Chapter 8: The Last Person Who Saw My Mother
Robert called Daniel Mercer that afternoon.
The number listed in the old report was no longer active.
He tried the financial firm.
They told him Daniel had left the company two years earlier.
Then, after several calls, Robert managed to locate him through a professional contact.
Daniel agreed to meet us the following morning.
Dad barely slept that night.
Neither did I.
I kept thinking about the visitor log.
Vanessa had been inside the bank with Daniel the day before Mom died.
What had they been doing?
And why had Mom never told Dad?
The next morning, we drove to a small office building downtown.
Daniel Mercer was waiting in the lobby.
He was in his late forties, with gray at his temples and a tired expression.
When he saw Robert, he stood.
"Mr. Hayes.""
"Daniel.""
They shook hands.
Daniel glanced at Dad.
"Michael Harper?""
"Yes.""
Then he looked at me.
"Emily?""
I nodded.
He seemed uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry about your mother.""
Dad's jaw tightened.
"Did you know her?""
"Yes. I worked with her briefly.""
"Did you meet Vanessa?""
Daniel looked down.
"Yes.""
Dad took a step forward.
"Why?""
Daniel glanced toward the meeting room.
"Perhaps we should sit down.""
We followed him inside.
The room was small.
A conference table stood in the center, with four chairs and a glass wall overlooking the street.
Daniel placed a folder on the table.
"Your wife contacted me because she suspected someone was attempting to access her investment account.""
Dad leaned forward.
"Did she know it was Vanessa?""
"She suspected her.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Why?""
Daniel looked at me.
"Because your mother found a document with Vanessa's signature attached to an unauthorized request.""
Robert opened his notebook.
"Do you still have that document?""
Daniel nodded.
He removed a copy from the folder.
It was a withdrawal request for $50,000.
The recipient account belonged to a company called Harper Consulting.
Dad frowned.
"That's not my company.""
Daniel shook his head.
"It was registered several months before your wife's death.""
"Who owned it?""
Daniel pointed to the registration page.
Vanessa Harper.
I stared at the paper.
"She created a company just to take Mom's money?""
Daniel hesitated.
"That appears to have been the purpose.""
Dad looked furious.
"Why wasn't she stopped?""
"We flagged the transaction. But the account holder had to complete additional verification. Before that happened, Laura became seriously ill.""
Daniel continued.
"Your wife asked me to preserve the records. She was afraid the documents might disappear.""
Robert leaned forward.
"Did you meet Vanessa on the day before Laura died?""
Daniel nodded.
"She contacted me, saying she wanted to resolve the financial issues before the estate was finalized.""
Dad's voice was sharp.
"Why would she have any authority?""
"She claimed you had given her permission to manage certain family financial matters.""
Dad shook his head.
"I never did.""
Daniel opened another folder.
"She brought an authorization document bearing your signature.""
Robert studied it.
"The same one we found in the blue cabinet?""
"Yes.""
Daniel looked at Dad.
"I suspected the signature was forged. That's why I refused to approve the request.""
I leaned forward.
"Did Mom know?""
Daniel's expression softened.
"She found out that afternoon.""
My throat tightened.
"What did she do?""
"She called me from the hospital.""
He paused.
"She was very upset. Not because of the money. She was worried about you.""
I looked down.
Daniel continued.
"She asked me to make sure the account was protected. Then she said something I haven't forgotten.""
"What?""
Daniel looked directly at me.
"She said, 'If anything happens to me, please don't let my daughter believe she was ever the reason for this family's problems.''"
My eyes filled.
Dad covered his mouth.
Daniel lowered his voice.
"She was afraid Vanessa would blame you for the financial restrictions.""
I remembered the years of insults.
The way Vanessa called me expensive.
The way she said I was ruining the family.
She had been preparing that story long before I understood what was happening.
"Did Vanessa threaten Mom?"" I asked.
Daniel hesitated.
Then he nodded.
"She confronted Laura at the hospital.""
Dad stood.
"What?""
Daniel opened his folder.
"I didn't witness the confrontation myself, but Laura told me about it.""
"What did Vanessa say?""
"She told your wife that the family needed the money and that she should stop interfering.""
Dad's hands trembled.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?""
Daniel looked at him.
"Your wife asked me not to. She believed you were already under enormous stress, and she wanted to avoid a confrontation that could affect your relationship with Emily.""
Dad sat down.
He looked broken.
Robert turned another page.
"Daniel, do you know who the other man was in the visitor log?""
Daniel nodded.
"An associate of Vanessa's. His name was Daniel Mercer.""
Everyone stared at him.
He gave a humorless smile.
"That's me. The other signature belongs to a bank employee who accompanied us.""
I felt confused.
"Then who was the man in Brittany's recording?""
Daniel considered it.
"Did you hear the recording?""
Robert played it.
Daniel listened carefully.
When it ended, he frowned.
"I recognize the voice.""
Dad leaned forward.
"Who?""
Daniel shook his head.
"I don't want to speculate.""
"Then tell us what you know.""
Daniel opened his folder again.
"There was another person involved in the original account inquiry. Someone who helped Vanessa prepare the paperwork.""
He placed a business card on the table.
The name was printed in black letters.
*Richard Cole.*
Vanessa's older brother.
Dad stared at it.
"He's a lawyer?""
"Not exactly. He works in property acquisitions. He helped register the company and prepare the financing inquiries.""
Robert looked at the card.
"Why would he be involved?""
Daniel replied quietly.
"Because the plan wasn't simply to withdraw money.""
He removed another document.
It was a preliminary agreement for the sale of a property.
Our property.
18 Willow Creek Drive.
The proposed buyer was a company registered under Richard Cole's name.
The offer was $640,000.
I stared at the paper.
"They were going to sell our house?""
Daniel nodded.
"They were preparing the transaction in case they could obtain the necessary authorization.""
Dad stood.
"Without my knowledge?""
"Yes.""
Robert examined the document.
"Who signed this?""
Daniel pointed to the bottom.
Vanessa.
Then he pointed to the witness line.
Richard Cole.
I looked at the date.
It was from six months earlier.
That was around the same time Vanessa began telling me the guest room was too expensive to maintain.
Around the same time Brittany started talking about moving into my bedroom.
Around the same time Vanessa began insisting that Dad should sell the house and buy something smaller.
I suddenly understood.
The room wasn't just about Brittany wanting a bigger bedroom.
Vanessa wanted the house empty.
She wanted me to feel unwanted.
She wanted Dad to believe moving was the easiest solution.
And she wanted the property available for sale.
Dad looked at Robert.
"Can we stop this?""
Robert nodded.
"Yes. We can notify the relevant parties that the property is protected by the trust and that no sale is authorized.""
Daniel gathered his papers.
"There's something else you should know.""
We all turned toward him.
He pulled out a sealed document.
"Laura asked me to keep this until Emily was old enough to understand what happened.""
I felt my heart pounding.
"What's inside?""
Daniel looked at me.
"An original statement from the hospital.""
Dad frowned.
"What statement?""
Daniel placed it on the table.
"Your wife requested a copy of a conversation recorded in her medical file.""
Robert opened the envelope carefully.
Inside was a transcription of a telephone call.
The date was the day before Mom died.
The speaker listed at the top was Laura Harper.
The other speaker was Vanessa Cole.
I began reading.
Then I stopped.
My mother's final recorded words were written at the bottom.
You can take the money, Vanessa. You can take the furniture. But you will never take my daughter's future.
I couldn't breathe.
Then I noticed the final line.
It was a handwritten note from the hospital administrator.
Patient requested that the following person be notified if the financial investigation continued.
The name was not Dad's.
It was mine.
And beneath it was an instruction.
Do not disclose until Emily reaches eighteen, unless her safety is at risk.
I looked at Robert.
"Why would Mom want them to contact me?""
Robert turned the page.
His face went pale.
"Because there's a second beneficiary listed in the original trust.""
Dad stared at him.
"Who?""
Robert slowly turned the document toward us.
May you like
The name beneath mine was:
*Brittany Cole.*
