Chapter 10: The Truth Sarah Left Behind
The security footage was played at 8:40 the following morning.
I sat in Detective Harris's office with Daniel beside me, staring at a monitor that showed the hallway outside my father's private office.
The footage was grainy.
Black and white.
But the figures were unmistakable.
At 2:17 p.m., Andrew Mitchell entered the hallway carrying a leather folder.
He knocked once and walked into my father's office.
At 2:31 p.m., he came out.
The folder was gone.
At 2:36 p.m., Richard Hale appeared.
He entered the office.
Three minutes later, he left carrying nothing.
At 2:44 p.m., an employee ran down the hallway.
The employee was shouting for help.
My father had collapsed.
I stared at the screen.
"Where's the ambulance call?""
Detective Harris paused the footage.
"That's what we're investigating.""
"Play it.""
She continued.
At 2:51 p.m., Richard returned to the office.
He remained inside for four minutes.
Then he walked out.
Andrew followed him.
Neither man appeared to be in a hurry.
I gripped the armrest.
"My father was dying.""
Daniel placed a hand on my shoulder.
"We don't know exactly what happened yet.""
"But we know they took the will.""
Detective Harris nodded.
"The original document was never recovered from the office. We believe it may have been transferred to another location.""
"Did my father survive long enough to speak?""
She hesitated.
"According to the emergency medical report, he was conscious briefly before losing consciousness again.""
I looked at her.
"Did he say anything?""
Detective Harris opened another folder.
"Yes.""
She placed a statement on the table.
It had been taken from the paramedic who treated him.
The statement read:
Patient repeatedly attempted to say the name Michael. He also appeared to say the word 'drawer.''
I stared at it.
"Drawer?""
Daniel leaned forward.
"Did they search his office?""
"Yes. Nothing relevant was found.""
I thought about the hidden compartment behind Sarah's bookshelf.
The lockbox.
The documents.
Then I remembered something.
My father had an old desk in his office at home.
A heavy walnut desk with a narrow drawer on the right side.
He had always kept important family papers there.
I stood.
"We need to search his old office.""
Detective Harris looked up.
"Is the house still accessible?""
"Yes. It's been closed since his death.""
Daniel nodded.
"We'll go together.""
My father's old office smelled of leather and dust.
The curtains were still closed.
His reading glasses remained on the desk beside a dried-out fountain pen.
I stood in the doorway for a moment.
I could almost hear him asking why I hadn't called more often.
I walked toward the desk.
The right-hand drawer was locked.
I tried the key from the lockbox.
It didn't fit.
Then I remembered a small brass key my father had once kept on his watch chain.
I searched the desk compartments.
Nothing.
Detective Harris examined the lock.
"Do you have a locksmith?""
Daniel shook his head.
"We can open it without damaging the contents.""
He called a specialist.
Twenty minutes later, the drawer opened.
Inside were several folders, a small notebook, and a sealed envelope.
The envelope was addressed to me.
My father's handwriting.
I picked it up.
My fingers trembled.
*For Michael, if I cannot explain what happened.*
I opened it.
Son,
If you are reading this, then I have failed to tell you something important.
I owe you an apology.
I sat down.
I discovered that Richard Hale was using Vanessa to obtain information about our family business. I also discovered that Brandon was his biological son.
I chose not to reject Brandon. He is innocent, and I love him.
But I made a mistake by believing Vanessa would keep our private arrangement separate from the company.
I turned the page.
Richard wants Lily's shares because they give him access to voting power he cannot obtain through ordinary acquisition.
He believes that if Vanessa becomes Lily's guardian, she can appoint an administrator who will eventually transfer those rights to Northbridge.
I refused.
My eyes blurred.
Andrew Mitchell has been helping him. I have evidence, but I am afraid they may try to remove it.
Then came a sentence that made my chest tighten.
If anything happens to me, do not believe that my death was simply a matter of bad luck.
I stopped reading.
Daniel moved closer.
"What does it say?""
I handed him the page.
He read it silently.
Then I continued.
There is a small envelope beneath the false bottom of this drawer. It contains the original will and a recording.
I looked inside the drawer.
The false bottom was hidden beneath a thin wooden panel.
I lifted it.
May you like
There was another envelope.
Inside was my father's
