Chapter 8: The Secret Lily Had Carried for Six Years
Dad looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath him.
"Lily," he whispered, "when did Vanessa tell you that?""
My sister stood beside the couch, clutching the straps of her backpack.
"After Mom died.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"She said you already knew.""
Dad shook his head.
"I didn't know.""
Lily's eyes filled.
"She said you were angry with Mom. She said you wanted her gone.""
Dad covered his mouth.
I moved toward Lily.
"Sit down, okay?""
She shook her head.
"I don't want to sit.""
"All right.""
She took a breath.
"Vanessa told me that Mom had been trying to take me away. She said Dad was going to lose everything because of her.""
Dad's voice cracked.
"That's not true.""
"I know that now.""
He reached for her.
She allowed him to hold her hands.
"Tell me what happened, sweetheart.""
Lily stared at the floor.
"That night, I couldn't sleep. Mom was in the kitchen, talking on the phone. I heard her say she wanted to meet Uncle Michael.""
Dad nodded.
"That's what he told me.""
"Then she came upstairs and kissed my forehead.""
Lily's voice trembled.
"She told me to stay in bed. She said she would be back soon.""
Dad closed his eyes.
Lily continued.
"About an hour later, I heard the front door open. I thought it was Mom.""
"What did you see?"" I asked.
"Vanessa.""
She wiped her cheeks.
"She came into the hallway. She was carrying Mom's handbag. She looked angry.""
Dad leaned forward.
"Did she say anything?""
"She went into Mom's bedroom. I heard her opening drawers. Then she came out with a small black phone.""
I looked at Dad.
Mom's phone.
Lily nodded.
"I came downstairs because I wanted to ask where Mom was.""
Dad's voice became barely audible.
"What did Vanessa say?""
"She told me Mom wasn't coming back.""
Lily's eyes filled again.
"Then she told me Mom had fallen because I made her upset.""
Dad pulled his daughter into his arms.
"Oh, sweetheart.""
Lily began crying.
"I believed her. I thought it was my fault.""
I felt something inside me snap.
I turned away before I said something I couldn't take back.
For six years, my sister had been made to believe she had caused our mother's death.
And Vanessa had used that guilt to control her.
I looked at Dad.
"She needs to tell Detective Harris.""
He nodded.
"Yes.""
But Lily pulled away.
"No.""
Dad looked at her.
"Why?""
"Because Vanessa said she'd come back.""
I crouched beside her.
"She can't hurt you anymore.""
Lily shook her head.
"You don't understand. She said she had people who could make Dad lose everything. She said if I ever told anyone, she'd show them something.""
"What?""
Lily hesitated.
"A video.""
I stared at her.
"What video?""
"She said she recorded Mom that night.""
Dad went still.
"Recorded what?""
"I don't know. She showed me a few seconds once. Mom was crying. Vanessa was shouting.""
"Where did she keep it?""
Lily pointed toward the hallway.
"In her old bedroom.""
I stood.
"Vanessa's room?""
Lily nodded.
Dad immediately took out his phone.
"Don't touch anything," I said.
"The police need to handle it.""
He agreed.
We called Detective Harris.
She arrived with another officer shortly afterward.
Dad explained Lily's new statement.
Detective Harris pulled a chair close to my sister.
"Lily, I want you to know something. You're not in trouble. You haven't done anything wrong.""
Lily nodded.
"Can I ask you some questions?""
"Yes.""
"Did you actually see Vanessa with your mother that night?""
"Yes.""
"Did you see them together at the house?""
Lily shook her head.
"I heard them arguing earlier. Then Vanessa came back after Mom left.""
"Did Vanessa tell you she had pushed your mother?""
Lily hesitated.
"She said she pushed Mom because Mom wouldn't give her the documents.""
Detective Harris exchanged a glance with the other officer.
"Did she say what happened afterward?""
Lily's fingers twisted together.
"She said Uncle Michael found Mom. She said he didn't call for help because he was afraid of going to prison.""
Dad's face tightened.
"And Vanessa?""
Lily swallowed.
"She said she made the call.""
Detective Harris wrote something down.
"Did she tell you what number she called?""
"No.""
"Did she ever threaten you directly?""
Lily nodded.
"She said if I told Dad, she'd make sure everyone knew I was the reason Mom died.""
Detective Harris put down her pen.
"Thank you, Lily. That's enough for today.""
She turned toward Dad.
"We need to secure the house and collect the recordings and documents. We also need to locate Michael.""
Dad nodded.
"I'll cooperate with everything.""
The detective stood.
"One more thing. Has Vanessa contacted either of you since leaving?""
I showed her the messages.
She photographed them.
Then she looked at the latest one.
*You have no idea what Rachel was involved in.*
Detective Harris frowned.
"That's interesting.""
"Why?"" I asked.
"Because it sounds like she knows you've found something she doesn't want you to see.""
The officers went upstairs to secure Vanessa's former bedroom.
Dad stayed with Lily.
I followed the detective.
Vanessa's room looked exactly as she had left it.
Perfume bottles stood neatly on the dresser. Clothes hung in the wardrobe. A half-empty glass of water sat beside the bed.
Detective Harris examined the drawers.
"Did she keep a computer here?""
I pointed toward a desk.
"She had a laptop.""
The detective checked underneath it.
Nothing.
Then one of the officers opened a drawer and found a small black key.
It was attached to a plastic tag with three numbers.
*214.*
I recognized the number from the storage facility near the highway.
"That's a storage unit.""
The detective looked at me.
"How do you know?""
"There's a facility on Westbrook Road. The units have numbers like that.""
She photographed the key.
"We'll verify it.""
While she continued examining the room, I noticed a framed photograph on the dresser.
It showed Dad and Vanessa at their wedding.
Behind the frame was a folded receipt.
I carefully pointed it out to the detective.
She put on gloves and opened it.
It was from a storage facility.
Unit 214.
Paid six months in advance.
The name on the receipt was Vanessa Carter.
The date was from three weeks before Mom died.
I looked at the detective.
"She rented that before Mom died.""
Detective Harris nodded.
"Which means whatever is there may be very important.""
She made a call.
Within an hour, officers had confirmed the unit belonged to Vanessa.
They obtained the necessary authorization to search it.
Dad insisted on coming.
Detective Harris agreed to let him accompany the team, but Lily stayed with Aunt Susan.
The storage facility was a row of gray metal doors behind a chain-link fence.
Unit 214 sat near the end.
An officer cut the lock after documenting it.
The door rolled upward.
Inside were several cardboard boxes, a small filing cabinet, and a plastic storage container.
The room smelled of dust and old paper.
Dad stepped inside.
"That's Rachel's furniture.""
I looked around.
A chair from Mom's reading corner.
Two boxes of family photographs.
An old suitcase.
And a framed picture of Lily as a toddler.
Vanessa had taken pieces of our mother's life and hidden them here.
Detective Harris instructed us not to touch anything.
The officers began documenting the contents.
The filing cabinet contained bank statements, property records, and copies of insurance documents.
One folder was labeled *Carter Family Assets.*
Another was labeled *Rachel - Medical.*
Dad stared at it.
"Why would she have medical records?""
Detective Harris opened the folder.
Inside were copies of hospital correspondence and an appointment schedule.
Then she found something else.
A handwritten list of dates.
One was circled.
The date of Mom's death.
Beside it was a note.
*Michael - road - 10:30 p.m.*
Below that:
*Phone recovered.*
I felt my stomach turn.
The detective photographed it.
Then one of the officers called from the back of the unit.
"Detective, you need to see this.""
He was standing beside the plastic container.
Inside were old cassette tapes, two digital cameras, and a small external hard drive.
The detective lifted the hard drive.
"Is this what we're looking for?""
I shook my head.
"I don't know.""
She examined the label.
*R.C. - PRIVATE.*
Dad stared at it.
"Rachel's initials.""
The officer connected the drive to a forensic laptop.
Several folders appeared.
Most contained photographs.
One contained videos.
There were twenty-three files.
Detective Harris selected the earliest.
The screen showed Mom sitting in our living room.
She looked tired but calm.
She was speaking directly into the camera.
"If something happens to me, I need someone to know what Vanessa has been doing.""
Dad covered his mouth.
Mom continued.
"I've discovered that she has been taking money from Lily's account. I've also found out that she has been using Michael to access information about our family.""
The video paused.
Then resumed.
"David doesn't believe me yet. I don't blame him. He's tired, and Vanessa knows exactly how to manipulate him.""
Dad began crying silently.
Mom leaned closer to the camera.
"But there is something else.""
She looked toward the hallway.
Then she whispered:
"Vanessa isn't the person who first approached Michael. Someone else put her in our lives.""
Detective Harris paused the video.
I stared at the screen.
"What does that mean?""
Dad shook his head.
"I don't know.""
The detective opened the next file.
It was dated two days later.
Mom was sitting in the same chair.
But this time, she looked frightened.
"Michael told me the truth today. Vanessa didn't come into our family by accident.""
She stopped.
Then she looked directly at the camera.
"David, if you ever find this, you need to look into the person who introduced us.""
The screen went black.
Nobody spoke.
Then the detective looked at Dad.
"Who introduced you to Vanessa?""
Dad slowly raised his head.
May you like
His answer was barely audible.
"My brother.""
