Chapter 7: The Will That Could Make a Stranger Rich
Robert read the document again.
Then a third time.
His hands were trembling so badly that Evelyn had to take the papers from him.
“This isn't possible,” she whispered.
Marcus stood beside the coffee table, staring at the name printed beneath the administrator's signature.
Daniel Price.
“How could this happen?”” Marcus demanded.
“Dad never signed a will leaving anything to me.””
Vanessa folded her arms.
“Maybe he did. Maybe he just doesn't remember.””
Robert slowly raised his head.
“Don't you dare.””
Vanessa shrugged.
“You've been forgetting things lately, Robert. Maybe you signed it and forgot.””
“I have never met Daniel before today!””
“Then perhaps someone signed on your behalf.””
Officer Bennett stepped forward.
“Mrs. Williams, I need you to stop making comments about Mr. Williams's mental condition. We have not established that this document is authentic.””
Vanessa smiled.
“Of course. Everything is suddenly a lie when it doesn't suit this family.””
Marcus picked up the will.
“Dad, did you ever visit a lawyer six months ago?””
Robert thought carefully.
“No. I was recovering from pneumonia that month. I barely left the house.””
Evelyn nodded.
“He was in bed for almost three weeks. I remember because I had to cancel our anniversary dinner.””
Marcus examined the document.
The date was March seventeenth.
He turned to his father.
“Do you remember where you were that day?””
Robert nodded.
“At home. Your mother brought me soup, and I watched the basketball game.””
Evelyn frowned.
“Wait.””
Everyone turned toward her.
She looked at the document again.
“March seventeenth was the day Vanessa asked me to take her to the hospital.””
Vanessa's expression changed.
Evelyn continued.
“She told me she was having severe stomach pain. I drove her to the emergency room and stayed with her until nearly midnight.””
Marcus frowned.
“Why does that matter?””
“Because she asked me to leave her purse in the car. She said she didn't want it getting stolen.””
Vanessa interrupted.
“That has nothing to do with this!””
Evelyn looked at her.
“I haven't finished.””
She turned toward Robert.
“When I returned to the car, her purse was open. I saw a folder inside. I thought it was medical paperwork.””
Robert's expression hardened.
“Did you see what was written on it?””
“No. But I remember a law firm's name.””
Marcus leaned forward.
“What law firm?””
Evelyn closed her eyes, trying to remember.
“Coleman and Associates.””
Richard Coleman's firm.
The same attorney who had arrived with Daniel that afternoon.
Marcus immediately looked at the disputed will.
“Richard prepared this?””
Officer Bennett made a note.
“We'll need to establish who prepared and witnessed the document.””
Vanessa suddenly grabbed her handbag.
“I want a lawyer.””
Officer Bennett nodded.
“That's your right.””
But before Vanessa could move, her phone rang.
The screen displayed Daniel's name.
Officer Bennett asked her to leave it on the table.
Vanessa hesitated.
“It's a personal call.””
“Given the circumstances, I need you to preserve that phone and not delete anything.””
Vanessa placed it down reluctantly.
The call stopped.
A message appeared almost immediately.
*Don't let them see the original. It's in the storage unit.*
Marcus read it aloud.
“What storage unit?””
Vanessa snatched the phone.
Officer Bennett held out her hand.
“Mrs. Williams, please.””
Vanessa finally surrendered it.
Officer Bennett photographed the message.
Then she looked at Marcus.
“Do you know which storage facility she's referring to?””
Marcus shook his head.
But Robert suddenly remembered something.
“Your mother gave Vanessa the spare keys to the storage unit last Christmas.””
Evelyn turned toward him.
“I did?””
“Yes. She said she needed somewhere to keep the decorations.””
Evelyn looked horrified.
“That unit contains your mother's belongings.””
Robert's expression changed.
His late wife's jewelry, old photographs, family documents, and personal letters were all stored there.
He had not opened the unit in nearly a year.
“Why would Vanessa need anything in there?””
Nobody answered.
Then Marcus noticed something.
The will contained a witness signature.
He recognized the handwriting.
It belonged to someone he knew.
“Dad,” he whispered.
“Look at the second witness.””
Robert leaned closer.
His eyes widened.
The name was Evelyn Williams.
His wife's signature.
Evelyn shook her head violently.
“No. I never signed that.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Are you sure?””
“Absolutely.””
She took the document and examined it.
“That looks like my handwriting, but I didn't write it.””
Vanessa laughed.
“Now everybody is a victim.””
Evelyn turned toward her.
“You forged my signature too?””
Vanessa shrugged.
“You should be careful about what you accuse people of.””
Officer Bennett stepped between them.
“That's enough.””
She examined the document again.
“Mr. Williams, I'm going to recommend that you have an independent attorney review this will. Do not destroy it or attempt to alter it.””
Robert nodded.
“I understand.””
Then Marcus asked the question that had been troubling him.
“Officer, can you tell us whether this document gives Daniel control of my father's estate?””
“Not without verifying its authenticity and legal status. A document claiming to be a will does not automatically establish those rights.””
Vanessa's smile faded.
Marcus looked at her.
“Why did you do this?””
She stared back.
“Because I was tired of waiting.””
“For what?””
“For your father to die naturally and leave you everything.””
Marcus recoiled.
“You're disgusting.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“You think you're innocent? You wanted the same thing. You just didn't have the courage to say it.””
Marcus looked toward his father.
Robert didn't respond.
He simply looked at his son with exhausted eyes.
Then Vanessa added something that changed the atmosphere in the room.
“Daniel has the original. And if you want to know how he got it, ask your father about the black notebook.””
Robert went completely still.
Evelyn noticed.
“Robert?””
He looked at her.
“What black notebook?””
Robert swallowed.
“My late wife's personal journal.””
Vanessa smiled.
“Exactly.””
Robert felt his stomach drop.
That journal contained something Margaret had written shortly before her death.
Something she had begged him never to reveal.
May you like
And suddenly he realized that Vanessa hadn't merely been interested in the house.
She had been searching for something hidden inside the family.
