Chapter 4: The Secret Behind the Brake Failure
“What's a brake inspection report?””
I repeated the question, keeping my eyes fixed on Vanessa.
She didn't answer.
Her hands were trembling so badly that the folded document slipped from her fingers and landed on the carpet.
Daniel bent down to pick it up.
“Vanessa,” he said firmly, “I think you should explain.””
She shook her head.
“I don't know what that message means.””
“Then why do you look terrified?””
“Because Marcus is accusing me of things I didn't do!””
I held up my phone.
“Someone claims my accident wasn't an accident. They specifically mentioned a brake inspection report. Does that mean anything to you?””
Vanessa stared at the screen.
For a moment, I thought she might faint.
Then she whispered, “Adrian.””
Daniel immediately looked up.
“What about Adrian?””
“He knows something.””
“What does he know?””
“I don't know!””
I rolled my wheelchair closer.
“Vanessa, look at me.””
She slowly raised her eyes.
“Eight months ago, I was driving home from a meeting. My brakes failed. A truck hit me, and I spent weeks fighting for my life. You told me the police considered it an unfortunate mechanical failure.””
Her lips trembled.
“You were in the hospital. You weren't supposed to worry about those details.””
“I wasn't supposed to worry?””
“You needed time to recover.””
“And you used that time to empty my accounts.””
She flinched.
Daniel took out his phone.
“I'm contacting the police. We need to preserve the insurance records and obtain the original accident investigation.””
Vanessa grabbed his sleeve.
“Please don't.””
Daniel pulled away.
“Why not?””
“Because if the police find out about Adrian, everything will become much worse.””
I stared at her.
“Worse for whom?””
She didn't answer.
Daniel stepped into the hallway to make the call.
I watched Vanessa sink into the sofa.
For the first time, I noticed how exhausted she looked. Her makeup had begun to run beneath her eyes. The red dress she had worn for Adrian was wrinkled, and one of her earrings was missing.
I remembered buying that dress.
It had been our fifth wedding anniversary.
She had kissed me in the restaurant and promised that no matter what happened, we would always face life together.
I wondered whether she had already been planning my death that night.
“Marcus,” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“I need you to believe me about one thing.””
“Which thing?””
“I didn't cause the accident.””
“Did Adrian?””
She closed her eyes.
“I don't know.””
“That's not what I asked.””
She began crying again.
“Adrian told me the truck driver had been paid.””
My blood ran cold.
“Paid by whom?””
“I don't know.””
“Vanessa!””
“I swear! He never told me the name!””
I gripped the wheelchair's armrests.
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“Because Adrian said the driver disappeared. He said there was nothing anyone could prove.””
“Then why did you stay with him?””
She looked at me with a mixture of shame and desperation.
“Because he told me you were never going to recover.””
I stared at her.
She continued.
“He said your injuries were permanent. He said you would spend the rest of your life dependent on someone else. And he promised he could take care of me.””
I almost laughed.
“So you decided to replace me before I was even dead?””
“No!””
“You were kissing him in my living room.””
“I know.””
“You were transferring my house.””
“I know!””
“Then what exactly do you want me to believe?””
She covered her face.
Daniel returned.
“The police are sending someone to take an initial statement. I've also contacted the insurance investigator. They want to speak with Marcus directly.””
I nodded.
“Good.””
Daniel glanced at Vanessa.
“There's something else. I found an old email from the insurance company. It concerns the vehicle inspection.””
“Show me.””
He handed me his phone.
The email was dated two days before the accident.
It confirmed that my car had undergone a routine brake inspection at a local automotive service center.
The report stated that the braking system had passed.
But beneath the confirmation was an attachment.
Daniel opened it.
The attached document showed a different result.
<text weight="semibold" color="danger">BRAKE SYSTEM: CRITICAL DEFECT DETECTED.</text>
The report recommended that the vehicle not be driven until the brake lines were replaced.
I read the document twice.
“Why does the email say the brakes passed?””
Daniel enlarged the screen.
“Because someone uploaded a second report.””
“Who?””
He scrolled down.
The name appeared in the authorization section.
Vanessa Hale.
I slowly looked up.
She was already shaking her head.
“No. No, Marcus. I didn't change that.””
“Your name is on the report.””
“I didn't know what I was signing!””
“What did Adrian tell you?””
She pressed her hands against her temples.
“He said the repair shop needed permission to access the vehicle. He brought me some paperwork because you were already in the hospital.””
I felt my stomach turn.
“You signed a report saying my brakes were safe?””
“I didn't read it!””
Daniel looked at her.
“Mrs. Hale, this document bears your electronic signature. The original inspection report also appears to have been modified after the vehicle left the shop.””
“That's impossible.””
“Apparently not.””
A loud knock interrupted us.
Daniel opened the front door.
Two police officers stood outside.
The older officer introduced himself as Detective Robert Collins. His partner, Detective Miller, carried a small notebook.
“Mr. Hale?””
I nodded.
“We received a report concerning suspected insurance fraud and possible tampering with evidence connected to your accident.””
“That's correct.””
Detective Collins looked toward Vanessa.
“Mrs. Hale, we'd like to ask you a few questions.””
She stood.
“I haven't done anything wrong.””
“That's something we'll establish.””
The detective turned toward me.
“Mr. Hale, do you know who might have arranged the inspection?””
“Adrian Cole.””
The detective exchanged a glance with his partner.
Then he opened his notebook.
“Mr. Cole is already known to our department.””
I leaned forward.
“Why?””
Detective Collins hesitated.
“Because three months before your accident, another man filed a complaint involving suspicious brake failure on a vehicle registered to a company connected to Mr. Cole.””
My mouth went dry.
“Was that man injured?””
“No. He noticed the problem before driving.””
Detective Miller opened a folder.
“And there's something else. The complaint was withdrawn shortly afterward.””
“By whom?””
The detective looked at Vanessa.
“Your wife.””
The room seemed to shrink around me.
I turned toward her.
“You withdrew a complaint about Adrian?””
She couldn't meet my eyes.
Detective Collins closed his notebook.
“Mr. Hale, we need to find Mr. Cole immediately.””
I reached for my phone.
But before I could dial, a new message appeared.
This time, it contained a photograph.
A photograph of Adrian standing beside my car in the service center parking lot.
The date printed beneath it was the day before my accident.
And he wasn't alone.
Standing beside him was a man wearing the uniform of the automotive repair shop.
May you like
The man's face was familiar.
It was the mechanic who had told me my brakes were perfectly safe.
