Chapter 6 - THE NIGHT HE DIED

I could hear my own breathing.

Nothing else.

“What do you mean, stop him?”

Victoria folded her arms.

“You should ask Daniel.”

I walked toward my husband.

The officers still held him.

“Look at me.”

He didn’t.

“Daniel.”

Slowly, he raised his eyes.

“Did you hurt my father?”

“No.”

The answer was immediate.

Too immediate.

Marcus opened another folder.

“Emily, we need to be careful. We do not yet have evidence that your father’s death was anything other than natural.”

Victoria scoffed.

“Then check the medication.”

Marcus turned.

“What medication?”

Daniel looked terrified.

Victoria realized she had said too much.

That was all I needed.

“What medication?”

Patricia rushed toward her.

“Victoria, enough!”

Officer Grant blocked her.

Victoria stared at Daniel.

“You said you destroyed everything.”

Daniel exploded.

“You were supposed to stay dead!”

Silence.

Even the officers froze for half a second.

Daniel realized his mistake.

Victoria stared at him.

Then smiled bitterly.

“Bad choice of words, Danny.”

Marcus looked at Officer Grant.

“I think we need detectives here.”

She was already reaching for her radio.

Daniel turned toward me.

“Emily, listen to me.”

I stepped back.

“No.”

“Your father was sick.”

“He had high blood pressure.”

“He had heart problems.”

“Minor ones.”

“He was angry that night. He confronted me.”

“About Victoria?”

“Yes.”

My chest tightened.

“What happened?”

Daniel breathed hard.

“He threatened to destroy me.”

“So?”

“I left.”

“Before or after he collapsed?”

Daniel didn’t answer.

Marcus stepped closer.

“Daniel.”

“I want a lawyer.”

Of course.

Suddenly, every ounce of false courage disappeared.

Officer Grant nodded.

“That’s your right.”

Patricia began crying.

Not for me.

Not for my father.

For Daniel.

“My son didn’t do anything.”

Victoria laughed.

“You don’t even believe that.”

Patricia slapped her.

The sound cracked through the foyer.

Officers immediately separated them.

“You disgusting little parasite!” Patricia screamed.

Victoria shouted back.

“You begged me to disappear!”

My head snapped toward Patricia.

“What?”

Patricia froze.

Victoria’s eyes blazed.

“She paid me.”

Marcus said, “How much?”

“Three hundred thousand dollars.”

Daniel screamed, “Stop talking!”

Victoria continued anyway.

“Patricia paid me to disappear, change my name, and stay away while Daniel married Emily.”

I looked at Patricia.

She shook her head wildly.

“No.”

Victoria laughed.

“You wired it through a Cayman account.”

Marcus’s face sharpened.

“Which account?”

Victoria gave him a number from memory.

Marcus entered it into his phone.

Seconds later, his expression changed.

“I know this account.”

Daniel went still.

I whispered, “Why?”

Marcus looked at me.

“Because money from one of your trusts was transferred into it last year.”

My stomach dropped.

“How much?”

Marcus swallowed.

“Nearly eight million dollars.”

Patricia sat down.

Victoria stopped smiling.

And Daniel finally looked afraid.

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Then Marcus added one more thing.

“And yesterday, someone initiated a transfer for the rest.”