Chapter 7: The Woman Who Knew Who Killed My Father
The message on my phone contained an address, a time, and one final warning.
*Come alone at 9 p.m. If Marcus finds out where I am, your father's killer will know I'm ready to talk.*
I read it three times.
Then I looked at Marcus.
He was standing beside the vault table, his face pale, his fingers clenched around the edge of his jacket. For the first time since I had met him, he looked like a man who had lost control of the situation.
And I wanted to know why.
“Who is Claire Matthews?”” I asked.
Ethan answered before Marcus could.
“She was your father's chief accountant. She handled the books during the final year of the company.””
Daniel frowned.
“I thought she moved to Boston after Richard died.””
“She did,” Ethan replied.
“But before she left, she copied several financial records. Richard asked her to keep them somewhere safe.””
I turned toward Marcus.
“Do you know where she is?””
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
I stepped closer.
“Look at me.””
He reluctantly met my eyes.
“Did you know she had the ledger pages?””
“I knew someone had copies of the records. I didn't know who had them.””
“Then why are you afraid?””
His jaw tightened.
“Because if those records become public, my father could lose everything.””
“Your father?””
Marcus looked away.
That single glance told me more than another ten minutes of arguing would have.
Daniel collected the documents from the safe-deposit box and secured them in his briefcase.
“We need to leave,” he said.
“I'll contact an investigator I trust. Nia, you are not meeting this woman alone.””
I showed him the message.
He read it carefully.
“She may be telling the truth, but this could also be a trap.””
“I understand.””
“Do you?”” He lowered his voice.
“Someone has threatened your mother, manipulated legal documents, and possibly concealed evidence of a death. We cannot assume this is limited to a financial dispute.””
My mother reached for my hand.
“Please don't go.””
I looked at her.
“Mom, if Claire knows what happened to Dad, I need to hear it.””
“And if they hurt you?””
I squeezed her fingers.
“Then we'll make sure they don't get the chance.””
Daniel arranged for my mother to stay with a trusted friend while he contacted the authorities. He also made copies of the relevant documents and recorded the circumstances under which we'd recovered them.
Marcus tried to leave with Ethan.
Daniel stopped him long enough to make it clear that the original records were being preserved and that any further attempt to interfere could be documented.
Marcus turned toward me before the bank's security officer escorted him out.
“Nia, you don't understand what you're doing.””
I looked at the man who had once promised to stand beside me through everything.
“No, Marcus. I think I'm finally beginning to understand.””
At eight forty-five that evening, Daniel drove me to the address Claire had provided.
It was an old office building near the waterfront, with boarded windows on the ground floor and a flickering light above the entrance.
Daniel parked across the street.
“You stay on the phone with me,” he instructed.
“If anything feels wrong, you leave immediately.””
I nodded.
“And Nia?””
I turned back.
“Don't let your need for answers make you careless.””
I entered the building alone.
The stairwell smelled of dust and damp concrete. A single fluorescent light buzzed overhead. On the third floor, I found a door marked with a faded number.
I knocked twice.
A woman opened it.
She was in her early fifties, with tired eyes and silver streaks running through her dark hair. She looked at me for a long moment before stepping aside.
“Nia Cole.””
“You're Claire?””
She nodded.
“Come in. We don't have much time.””
The room was small, furnished with a desk, two chairs, and a filing cabinet. Papers covered every surface.
Claire locked the door behind me.
Then she placed a thick folder on the desk.
“I've waited eleven years to hand this to someone who could use it.””
I opened the folder.
Inside were bank statements, copies of contracts, and a series of emails between Arthur Vance and an account registered under Ethan's name.
But the final document made my stomach drop.
It was a handwritten note.
My father's handwriting.
If I am unable to tell Nia the truth, Claire must show her the second ledger. The money was never stolen. It was placed in trust for her.
I looked up.
“What trust?””
Claire pulled out a chair.
“Your father discovered that Arthur had been diverting company funds for years. He realized the only way to protect the remaining assets was to move them somewhere Arthur couldn't reach.””
“Where?””
“Into a private trust established for you.””
I stared at her.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?””
“Because Arthur believed your father had hidden the money in an offshore account. If he had known it belonged to you, he would have gone after you directly.””
I thought of Marcus asking about my father's business records. His sudden interest in my mother's property. His insistence that the wedding proceed despite everything.
“Was Marcus trying to get the trust?””
Claire nodded.
“He knew your father had left something behind. He didn't know where it was. Marrying you would have given him access to family records and a legitimate reason to become involved in your financial affairs.””
I felt cold.
“So he never loved me.””
Claire hesitated.
“I can't tell you what he felt. I can tell you what he planned.””
She slid another page toward me.
It was a transaction record showing a large sum transferred into the trust shortly before my father's death.
The beneficiary was listed as Nia Evelyn Cole.
My name.
My hands began to tremble.
“How much money?””
Claire gave me a number.
I stared at it, unable to speak.
The amount was far beyond anything I had imagined my father could have left behind.
“But why would Marcus need my mother's house if this money already existed?””
“Because the trust contains restrictions. The funds cannot be accessed without satisfying certain conditions. Your father's estate lawyer holds the original agreement.””
“Daniel?””
Claire nodded.
“He knows about the trust, but he doesn't have the complete ledger. Your father instructed him to wait until the evidence of fraud was recovered.””
I thought of the brass key, the sealed envelope, and the video recording.
Everything had been designed to lead to this moment.
Then I noticed something strange in the documents.
A signature appeared beneath the final transfer authorization.
Richard Cole.
But beside it was another signature, written in a different hand.
Arthur Vance.
“Why would Arthur sign a document transferring money into my trust?””
Claire leaned forward.
“Because he believed he was signing an agreement that would protect his own interests. Richard tricked him into authorizing the transfer.””
“Then Dad was protecting me.””
“Yes.””
I swallowed hard.
“And the night he died?””
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
“I was in the office that evening. I saw Arthur leave. I heard Richard arguing with someone afterward.””
“Who?””
She opened her mouth.
A loud crash came from the hallway.
Claire went rigid.
Someone was trying the office door.
Then a man's voice called through the wood.
“Claire. I know you're in there.””
I recognized it immediately.
Marcus.
Claire grabbed my arm.
“There's another exit through the storage room.””
“Who killed my father?”” I demanded.
She looked at me, her face suddenly desperate.
“Your father wasn't killed by the person everyone suspects.””
The door handle turned.
Claire pushed the folder into my hands.
“Take this. And whatever happens, don't let Marcus get the original letter.””
“What letter?””
She pointed toward the filing cabinet.
Before I could move, the door burst open.
May you like
Marcus stood in the doorway.
And behind him was my mother.
