Chapter 8: The Woman Who Knew About Rebecca
Marcus drove home so quickly that he barely remembered the journey.
He called David twice, but his brother didn't answer. On the third attempt, the call connected.
“Where's Jordan?””
“With me,” David replied immediately.
“He's safe. I'm not letting him out of my sight.””
“Good. Don't bring him home. I'm going to find out what's happening here.””
“Marcus, wait. You need to hear something first.””
“What?””
“Jordan showed me the latest message. There's a photograph attached. It's not just a picture of him outside the house.””
Marcus tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“What else is in it?””
David paused.
“Rebecca's car.””
Marcus nearly missed the turn.
Rebecca had owned a silver sedan that he had sold after her death. The photograph David described could only have been an old image or a deliberate attempt to frighten them.
“Send it to me.””
A moment later, the photograph arrived.
Jordan stood outside Marcus's house, his backpack over one shoulder.
Across the street, partially hidden behind a tree, was a silver sedan identical to Rebecca's.
The photograph was recent, but the car was impossible.
Marcus enlarged the image.
The license plate was visible.
He recognized the number immediately.
It belonged to Rebecca's old vehicle.
His hands went numb.
“David, that car was sold four years ago.””
“I know. Jordan recognized the plate too.””
“Could somebody have kept the registration details?””
“Of course. But why would they use that specific car in a photograph of Jordan?””
Marcus had no answer.
He pulled into his driveway and stopped.
The house was dark except for the upstairs bedroom window.
The front door stood slightly open.
Marcus stepped out of the car and called Danielle's name.
No response.
He entered cautiously.
The living room looked untouched. The television was off, and the curtains were drawn. A cup sat on the coffee table beside Danielle's reading glasses.
But the hallway table had been overturned.
The ceramic bowl lay shattered on the floor.
Marcus immediately checked the office.
The drawers had been pulled open, and papers covered the carpet. His desk lamp was lying on its side.
Someone had searched the room.
He moved to the filing cabinet.
The folder containing Rebecca's insurance documents was gone.
Marcus stood in the doorway, breathing hard.
Then he heard a sound from upstairs.
A soft, deliberate knock.
He climbed the stairs and found Danielle standing in their bedroom doorway.
Her hair was disheveled, and her eyes were red. She clutched a small black purse against her chest.
“Marcus.””
He stopped several feet away.
“Where is the insurance file?””
She looked down.
“I don't have it.””
“Someone searched my office.””
“I know.””
“Who was here?””
Danielle pressed her lips together.
“Richard.””
Marcus felt his stomach drop.
“Richard Cole came into my house?””
“He said he needed to collect some documents.””
“You let him search my office?””
“He said you had authorized him to retrieve them.””
“And you believed him?””
Danielle began crying.
“I didn't know what else to do.””
Marcus stared at her.
“You called me and told me not to let Jordan come home. Then you disappeared. Now my office has been searched, and Rebecca's insurance file is missing. You need to tell me everything.””
Danielle wiped her cheeks.
“Richard said the plan had gone too far. He said he could make it stop if we gave him the original documents.””
“Which documents?””
“The insurance file. The trust agreement. Anything that proved Jordan was the beneficiary.””
Marcus stepped closer.
“Why does Richard care about my son's insurance policy?””
Danielle's expression crumpled.
“Because he said there was money he could access.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Access how?””
“He told me that if Jordan was removed from your care and the trust was reviewed, there might be a way to appoint someone else to manage it.””
“That's not how a trust works.””
“I know that now.””
“No, Danielle. You knew enough to ask questions before you began making false accusations against a child.””
She flinched.
Marcus continued.
“Did you give Richard the original file?””
“No.””
“Then where is it?””
“I don't know.””
He studied her face.
For the first time, he wondered whether Danielle was lying out of fear rather than calculation.
But fear didn't make her innocent.
“Tell me about the men who were here.””
Danielle sank onto the bed.
“Richard arrived with another man. He said the man was a security consultant. They told me they needed to collect the documents before Friday because you were going to speak to your attorney.””
“Who was the second man?””
“I don't know his name.””
“What did he look like?””
“Tall. Dark hair. Maybe in his forties.””
Marcus thought of the sedan parked outside Evan's house.
“Did he take anything else?””
Danielle hesitated.
“Your laptop.””
Marcus turned toward the office.
The laptop was indeed missing.
He felt a surge of anger so sharp he could barely speak.
“Why didn't you call the police?””
“Because Richard said if I did, he would release the messages and photographs to Jordan's school.””
Marcus stared at her.
“And you thought protecting yourself from embarrassment was more important than reporting a possible crime?””
Danielle covered her face.
“I was scared.””
Marcus looked away.
He could see the frightened woman she wanted him to see. But he could also see the messages, the staged photographs, and the forged documents.
Both things could be true.
She could be frightened now and still have chosen to frighten his son.
“Did you know about the photograph of Rebecca's car?”” he asked.
Danielle lowered her hands.
“What photograph?””
Marcus showed her the image David had sent.
She stared at it.
Then the color drained from her face.
“Oh, my God.””
“What?””
Danielle shook her head.
“No. No, that can't be right.””
“Tell me what you know.””
She stood and walked to the dresser. Her hands shook as she opened the bottom drawer and removed a folded sheet of paper.
Marcus recognized the handwriting immediately.
Rebecca's.
He had seen it on birthday cards, grocery lists, and notes she used to leave beside his coffee mug.
Danielle held out the paper.
“I found this inside the insurance folder three weeks ago.””
Marcus took it.
The note was addressed to him.
Marcus, if you're reading this, it means someone has started asking questions about Jordan's trust. Don't assume they're doing it for his benefit. I discovered an irregularity in the paperwork shortly before I became ill, and I never had the chance to explain it.
Marcus read the words twice.
His throat tightened.
Rebecca had written the note before her death.
He turned the paper over.
On the back was a phone number and a name.
*Eleanor Price — Estate Counsel.*
Marcus recognized the name from the original trust documents.
“Why didn't you show me this when you found it?””
Danielle's eyes filled again.
“Because Richard told me the note could destroy everything.””
“Everything what?””
“The arrangement.””
“What arrangement?””
Danielle looked toward the bedroom door.
Then she whispered, “Richard said Rebecca had discovered someone was trying to access Jordan's trust before she died.””
Marcus felt the floor shift beneath him.
“Who?””
Danielle shook her head.
“He wouldn't tell me. He said the only way to find out was to obtain the original file.””
Marcus stared at the note.
Rebecca had been seriously ill in the months before her death. She had spent countless hours organizing documents, arranging Jordan's future, and making sure Marcus understood how the trust worked.
He had assumed her caution came from knowing she wouldn't be there to raise their son.
Now he wondered whether she had been protecting him from something she hadn't had time to explain.
“Danielle, did you know about the irregularity before you contacted Evan?””
“No.””
“Did you know Richard was trying to obtain the trust documents?””
“Not at first.””
“When did you find out?””
She looked away.
“Last week.””
“And you kept going?””
Danielle's shoulders shook.
“I thought if Jordan moved out, the pressure would stop. Richard said he would handle the rest.””
Marcus felt sick.
She had known there was a financial scheme involving his son, yet she had continued trying to force him out of the house.
“You used Jordan as leverage,” he said.
“I thought I could control it.””
“You can't control people who are willing to destroy a child's life for money.””
Danielle began crying harder.
Marcus stepped away.
He wanted to believe that somewhere beneath the manipulation and resentment was the woman he had married. But every new revelation exposed another choice she had made.
Then his phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
Marcus answered.
“Mr. Brooks?”” a woman asked.
“My name is Eleanor Price. I was Rebecca's attorney.””
Marcus gripped the note.
“I'm listening.””
“I received an urgent message concerning your wife's trust documents. I understand that some files may have been removed from your home.””
“How do you know that?””
“Because someone attempted to contact my office this afternoon, claiming to represent you. They requested confidential records related to Jordan's beneficiary account.””
Marcus looked at Danielle.
“Who contacted you?””
“I can't disclose every detail over an unsecured call. But I can tell you this: Rebecca left specific instructions regarding any attempt to alter the trust. If the person involved is who I suspect, this matter is considerably more serious than a family dispute.””
Marcus lowered his voice.
“Did Rebecca tell you what the irregularity was?””
Eleanor paused.
“Yes.””
“What was it?””
“The trust was designed to protect Jordan from precisely this kind of interference. But Rebecca also discovered a second beneficiary record that did not match the original documents.””
Marcus felt his heart hammering.
“A second beneficiary?””
“Yes. Someone had submitted paperwork claiming that a portion of the policy benefits should be paid to another person.””
“Who?””
Eleanor's voice grew quieter.
“I believe you need to come to my office tomorrow morning. Bring every document you still possess, and do not sign anything Richard Cole presents to you.””
Marcus glanced at Danielle.
She was staring at him, her face pale.
“Ms. Price,” he said, “who is the second beneficiary?””
The attorney took a breath.
“The name on the disputed record is Evan Brooks.””
Marcus felt as though the air had been knocked from his lungs.
His brother.
Again.
But before he could respond, Eleanor added something that changed the meaning of everything he had heard.
“There's one more thing, Mr. Brooks. Evan did not submit that document himself.””
Marcus stared at the phone.
“Then who did?””
Eleanor answered in a voice barely above a whisper.
“Rebecca's records indicate that the application was submitted using a power of attorney signed by you.””
Marcus looked at Danielle.
May you like
She had gone completely still.
And in the silence that followed, he realized that someone had been using his signature long before the accusations against Jordan began.
