Chapter 7: The Woman in the Driver's Seat
For several seconds, the only sound in the studio was the wind rattling the loose window frame.
Dad held the photograph in one hand.
Vanessa stared at him, her mouth trembling.
I stood behind my father, clutching the edge of the workbench.
"What did you just say?"" Dad asked.
Vanessa took a step backward.
"I didn't mean it that way.""
"Then tell me what you meant.""
"Robert, please. We should discuss this somewhere private.""
"You came here. You interrupted us. You saw the box and immediately asked whether we'd listened to the recorder.""
He raised the photograph.
"Now you're telling me my wife wasn't supposed to die?""
Vanessa pressed her hands together.
"I was young. I made mistakes.""
"How old were you when Eleanor died?""
"Twenty-nine.""
"And you knew her?""
Vanessa looked away.
"Yes.""
"How?""
She swallowed.
"She hired me to help with the foundation's fundraising events.""
Dad stared at her.
"You told me you met her at a charity dinner two years after she died.""
"I was ashamed.""
"Of what?""
Vanessa's eyes filled.
"I was involved with Daniel.""
The confession landed like a stone.
Dad's jaw tightened.
"While Eleanor was alive?""
Vanessa nodded.
"Yes.""
I felt sick.
She had stood beside my father at my mother's funeral. She had held my hand when I cried. She had told me that my mother would always be part of our family.
And all that time, she had known the man who had been involved in my mother's final days.
Dad lowered the photograph.
"Did you have anything to do with the accident?""
Vanessa began to cry.
"I never wanted Eleanor dead.""
"That's not an answer!""
She flinched.
"I swear to you, Robert. I never planned for her to die.""
I stepped forward.
"Then why did you say she wasn't supposed to die?""
Vanessa looked at me.
For a moment, something like hatred flashed across her face.
Then she turned back to Dad.
"Daniel was supposed to scare her. That's all.""
Dad went pale.
"Scare her how?""
"She had discovered the money transfers. She threatened to report us. Daniel said he could persuade her to change her mind.""
"Persuade her?""
Vanessa's voice shook.
"He told me he would take care of it.""
I could barely breathe.
"Take care of what?""
She didn't answer.
Dad grabbed the edge of the workbench.
"Tell me what happened that afternoon.""
Vanessa wiped her cheeks.
"Eleanor was driving to meet a lawyer. Daniel followed her. I was in another car, behind them.""
"Why?""
"Because I wanted the notebook.""
Dad looked down at the open box.
"The foundation records?""
She nodded.
"Eleanor had copies of everything. Daniel believed that if we recovered the notebook, we could convince her to stop the investigation.""
"And then?""
Vanessa stared at the floor.
"Daniel pulled alongside her car. They argued. She refused to stop. He tried to force her onto the shoulder.""
My hands flew to my mouth.
"Did he hit her car?""
Vanessa's silence answered me.
Dad's face twisted.
"You watched this happen?""
"I was behind them!""
"You watched my wife die?""
"I didn't know she would crash!""
Her voice broke.
"I swear, Robert, I didn't know!""
I stepped around my father.
"Where was I?""
Vanessa stared at me.
"What?""
"I was in the car. Where was I?""
Her eyes widened.
"You were in the back seat.""
I felt the room tilt.
"I remember the rain.""
Vanessa began shaking her head.
"Emily, you were very young.""
"I remember someone pulling me out.""
"Stop.""
"Was it Daniel?""
"Emily, stop!""
She grabbed my arm.
I recoiled.
Dad shoved her hand away.
"Don't touch my daughter.""
Vanessa stumbled backward.
Then she looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not contempt.
Guilt.
"It was Daniel," she whispered.
"He pulled you out after the crash.""
I closed my eyes.
The memory returned in fragments.
Cold rain on my face.
Glass glittering on the road.
A man's coat wrapped around my shoulders.
And a silver ring pressing against my cheek as he carried me away from the wreck.
I opened my eyes.
"Why did he save me?""
Vanessa's lips trembled.
"Because he hadn't meant to hurt you.""
Dad made a sound that was almost a laugh.
"You expect me to believe that?""
"No. I expect you to understand that everything happened too quickly. Daniel was trying to stop Eleanor. He didn't think—"
"He didn't think?""
Dad's voice thundered through the studio.
"He chased my wife in the rain, forced her off the road, and left my six-year-old daughter beside a wrecked car!""
Vanessa covered her face.
"I know.""
"No, you don't know!""
Dad slammed the notebook onto the workbench.
"You sat at my dinner table. You slept in my bed. You told my daughter you loved her while hiding the fact that you were involved in her mother's death!""
"I did love her!""
I stared at Vanessa.
"Then why did you hit me?""
She looked at me.
I lifted my chin.
"Why did you demand money from me? Why did you search my room? Why did you try to erase the recordings?""
Vanessa's tears stopped.
For the first time, she seemed to realize that the past wasn't the only thing she had to answer for.
"I was trying to protect myself," she whispered.
"From what?""
"From losing everything.""
Dad shook his head.
"You've already lost it.""
He pulled out his phone.
"I'm calling the police.""
Vanessa lunged toward him.
"Robert, please!""
He stepped away.
"You need to tell them everything.""
"They'll arrest me!""
"Then you should have thought about that before you threatened my daughter.""
She looked at me desperately.
"Emily, you have to understand. Daniel controlled everything. He told me what to say, what to do, who to trust. If I disobeyed him, he threatened to expose me.""
I stared at her.
"Then why didn't you tell Dad?""
"Because I was afraid!""
"You weren't afraid when you slapped me.""
She looked down.
"You weren't afraid when you planted money in my room.""
Her mouth opened.
No words came out.
"And you weren't afraid when you told me to leave my own home.""
Dad turned toward her.
"You planted the money?""
Vanessa's face crumpled.
"I only wanted her to stop challenging me.""
Dad looked at her as though she were a stranger.
"You tried to make me believe my daughter was a thief.""
"I didn't think you'd take it this far.""
"You demanded two thousand dollars from a seventeen-year-old girl!""
"I needed the money!""
"For what?""
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she whispered, "Daniel.""
Dad lowered his phone.
"What?""
"He threatened me. He said if I didn't pay him, he'd release everything he had on me.""
I felt a cold knot form in my stomach.
"How much did he want?""
"Fifty thousand dollars.""
Dad stared at her.
"And you thought you could get it from Emily?""
Vanessa shook her head.
"I thought I could take it from your accounts. But you started checking the statements, and I panicked.""
"So you decided to force my daughter to pay you?""
"I thought you'd eventually give her the money!""
I stared at her.
"You wanted Dad to pay you through me.""
She didn't answer.
Dad turned away, breathing hard.
Then he looked at the blue box.
"Where is Daniel now?""
Vanessa shook her head.
"I don't know.""
"Don't lie to me.""
"I'm not!""
"How did he contact you?""
"Through a phone I kept in the study.""
Dad looked at me.
"Did you hear her talking to him last night?""
I nodded.
"He said something about the key. He wanted it back before we reached the studio.""
Vanessa's expression changed.
"He knows you're here?""
"I don't know.""
She rushed toward the door.
Dad caught her arm.
"Where do you think you're going?""
"Home.""
"You're not leaving until the police arrive.""
She struggled against his grip.
"Robert, you can't keep me here!""
"I'm not keeping you anywhere. The police will decide what happens next.""
Vanessa looked at me.
"Emily, please. Tell him you don't want to destroy this family.""
I stared at her.
"You destroyed it when you decided my mother's life was worth less than your money.""
She went silent.
Dad released her arm.
Then he dialed emergency services.
As he spoke, I returned to the workbench and began gathering the papers into the blue box.
The photographs.
The notebook.
The letter.
The recorder.
Everything my mother had left behind.
But when I lifted the notebook, a folded sheet slipped from its back cover.
I caught it before it hit the floor.
It was a photocopy of a bank transfer.
The recipient's name was Daniel Brooks.
The amount was fifty thousand dollars.
And the date was three days before my mother's accident.
I turned the page over.
On the back, in my mother's handwriting, were six words.
*Vanessa knows who was driving.*
I looked up.
Vanessa was staring at the paper.
Her face had gone completely white.
"Who was driving?"" I demanded.
She shook her head.
"No.""
"Tell me!""
"Emily, please.""
Dad ended the call and turned toward us.
I held up the paper.
"Mom wrote this before she died. She knew Vanessa knew who was driving.""
Dad took the page.
He read the words once.
Then again.
He looked at Vanessa.
"Who was driving the car that killed my wife?""
Vanessa's knees seemed to weaken.
She reached for the workbench to steady herself.
Then she looked directly at me.
May you like
And whispered a name I had never expected to hear.
"Your father.""
