CHAPTER 5: The Man Who Knew Too Much
Nathan replayed the video five times.
Five times.
And every single time, the same voice came through the speakers.
Calm.
Cold.
Familiar.
His father.
Thomas Walker.
The man who taught him how to ride a bike.
The man who stood beside him when he married Claire.
The man who cried harder than anyone at Claire’s funeral.
Nathan stared at the screen, hoping his brain was making a mistake.
Maybe grief was changing what he heard.
Maybe fear was making him connect things that weren’t connected.
But then the voice played again.
“Claire… you should have listened when I warned you.”
Nathan felt sick.
Because he knew his father’s voice.
A son knows his father’s voice better than anyone.
He closed the laptop slowly.
For years, Nathan believed Claire’s death was the worst thing that had ever happened to him.
He was wrong.
The worst thing was discovering that everyone he trusted might have played a part in it.
The next morning, Nathan drove to his father’s house.
He didn’t tell anyone.
Not Mark.
Not the police.
Not even the children.
He needed answers before he made another move.
Thomas Walker lived alone in a large house outside the city.
A house Nathan had visited thousands of times.
A house filled with childhood memories.
But today, it felt different.
Like he was walking into the home of a stranger.
Thomas opened the door.
His smile disappeared when he saw Nathan’s face.
“Son?”
Nathan didn’t answer.
Thomas studied him.
“What happened?”
Nathan walked inside.
“We need to talk.”
Thomas closed the door.
The two men stood in the living room.
The same room where Thomas had comforted Nathan after Claire’s funeral.
The same room where he promised:
“We’ll get through this together.”
Nathan looked at him.
“Did you know Claire was investigating something before she died?”
Thomas became still.
Only for a second.
But Nathan noticed.
That was enough.
“Why did you react like that?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.”
Thomas sighed.
“Nathan…”
“No.”
Nathan stepped forward.
“I spent two years believing my wife died because of bad weather.”
Thomas looked away.
“Because that’s what happened.”
“Was it?”
Silence.
Nathan pulled out his phone.
He pressed play.
The video filled the room.
Claire’s frightened face appeared.
Then the voice.
Thomas watched.
His expression changed.
Not shock.
Not confusion.
Recognition.
When the video ended, Nathan stared at him.
“You were there.”
Thomas slowly sat down.
“Nathan…”
“You were at Claire’s car.”
“I was trying to help her.”
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“Help her?”
His voice rose.
“My wife died!”
Thomas looked down.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Nathan’s eyes filled with anger.
“You weren’t the one who had to tell Emma her mother wasn’t coming home.”
Thomas closed his eyes.
“You think I don’t regret that?”
“I think you know more than you told me.”
The room became silent.
Finally, Thomas spoke.
“Claire found something.”
Nathan’s heart raced.
“What?”
“She found out someone was stealing from the children’s trust.”
Nathan already knew.
But hearing his father confirm it made everything real.
“Who?”
Thomas didn’t answer.
Nathan stepped closer.
“Who was it?”
Thomas looked at him.
And what he said next destroyed Nathan.
“Your brother.”
The room went silent.
Nathan shook his head.
“No.”
“Ethan made mistakes.”
“No.”
“He was in debt.”
“No.”
“Nathan—”
“My brother loved Claire.”
Thomas looked away.
“Your brother loved money more.”
Nathan felt his anger turning into something worse.
Pain.
“How long did you know?”
Thomas didn’t answer.
“How long?”
“Three months.”
Nathan froze.
Three months.
Thomas knew for three months.
Before Claire died.
Before the accident.
And he said nothing.
“You knew she was in danger.”
Thomas’s eyes filled with regret.
“I thought I could fix it.”
“You thought?”
Nathan’s voice cracked.
“My wife was afraid.”
“I know.”
“She tried to tell me.”
“I know.”
“She was murdered.”
Thomas looked up sharply.
“I never said that.”
Nathan stared at him.
“You didn’t have to.”
The silence said everything.
Nathan left his father’s house feeling empty.
The truth was coming piece by piece.
And every piece hurt more than the last.
But one question remained.
Why?
Why would Ethan do this?
Why would Vanessa be involved?
Why kill Claire?
When Nathan returned home, he found Vanessa sitting in the living room.
Waiting.
She looked calm.
Too calm.
“You went to see your father.”
Nathan stopped.
“How do you know?”
Vanessa smiled.
“You forget. This family talks.”
Nathan stared at her.
“Who else knows what I’m doing?”
Her smile disappeared.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
Vanessa stood.
“You’re becoming paranoid.”
“No.”
Nathan walked closer.
“I’m finally paying attention.”
For the first time, Vanessa looked angry.
“You need to stop digging into things you don’t understand.”
Nathan laughed quietly.
“My wife understood.”
Vanessa froze.
“She understood enough to leave evidence.”
A flicker of fear crossed her face.
Nathan saw it.
“You’re scared.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Do you really want to know what happened to Claire?”
Nathan didn’t move.
“Yes.”
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“Then ask your father why he was the last person to see her alive.”
Nathan felt the floor disappear beneath him.
“What?”
Vanessa smiled slightly.
“You heard me.”
“That’s impossible.”
“Is it?”
Nathan stared at her.
“You’re lying.”
“Am I?”
Before Nathan could respond, his phone rang.
Detective Mark.
Nathan answered.
“What happened?”
Mark’s voice was urgent.
“Nathan, you need to come to the station immediately.”
“Why?”
“We found something from the accident scene.”
“What?”
A pause.
Then Mark said:
“The car wasn’t just damaged.”
Nathan waited.
“What do you mean?”
“The brakes were cut.”
Nathan’s blood went cold.
“And there’s more.”
“What?”
Mark lowered his voice.
“We found fingerprints on the brake line.”
Nathan gripped the phone.
“Whose?”
Another silence.
Then:
“Your wife’s.”
Nathan frowned.
“What?”
“Claire touched the brake line before the accident.”
“That makes no sense.”
Mark’s voice became serious.
“Nathan…”
“Yes?”
“She knew someone was trying to kill her.”
Nathan stopped breathing.
“She tried to fix it herself.”
The call ended.
Nathan looked at Vanessa.
She was watching him.
And suddenly he understood something terrifying.
Claire didn’t die because she was caught by surprise.
She died because she discovered the truth…
and tried to fight back.
But the question remained:
Who was the person who wanted her dead?
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And why did they need Nathan to believe it was an accident?
TO BE CONTINUED...
