. Hayes.””
“No, you don't.””
I sat quietly, staring at the photograph.
Something about it bothered me.
Not the backpack.
Not the envelope.
The window.
My bedroom window overlooked the rose garden.
But the photograph had been taken from inside the room, facing the bed.
Whoever took it hadn't been standing outside.
They'd been inside my bedroom.
And they'd known exactly where I kept my things.
“Dad?””
He stopped pacing.
“What?””
“I think we should look at the security footage.””
Detective Bennett turned toward me.
“Why?””
“Because whoever took that picture was inside the house. They might have entered through the staff corridor.””
Dad looked at David.
“Can you access the cameras remotely?””
“Yes, sir.””
“Do it.””
David opened his laptop and connected to the estate's security system.
The first few camera feeds showed empty hallways.
Then he opened the corridor outside my bedroom.
At 2:17 p.m., a figure appeared.
A man.
He wore a dark jacket and carried a small black bag.
He stopped outside my door.
Looked both ways.
Then entered.
My father leaned closer.
“Can you zoom in?””
David enlarged the footage.
The man's face appeared.
I recognized him immediately.
So did Dad.
“Daniel,” he whispered.
Our security director.
The man my father had trusted for twelve years.
Daniel Price walked out of my bedroom seven minutes later.
He was holding a white envelope.
The same envelope from the photograph.
Dad stared at the screen.
“Where is he now?””
David checked the other cameras.
“His vehicle left the estate twenty minutes ago.””
“Find him.””
David picked up his radio.
But Detective Bennett raised a hand.
“Wait.””
Dad turned.
“Why?””
“Because if he knows we've identified him, he may destroy evidence or disappear. We need to locate him carefully.””
She made a call.
I looked at the screen again.
“There's something else.””
“What?”” David asked.
“Go back.””
He rewound the footage.
“Watch his hand.””
Daniel had entered my room carrying the black bag.
But when he left, the bag looked heavier.
And he was holding the envelope.
“Can you check whether he took anything else?””
David switched to another camera.
The hallway outside Grandma's old study.
At 2:06 p.m., Daniel entered.
He emerged eleven minutes later.
This time, the black bag was visibly fuller.
Dad slowly sat down.
“He searched my mother's room.””
Detective Bennett looked at Martin.
“Do you know what he might have taken?””
Martin didn't answer.
Dad turned toward him.
“Martin?””
The attorney looked exhausted.
“There's something I haven't told you.””
Dad's expression hardened.
“Of course there is.””
Martin took a breath.
“Your mother didn't just leave a recording. She left an original financial ledger.””
“What ledger?””
“The records of the transfers Sarah discovered before she died.””
Dad looked confused.
“Why would Daniel want that?””
Martin looked down.
“Because his name appears in it.””
Silence filled the room.
I stared at him.
“Daniel was stealing from Dad?””
Martin nodded.
“For years, money was transferred from company accounts into shell companies. The amounts were disguised as consulting fees and property management expenses.””
Dad's face darkened.
“How much?””
Martin hesitated.
“Approximately fourteen million dollars.””
My father gripped the edge of the table.
“Fourteen million?””
“Yes.””
“And Sarah found out?””
Martin nodded.
“She confronted someone. That's why your mother started investigating.””
Dad's voice dropped.
“Who did she confront?””
Martin looked toward the detective.
“I believe she confronted Daniel.””
Dad stood so quickly his chair fell backward.
“Then he killed her?””
“I don't know.””
“Don't you dare tell me you don't know!””
Martin flinched.
“I have evidence that Daniel was involved in the financial fraud. I do not have evidence that he caused Sarah's accident.””
Detective Bennett stepped between them.
“Mr. Hayes, we need to remain focused. We can investigate both possibilities.””
Dad turned away.
For the first time that day, he looked old.
Not like the powerful businessman who owned half the buildings downtown.
Just like a man who had lost his wife, almost lost his son, and discovered that the people closest to him might have been lying for years.
I walked toward him.
“Dad?””
He looked down.
“I should have listened to you.””
I didn't know what to say.
He put both hands on my shoulders.
“I should have listened when you told me Victoria was hurting you. I should have noticed what was happening to my own family.””
My eyes burned.
“I just wanted you to believe me.””
He pulled me into his arms.
“I believe you now.””
For a few seconds, I let myself be sixteen again.
Then Detective Bennett's phone rang.
She listened.
Her expression changed.
“Where?””
She grabbed her coat.
“Don't approach him. We'll be there in ten minutes.””
Dad straightened.
“What happened?””
“We found Daniel's vehicle.””
“Where?””
“At an abandoned warehouse outside the city.””
“Is he there?””
“We don't know.””
David opened the laptop again.
“There's another problem.””
Dad turned.
“What now?””
David brought up the estate's camera system.
The front gate.
The driveway.
The west corridor.
Then he opened the live feed from the main entrance.
A woman stood outside.
Long black hair.
Champagne-colored coat.
A small suitcase beside her.
Victoria.
She looked directly into the security camera.
Then she lifted a piece of paper.
The camera zoomed in.
It was a handwritten note.
*RICHARD, I HAVE THE ORIGINAL RECORDING. IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO KILLED SARAH, COME ALONE.*
Dad stared at the screen.
Detective Bennett immediately shook her head.
“Absolutely not. This could be a trap.””
But Victoria wasn't finished.
She turned the paper over.
On the back was another message.
One that made my father go completely still.
*ASK MARTIN WHAT HE DID THE NIGHT YOUR FIRST WIFE DIED.*
I looked at the attorney.
Martin had gone pale.
Dad slowly turned toward him.
“Martin?””
The attorney opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
“Tell me she's lying.””
Martin stared at the floor.
Then he whispered five words.
“Richard, I was there that night.””
And suddenly, I understood something.
Victoria hadn't just been trying to steal my father's money.
She had been trying to bury a secret that had started long before she ever married him.
May you like
A secret about my mother.
And the man standing in front of us might have been the only person alive who knew the truth.
