Chapter 6: The Brother Who Knew Everything
I couldn't remember leaving Vanessa's apartment.
One moment, I was staring at her.
The next, I was standing beside Officer Brooks's vehicle, listening to the sound of traffic.
My brother.
Daniel.
The person who had stood beside me at my wedding.
The person who had carried Lily on his shoulders at the beach.
The person who had once driven through a snowstorm because Danielle needed help when I was away on business.
I called him.
He answered immediately.
“Marcus! Hey, brother. How are you holding up?””
I closed my eyes.
“How did you know?””
A pause.
“Know what?””
“About Vanessa.””
Another pause.
Then he sighed.
“Look, I was going to tell you eventually.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“You knew?””
“Marcus, don't do this over the phone.””
“You knew about the affair?””
“Yes.””
“How long?””
“Months.””
I stared at the road.
“And the messages?””
Silence.
“Daniel?””
“Where are you?””
“Answer me.””
He lowered his voice.
“Listen, whatever Vanessa told you, don't believe everything.””
“Did you send messages to my daughter?””
“Absolutely not.””
“Did you use my old phone?””
“Marcus, I think you're losing your mind.””
“My daughter is dead.””
“I know!””
His voice cracked.
For a moment, I heard something that sounded like genuine grief.
Then he said:
“And I loved that little girl too.””
I gripped the phone.
“Then tell me the truth.””
Daniel exhaled.
“I'll come over tonight.””
“Don't.””
“Marcus—”
“I'll come to you.””
I ended the call.
Officer Brooks had been watching me.
“Was that your brother?””
I nodded.
“Daniel Reed?””
“Yes.””
She exchanged a glance with Detective Harris.
“We'll need to speak with him.””
Daniel lived in a two-story house on the other side of town.
When I arrived, he was standing on the porch.
He wore a gray sweatshirt and jeans.
His hair was uncombed.
He looked older than he had the previous week.
“Brother.””
He opened his arms.
I didn't move.
Daniel lowered them.
“Okay.””
I walked inside.
His living room was exactly as I remembered it.
A football game played silently on the television.
Family photographs lined the mantel.
One showed Daniel holding Lily when she was three months old.
Another showed the two of us standing beside our father at a fishing lake.
I looked at the photographs.
“Did you ever love my daughter?””
Daniel frowned.
“What kind of question is that?””
“Answer it.””
“Of course I loved her.””
“Then why would you help someone frighten her?””
His expression hardened.
“Vanessa told you that?””
“She showed me messages.””
“She's lying.””
“Why would she?””
Daniel shook his head.
“Because she's trying to save herself.””
I stepped closer.
“Did you introduce her to me?””
He hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because you were miserable.””
I laughed once.
“Miserable?””
“You and Danielle were fighting all the time. You were working constantly. You barely spoke to each other.””
“That doesn't give you the right to arrange my affair.””
“I didn't arrange anything.””
“You introduced us.””
“I thought you needed someone to talk to.””
I stared at him.
“You knew she was interested in me.””
Daniel looked away.
“Maybe.””
“And you knew she wanted me to leave my wife.””
He didn't answer.
I felt anger rising.
“Did you know she was contacting Danielle?””
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“Marcus, there are things you don't understand.””
“Then explain them.””
He walked toward the kitchen.
“Do you want coffee?””
I stared at him.
“My daughter is dead, Daniel.””
He stopped.
For a moment, his shoulders sagged.
“I know.””
“Then stop pretending this is an ordinary conversation.””
He turned around.
“Fine. You want the truth?””
“Yes.””
“Danielle never wanted you to be happy.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“She controlled everything. Your money. Your schedule.
Your friends. Even how often you saw our family.””
“That isn't true.””
“You think she was innocent? She knew about Vanessa and used it to make you feel guilty.””
I shook my head.
“Vanessa said you were helping her.””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“Vanessa says whatever keeps her safe.””
“Did you send those messages?””
“No.””
“Did you use my old phone?””
“No.””
“Did you ever contact Lily?””
Daniel's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I noticed.
“Why would I?””
I stepped closer.
“Because she wrote that she didn't tell them about the other phone.””
Daniel stared at me.
Then he looked toward the hallway.
“What other phone?””
I felt my pulse quicken.
“You know about it.””
“I don't.””
“Then why did you look at the hallway?””
He frowned.
“Because you're acting crazy.””
I pulled out my phone.
“I'm calling Officer Brooks.””
Daniel's face tightened.
“Don't.””
I stopped.
“Why?””
He swallowed.
“Because there's something I need to show you first.””
He walked to a cabinet and removed a small black folder.
Inside were printed photographs, bank statements, and several emails.
He placed them on the table.
“What is this?””
“Evidence.””
“Of what?””
“Danielle's been hiding money.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
He pointed to the bank statements.
“For years, she's been transferring money into a separate account.””
I examined the pages.
There were several deposits.
Small amounts.
Then larger ones.
The account belonged to Danielle.
“Why would she hide money from me?””
Daniel leaned against the table.
“Because she was preparing to leave.””
I looked up.
“When?””
“Before Lily died.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Marcus, I found these documents in the house last week.””
“Why were you searching our house?””
He didn't answer.
I looked at the dates.
The most recent transfer had been made on Thursday.
The day before Lily collapsed.
“Where did you get these?””
“Danielle left them in a folder.””
“That's not an answer.””
Daniel leaned forward.
“There's more.””
He pulled out another document.
A legal form.
My name was printed at the top.
My signature appeared at the bottom.
I stared at it.
It was an authorization form granting someone access to my financial accounts.
I hadn't signed it.
“What is this?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Danielle was trying to get control of your money.””
I felt sick.
“That's impossible.””
“She had someone helping her.””
“Who?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then he said:
“Her brother.””
I frowned.
“Danielle doesn't have a brother.””
Daniel's face went pale.
For the first time, he seemed to realize he'd said something he couldn't take back.
He quickly gathered the papers.
“Forget it.””
“No.””
“Marcus, forget it.””
“Who is Danielle's brother?””
Daniel shook his head.
“It's complicated.””
I reached for the folder.
He pulled it away.
“Give it to me.””
“No.””
We stared at each other.
Then my phone vibrated.
Officer Brooks.
I answered immediately.
“Marcus,” she said, “we need you to come back to the station.””
“What happened?””
“We've completed a preliminary examination of the old phone.””
“And?””
Her voice was unusually careful.
“We found evidence that the device was used to access your daughter's tablet remotely.””
My stomach dropped.
“Who did it?””
“We're still establishing the user.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was watching me.
Officer Brooks continued.
“But there's another issue.””
“What?””
“The device contains a recording made at 2:08 p.m. Friday.””
I felt my chest tighten.
“Four minutes before Lily's message?””
“Correct.””
“What does it say?””
“We haven't released the complete recording yet.””
“Why not?””
“Because we believe it may contain information about the circumstances immediately preceding your daughter's medical emergency.””
I closed my eyes.
“Please tell me what you heard.””
Officer Brooks hesitated.
Then she said:
“Mr. Reed, your daughter appears to have been speaking to someone in the house.””
I looked at Daniel.
His face had become completely still.
“What did she say?””
Officer Brooks lowered her voice.
“She asked that person to leave her alone.””
I swallowed.
“And what did the person say?””
A long silence.
Then:
“Lily was told that if she didn't stop crying, her mother would lose everything.””
I stared at my brother.
He slowly stepped backward.
“Marcus,” Officer Brooks continued, “there's something else. The recording contains a second voice.””
I gripped the phone.
“Whose?””
“We believe it's your brother's.””
Daniel's eyes widened.
I lowered the phone.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then I asked him the only question that mattered.
“What were you doing in my house on Friday?””
Daniel opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
I took a step toward him.
“Answer me.””
He looked at the folder in his hands.
Then he whispered:
“I wasn't supposed to be there when Lily came home.””
My blood ran cold.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel's eyes filled.
“Marcus, I swear I didn't know she would be alone.””
“Alone with who?””
He looked toward the hallway.
Then, with a trembling hand, he pointed at the folder.
“There's a photograph inside. Look at the last page.””
I opened it.
The photograph showed Lily standing in our kitchen.
Her little hands were pressed against the counter.
Her face was turned toward someone outside the frame.
The timestamp read Friday, 2:06 p.m.
But it wasn't the photograph that made my legs weaken.
It was the reflection in the microwave door.
A woman stood behind Lily.
Her face was partially visible.
And around her wrist was the thin gold bracelet with the little silver star.
Vanessa.
I looked at Daniel.
“You said you weren't there.””
He shook his head.
“I wasn't.””
“Then who took this photograph?””
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Your wife.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
He swallowed.
“Danielle was in the house too.””
The room seemed to disappear around me.
I looked at the timestamp again.
2:06 p.m.
Lily's final message had been sent at 2:13 p.m.
She had four minutes before she collapsed.
And both women connected to the messages had been inside my home.
I stepped toward Daniel.
“Why was Vanessa in my house?””
He looked at me with tears running down his face.
“Because she came to collect something.””
“What?””
“The original recording.””
I stared at him.
“Which recording?””
Daniel's voice broke.
“The one that proves who really sent Lily that message.””
Then he opened the folder again and removed a final sheet.
It was a printed email.
The sender was Danielle.
The recipient was Vanessa.
The subject line read:
*OUR AGREEMENT — FINAL COPY.*
May you like
And beneath it was a sentence that made every explanation I'd heard collapse.
*Once Lily is gone, Marcus will have no reason to stay married to me.*
