Chapter 7: The Witness Who Knew Too Much
“Brittany was at the hospital the night your mother died?””
I repeated Daniel's words because my mind refused to accept them.
Daniel nodded.
“According to the county records, Brittany Carter signed as a witness on the trust amendment. The document was supposedly executed at 9:40 p.m. on the night your mother was admitted to the hospital.””
Dad gripped the back of his chair.
“That's impossible. Brittany was twelve years old.””
“Exactly,” Daniel replied.
“A twelve-year-old cannot legally serve as a notarial witness in the manner described here. That alone raises serious questions.””
Margaret Ellis leaned over the document.
“There's another problem. The signature attributed to Brittany appears to have been written by someone significantly older.””
I stared at the page.
The name was there.
*Brittany Reed.*
But the handwriting looked nothing like the messy letters I'd seen on her school notebooks.
“Why would she sign this?”” I whispered.
Dad shook his head.
“We don't know that she did.””
Daniel closed the folder.
“Before we make assumptions, I'd like to speak with her.””
Dad immediately reached for his phone.
“I'll bring her here.””
“No,” Daniel said firmly.
“Not yet. If someone has been involved in falsifying legal documents, we don't want to give them an opportunity to coordinate their stories.””
I thought about Brittany wearing Mom's robe.
Her laughter.
The way she'd carried my makeup boxes into the bedroom as if she were moving into a hotel suite.
Suddenly, those memories felt different.
“Was she involved in taking the money?”” I asked.
Daniel looked at me.
“We haven't established that.””
I swallowed.
“But she knew something.””
Nobody answered.
We returned home shortly after noon.
Vanessa was sitting in the living room, scrolling through her phone.
Brittany lay on the couch with her feet resting on a velvet cushion. A shopping website was open on her laptop.
When she saw us, she smiled.
“Hey, Dad. Did you get my new dresser?””
Dad didn't answer.
He placed his keys on the table.
“Brittany, come downstairs. We need to talk.””
She groaned.
“About what?””
“Now.””
Vanessa immediately put down her phone.
“Michael, she's in the middle of something.””
“Then she can finish later.””
Brittany shut her laptop.
“Mom, what's going on?””
Vanessa looked at me.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Apparently, Emily has been telling stories again.””
I said nothing.
Dad turned toward his wife.
“Don't start.””
He led Brittany into the dining room.
I followed.
Vanessa came behind us.
“Michael, this is ridiculous.””
Dad pulled out a chair for Brittany.
“Sit down.””
She dropped into it.
“Can someone tell me what's happening?””
Dad placed a photocopy of the trust amendment in front of her.
Brittany glanced at it.
Her expression barely changed.
Then she pushed it away.
“I don't know what that is.””
Daniel's voice came through Dad's phone.
He'd joined the conversation remotely.
“Brittany, your name appears as a witness on this document.””
She laughed.
“So?””
“You were twelve years old when it was supposedly signed.””
Her smile disappeared.
Vanessa stepped forward.
“That's enough. She doesn't have to answer questions without an attorney.””
Dad looked at her.
“Why are you so worried about what she'll say?””
“Because she's my daughter!””
“And Emily is mine.””
The room went silent.
Dad turned back to Brittany.
“Were you at the hospital the night your mother died?””
Brittany looked toward Vanessa.
It was only a second.
But I saw it.
A tiny glance.
A silent request for permission.
Vanessa shook her head almost imperceptibly.
Brittany looked back at Dad.
“No.””
I stepped forward.
“That's not true.””
She rolled her eyes.
“Here we go.””
“You told me once that you remembered the hospital because you saw Dad crying in the parking lot.””
Brittany's face went pale.
Vanessa immediately interrupted.
“Emily, stop inventing things.””
I looked directly at Brittany.
“You said you saw Mom through the glass doors. You said she was wearing a blue hospital gown.””
Brittany's fingers began tapping against the table.
Dad slowly turned toward her.
“Is that true?””
She swallowed.
“I was young. I don't remember.””
“Then why is your signature on this document?””
“I said I don't know!””
Her voice cracked.
For a moment, I thought she might cry.
Then Vanessa reached for her shoulder.
“That's enough. We're leaving.””
Dad stood in front of the doorway.
“No one is leaving until we understand what's happening.””
Vanessa stared at him.
“You cannot keep us here.””
“I'm not keeping anyone here. But I am asking my daughter a question.””
Brittany suddenly pushed her chair backward.
“I didn't sign anything!””
Her voice was loud enough to make everyone freeze.
“I didn't sign the stupid paper!””
Dad stared at her.
“Then whose signature is it?””
Brittany looked at her mother.
Vanessa's face had become frighteningly still.
“Brittany,” she said softly, “think very carefully before you answer.””
My stepsister began crying.
“Mom, I don't want to do this anymore.””
Vanessa grabbed her arm.
“Go upstairs.””
“Mom—”
“NOW!””
Brittany ran out of the dining room.
I heard her bedroom door slam.
Dad turned toward Vanessa.
“What did you make her do?””
Vanessa laughed, but there was no humor in it.
“You're listening to a child who lies about everything.””
Daniel interrupted through the phone.
“Mrs. Carter, I strongly advise you not to contact anyone involved in these documents until the investigation is complete.””
Vanessa snatched Dad's phone and ended the call.
Then she looked at him.
“You have no idea what you're doing.””
Dad stepped closer.
“Neither did you when you started stealing from my daughter.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“Michael, you think Laura was innocent? You think she never made mistakes?””
“Leave Laura out of this.””
“She knew what was happening!””
Dad froze.
Vanessa realized what she'd said.
I stared at her.
“What did Mom know?””
She turned away.
“Nothing.””
“You just said she knew!””
Vanessa walked toward the stairs.
Dad followed her with his eyes.
“Vanessa, come back.””
She stopped on the first step.
Then she turned around.
“Your precious wife wasn't dying because of a heart condition alone. She was asking questions about people who were much more powerful than either of us.””
My stomach dropped.
“Who?””
Vanessa looked at me.
For the first time, there was something almost like pity in her expression.
“Ask your father why he didn't stay at the hospital that night.””
Then she disappeared upstairs.
I turned toward Dad.
He looked as if someone had punched him.
“Dad?””
He sat down slowly.
“I was there,” he whispered.
“Then why did Vanessa say you left?””
He covered his face.
“I didn't leave because I wanted to.””
I knelt beside him.
“What happened?””
He looked at me with tears in his eyes.
“Your mother asked me to get something from the house. She said it was important. When I returned…”
His voice broke.
“When I returned, the doctors had already declared her dead.””
I couldn't move.
Dad reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of paper.
“I found this in her hospital bag afterward. I've carried it ever since.””
He opened it.
There were three handwritten words.
*Don't trust Richard.*
Underneath was a phone number.
And a name.
*Patricia Mills.*
The same notary whose stamp appeared on the forged document.
Dad looked at me.
“Emily, I think Vanessa wasn't the only person involved.””
Then his phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared.
If you want to know what happened to Laura Carter, meet me tonight. Come alone.
There was no signature.
May you like
Only an address.
The address of the hospital where my mother had died.
