Chapter 9 - The Dead Lawyer’s Letter
The letter arrived under police seal.
Margaret’s attorney, Charles Wynn, had written it by hand six hours before his death.
Detective Shaw read it aloud inside Naomi’s office while Evelyn listened from the couch.
Mrs. Carter,
If you are reading this, I have failed to correct a mistake that began before your marriage. Margaret Hale is not the person she claims to be. Daniel knows only fragments, and those fragments have been used to control him.
Do not trust Simon Vale.
Do not trust the police file concerning Laura Bennett.
Most importantly, do not open the red ledger unless Rebecca’s daughter is present.
The letter ended there.
No signature appeared beneath the final line.
Evelyn looked at Shaw.
“Rebecca’s daughter?”
“We have no record of Rebecca having a daughter.”
“She had Daniel.”
“Daniel may not be the child referenced.”
Naomi folded her arms.
“Why would Wynn know any of this?”
“He represented Margaret for twenty-two years,” Shaw said. “He handled property purchases, identity documents and several sealed settlements.”
“Did he help create her false identity?”
“Possibly.”
“Did he kill himself?”
“The medical examiner has not ruled yet.”
Evelyn focused on one sentence.
Do not trust the police file concerning Laura Bennett.
“What is wrong with the file?”
Shaw’s expression remained guarded.
“The original case contains inconsistencies.”
“Such as?”
“The sedative vial recorded at the scene was manufactured two years after Laura’s death.”
Naomi stared.
“That is impossible.”
“Which means evidence was added later or the date was altered.”
“By whom?”
“We don’t know.”
“And where is the red ledger?”
“We believe it was among the records removed from the clinic basement.”
“But it wasn’t in the storage unit.”
“No.”
Evelyn pressed her fingers against her temple.
Caleb had entered the clinic looking for the ledger. Daniel had stored stolen documents at the unit. Margaret had disappeared. Simon remained hidden.
Everyone was searching for the same object.
The question was what it contained.
Naomi sat beside Evelyn.
“Rebecca’s daughter could be alive under another name.”
“Or Wynn was trying to confuse us.”
“Why send the warning to you?”
“Because I own the clinic.”
“Not anymore, according to North Lake.”
Evelyn’s jaw tightened.
A hearing on the disputed ownership claim was scheduled for the next morning. If the judge granted North Lake temporary control, Simon’s company could enter the clinics, seize records and suspend staff.
Naomi had prepared evidence of forgery, but the copied signature was nearly flawless and the document included notarization.
“Who notarized it?” Evelyn asked.
“A woman named Paige Mercer.”
“Do we know her?”
“She worked at Daniel’s consulting company for six months.”
“Where is she now?”
“Missing.”
Detective Shaw’s phone vibrated again.
He stepped into the hallway.
Evelyn looked at the copy of Wynn’s letter.
“Rebecca’s daughter,” she repeated.
Naomi studied her.
“What?”
“Daniel and I tried to have children for years.”
“I know.”
“He refused genetic testing after the second failed treatment.”
“What are you thinking?”
“I thought he was embarrassed.”
Naomi’s face sharpened.
“You think he already knew something about his parentage.”
“Maybe Simon had a hereditary condition.”
“Or Daniel knew Margaret wasn’t his mother.”
Evelyn remembered an argument from early in their marriage. Daniel had been drinking. He accused Margaret of stealing his childhood. Margaret slapped him and said, “I saved you from her.”
The next morning, both insisted he had been talking about a teacher who neglected him.
Evelyn accepted the explanation because Daniel begged her to.
She had accepted too many explanations.
Shaw returned.
“We found Paige Mercer.”
“Alive?” Naomi asked.
“Yes. She entered protective custody in Indiana two days ago.”
“Why?”
“She contacted federal investigators about identity theft and insurance fraud.”
“Can we speak to her?”
“Not yet.”
“Does she know about the purchase agreement?”
“We believe she notarized it under threat.”
Evelyn looked toward the letter.
“Is she Rebecca’s daughter?”
“We don’t know.”
That evening, Evelyn prepared for the ownership hearing.
She reviewed bank records, corporate documents and digital signatures while fighting exhaustion. Every few minutes, pain pulled her attention back to the injury beneath her ribs.
At nine, Naomi’s security gate alarm sounded.
Both women froze.
The exterior camera showed Daniel standing outside.
His face was bruised. He wore hospital clothes beneath a borrowed coat.
Naomi called the police before speaking through the intercom.
“You cannot be here.”
“I need to see Evelyn.”
“You are under investigation.”
“I escaped from the hospital because Simon has someone inside the department.”
Evelyn approached the screen.
“Who?”
Daniel looked directly at the camera.
“I don’t know his name.”
“Why should I believe you?”
“Because the storage unit wasn’t meant to hold me. It was meant to hold you.”
Evelyn felt a cold pressure behind her ribs.
Daniel continued.
“Mom told them where to find your laptop because she wanted the police to recover it.”
“Why?”
“There’s a file on it.”
“What file?”
“A video.”
“Of Laura Bennett?”
Daniel shook his head.
“Of you.”
Naomi moved closer to the intercom.
“What does it show?”
Daniel glanced toward the dark road behind him.
“It was recorded before Evelyn and I met.”
“That’s impossible,” Evelyn said.
“I thought so too.”
A vehicle turned slowly onto Naomi’s street.
Daniel looked over his shoulder.
His fear appeared genuine.
“Let me in.”
Police sirens sounded in the distance.
The approaching vehicle stopped beyond the reach of Naomi’s gate lights.
Daniel grabbed the bars.
“Evelyn, Margaret chose you years before I did.”
“What are you talking about?”
“She arranged our first meeting.”
Evelyn stared at him.
Daniel’s voice broke.
“Our marriage was never an accident.”
May you like
A sharp sound cracked through the night.
Daniel jerked backward and disappeared below the camera frame.
