Chapter 9: The Night They Tried to Erase My Father's Name
Rachel wanted me nowhere near Xavier.
She was clear about that.
"He's trying to provoke you," she said, pacing her office.
"If you meet him alone, he controls the conversation. He may even try to obtain another statement from you.""
I sat opposite her.
"I understand.""
"Do you?""
She stopped walking.
"Cedric, these people have already submitted questionable agreements, used your father's name, and attempted to move your prototype. We are dealing with a serious dispute.""
I nodded.
"Then we need to get the prototype.""
"We're working on that.""
"What if they destroy it?""
Rachel looked at Michael.
He closed his laptop.
"We can request emergency relief based on the original development records.""
"How long?""
"Potentially several days.""
I stood.
"We don't have several days.""
Rachel sighed.
"I know.""
I looked at the photograph Xavier had sent.
The prototype sat beside a large industrial machine.
A red identification mark was visible on its metal casing.
I had painted that mark myself.
It was the original assembly.
The first working model.
The one I had spent years refining.
And someone was threatening to destroy it.
Rachel picked up the phone.
"Let's contact the storage facility again.""
At 8:40 that evening, Daniel Price called.
His voice was tense.
"Mr. Walls, I have an update.""
"Tell me.""
"The storage facility has received a second instruction from Northstar. They're requesting immediate release of the prototype for transport to a private industrial site.""
Rachel put the call on speaker.
"Is there a court order authorizing that transfer?""
"No. But they're arguing that the existing preservation arrangement is temporary and that Northstar has superior ownership rights.""
Rachel's expression hardened.
"Tell them no transfer is authorized while the ownership dispute is pending.""
"We have.""
"Then keep the materials secure.""
Daniel hesitated.
"There's another issue.""
"What?""
"The facility manager says a representative from Northstar is already there.""
I looked at Rachel.
"Xavier?""
"Possibly.""
I reached for my jacket.
Rachel stood immediately.
"Where are you going?""
"To the facility.""
"No.""
"They're trying to take my prototype.""
"And we are going to stop them legally.""
I shook my head.
"What if they take it before the paperwork arrives?""
Rachel grabbed her coat.
"Then we go together. But you do not approach anyone without me.""
I nodded.
Michael joined us.
Within twenty minutes, we were driving toward the industrial storage facility.
The building stood on the edge of town.
A large security gate blocked the entrance.
Several vehicles were parked outside.
One was Xavier's black SUV.
I recognized it immediately.
Rachel approached the security office.
"I'm Attorney Rachel Coleman. We're here regarding the disputed property belonging to Cedric Walls.""
The security guard checked a document.
"Northstar has requested collection.""
Rachel showed him the preservation notice.
"That request is disputed. No one is authorized to remove the materials.""
The guard looked uncertain.
Then a familiar voice came from behind us.
"Well, this is a surprise.""
Xavier stepped out of the warehouse.
He wore a charcoal suit and carried a leather folder.
He looked directly at me.
"Cedric.""
I didn't respond.
He smiled.
"Didn't think you'd come.""
Rachel stepped between us.
"Mr. Mitchell, any communication regarding the property must go through counsel.""
Xavier ignored her.
He looked at me.
"Your father would be disappointed to see you behaving like this.""
I felt my hands tighten.
"Don't talk about my father.""
Xavier laughed softly.
"Why? You think he was some innocent man who invented everything himself?""
Rachel raised her voice.
"Mr. Mitchell, stop.""
He opened his folder.
"Look, I understand you're upset. Naomi told me about the proposal. The ring.
The rejection. All of it.""
I stared at him.
"What does that have to do with my invention?""
"Everything. You're making emotional decisions.""
I took one step forward.
Rachel touched my arm.
Xavier continued.
"You've spent years trying to prove you're better than the people who looked down on you. Now you think this invention is your chance.""
I said nothing.
He smiled.
"But here's the problem, Cedric. You don't understand the business side.""
He gestured toward the warehouse.
"Your father didn't either.""
I looked at the building.
"Where is my prototype?""
Xavier tilted his head.
"Safe.""
"Show me.""
He opened the warehouse door.
Inside, under bright industrial lights, sat my original braking assembly.
Beside it stood two technicians.
One was examining the hydraulic housing.
I recognized the tools.
They were preparing to disassemble it.
I felt my pulse surge.
"What are you doing?""
Xavier shrugged.
"Technical evaluation.""
"You don't have permission.""
"We have a legitimate ownership claim.""
Rachel stepped forward.
"Your claim is disputed. Any alteration of the prototype could compromise evidence.""
Xavier smiled.
"Then perhaps you should have arrived earlier.""
One of the technicians began loosening a bolt.
I moved forward.
Rachel caught my sleeve.
"Cedric, don't.""
I stopped.
Xavier watched us.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Here's what I'm offering. Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. You sign the acknowledgment, withdraw your objections, and everyone walks away.""
I stared at him.
"You already offered that.""
"Because it's fair.""
"Fair?""
I looked at the prototype.
"My father spent years developing the original concept. I spent six years finishing it. You took it without permission and tried to sell it.""
Xavier shrugged.
"That's business.""
"No. That's theft dressed up in a suit.""
His smile disappeared.
"Careful.""
I stepped closer.
"You used my father's name. You used my money. You used Naomi. And now you're standing in front of me pretending you're doing me a favor.""
Xavier's jaw tightened.
"Your father made a deal.""
"No, he didn't.""
"How would you know? You weren't there.""
I pulled out a copy of the original agreement.
"Because I have the missing schedule.""
For the first time, Xavier looked uncertain.
I continued.
"The schedule identifies exactly what my father agreed to share. The original braking design wasn't included.""
Xavier glanced at the document.
Then he laughed.
"Where did you get that?""
"From the man your father tried to silence.""
His expression changed.
"George Holloway?""
I nodded.
Xavier stepped backward.
Rachel noticed.
"You know him?""
Xavier closed his folder.
"He's an old man with a grudge.""
I looked at him.
"He kept the original documents.""
Xavier's smile vanished.
Then he turned toward the technicians.
"Stop working.""
One of them looked up.
"Sir?""
"Stop.""
Rachel immediately took out her phone.
"We're documenting the current condition of the prototype.""
Xavier looked at me again.
"You have no idea what you're getting involved in.""
I held his gaze.
"Neither did you.""
We left the facility after the security manager confirmed that the prototype would remain untouched pending further legal review.
But as we reached the parking lot, Xavier called after me.
"One last thing, Cedric.""
I turned.
He stood beneath the warehouse lights.
"Ask Naomi about the night your father died.""
My stomach tightened.
"What?""
Xavier smiled faintly.
"She knows.""
Rachel stepped forward.
"That's enough.""
But Xavier continued.
"Your father didn't just have a disagreement with my family. He was preparing to expose something. Something that would have destroyed Northstar.""
I stared at him.
"What are you talking about?""
Xavier leaned against the doorway.
"Ask her.""
Then he walked back inside.
The next morning, I called Naomi.
She answered on the first ring.
"Hello?""
"Did you know my father?""
Silence.
"Naomi?""
She exhaled.
"Why are you asking?""
"Xavier told me to ask you about the night my father died.""
Her breathing changed.
"Cedric...""
"What happened?""
"I don't want to talk about this on the phone.""
"Then meet me.""
"Where?""
"Rachel's office.""
She hesitated.
"All right.""
Naomi arrived an hour later.
She looked pale.
Her eyes were swollen, as if she hadn't slept.
Rachel invited her to sit.
I remained standing.
"Tell me what happened.""
Naomi stared at the table.
"When I was in my second year of university, Robert Mitchell contacted me.""
I frowned.
"Why?""
"He knew I was dating you. He knew your father had died.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What did he want?""
"He asked me whether you had kept any of your father's documents.""
I stared at her.
"And what did you say?""
"I told him you had some old notebooks and photographs.""
"Did he ask you to find them?""
She nodded.
I felt the room become smaller.
"When?""
"Several years ago.""
I looked at her.
"Naomi, how long have you been involved with this family?""
She began crying.
"Longer than I wanted to admit.""
Rachel leaned forward.
"Please be specific.""
Naomi took a breath.
"Robert told me that your father had stolen research materials from Northstar.""
I laughed bitterly.
"He told you that?""
"Yes.""
"And you believed him?""
"At first.""
She looked at me.
"He said your father had taken confidential documents and hidden them. He said you might have inherited the materials without knowing their value.""
I shook my head.
"That's why you started asking about my father's notebooks?""
Naomi nodded.
I thought about the questions she had asked years earlier.
The way she had sometimes looked through my father's old boxes.
The way she had encouraged me to finish the braking project.
I had believed she was supporting me.
Now every memory felt contaminated.
Rachel asked:
"What happened the night Mr. Walls died?""
Naomi wiped her eyes.
"Robert told me that your father had planned to meet him.""
I stopped breathing.
"My father met Robert Mitchell?""
"Yes.""
"When?""
"The night before he died.""
I stared at her.
"Why didn't anyone tell me?""
She lowered her head.
"Because Robert said it was a private business meeting.""
"What happened?""
Naomi took a shaky breath.
"He told me your father refused to hand over the original documents. There was an argument. Robert said your father became angry and left.""
I felt my chest tighten.
"Then what?""
Naomi began crying harder.
"The next morning, I heard that your father had been found unconscious in his workshop.""
I stared at her.
I remembered that morning.
The phone call.
The hospital corridor.
The doctor telling me there had been a sudden medical emergency.
My father had been gone before I arrived.
I had never questioned it.
I had been twenty-four.
I had believed he died of a natural cardiac event.
I gripped the back of the chair.
"Are you telling me Robert Mitchell saw my father the night he died?""
Naomi nodded.
"Yes.""
"Did the police know?""
"I don't know.""
"Did you know this before you met Xavier?""
She nodded again.
I stepped away from the table.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
She covered her face.
"Robert threatened me.""
Rachel spoke sharply.
"Threatened you how?""
"He said if I ever told Cedric, he would make sure I lost my funding. He said my academic career would be finished.""
I looked at her.
"So you stayed quiet.""
Naomi nodded.
"And then you accepted his money.""
She began sobbing.
I turned toward the window.
My father had died believing he had to protect me from people who wanted his work.
And I had spent seven years building a future with a woman who knew more about the night he died than I did.
Rachel asked quietly:
"Ms. Carter, did you ever see any documents concerning the meeting between Robert Mitchell and William Walls?""
Naomi reached into her handbag.
She removed a small photograph.
"I kept this.""
I took it.
It showed my father standing outside the Northstar facility.
The date was printed on the bottom.
The night before he died.
On the back was a handwritten note.
William refused. Final attempt unsuccessful.
Beneath it was a signature.
Robert Mitchell.
I stared at the photograph.
Then Naomi whispered:
"There's something else. Robert gave me this after your father's funeral.""
She placed a second document on the table.
It was a sealed medical report.
My father's name was printed at the top.
I looked at Rachel.
"Can we open it?""
She examined the envelope.
"Not until we establish where it came from and whether it's an authentic copy.""
I nodded.
Then Naomi spoke again.
"There's a reason Robert kept it.""
I turned toward her.
"What reason?""
She looked directly at me.
"Because the medical report didn't say your father died of a heart attack.""
The room went silent.
My hands began to tremble.
I looked down at the sealed envelope.
Then I looked at Naomi.
"What did it say?""
She swallowed.
"According to the report, your father had traces of a chemical compound in his bloodstream.""
I felt the floor shift beneath me.
Rachel immediately took the document.
"We need to have this authenticated.""
I stared at the photograph.
The old warehouse.
My father's handwriting.
Robert Mitchell's signature.
And the date.
The night before my father died.
For the first time, I wondered whether everything I had believed about his death was wrong.
My phone rang.
An unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
"Mr. Walls? My name is Detective Samuel Harris. I'm calling about your father's death twenty years ago.""
I couldn't speak.
The detective continued.
"We recently received information suggesting that the original investigation may have been compromised.""
I gripped the table.
"By whom?""
There was a pause.
May you like
Then he said:
"Robert Mitchell.""
