Chapter 4: The Lawyer’s Secret
The photograph on my phone felt heavier than the phone itself.
I zoomed in.
The image quality was terrible.
Old.
Grainy.
But there was no mistaking the faces.
My mother.
My father.
And standing beside them was Thomas Reed.
My mother’s lawyer.
The man who shook my hand at her funeral.
The man who told me he was sorry for my loss.
The man who handed me the will.
The man who looked me in the eyes and said, “Your mother wanted everything handled properly.””
My stomach twisted.
“Marcus?””
Vanessa’s voice pulled me back.
I looked up.
She was watching my face.
“What did he send you?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
Maya reached for the phone.
I hesitated.
Not because I didn’t trust her.
Because I was afraid of what she would see.
But I handed it over.
The second her eyes landed on the photo, her expression changed.
“You know him?””
I nodded.
“He was my mother’s lawyer.””
Maya looked closer.
“No.””
The way she said it made me uneasy.
“No what?””
“He wasn’t just her lawyer.””
“What do you mean?””
She looked at me.
“He was there when my father took me.””
The room went silent.
I felt like I had stopped breathing.
“What?””
Maya handed the phone back.
“I remember him.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
“No.””
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
“I was six years old. I didn’t remember his name. But I remembered his face.””
I stared at the photograph.
Thomas Reed.
The friendly man who brought cookies to my mother’s house every Christmas.
The man who helped me understand the legal documents after her death.
The man who had known the truth all along.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Maya looked hurt.
“Because I didn’t know until now.””
She pointed at the photo.
“I remembered him when I saw his face. Not his name.””
I walked away from the desk.
The walls suddenly felt like they were moving closer.
For three months, I had been grieving my mother.
Now I wondered if I had been grieving a version of her life that never existed.
“What exactly happened that day?”” I asked.
Maya was quiet.
Then she sat down.
“I remember my mother yelling.””
I looked at her.
“Your mother?””
“Yes.””
She stared at the floor.
“My dad was angry. He was shouting about money. About the company. About something your mother had found.””
“What did she find?””
“I don’t know.””
“Try to remember.””
Maya closed her eyes.
“I remember my father saying, ‘You don’t understand what you’re threatening.’”
A chill moved through me.
“Then what?””
“My mother grabbed me.””
She swallowed.
“She told me to run to Marcus.””
My heart stopped.
“Me?””
Maya nodded.
“She said, ‘Find your brother.’”
The room went quiet.
A memory flashed through my mind.
A little girl.
A red jacket.
A tiny hand holding mine.
I had spent years thinking those memories were dreams.
But maybe they weren’t.
“I remember you,” I whispered.
Maya looked up.
“What?””
“I remember a day at the park.””
Her eyes widened.
“You had a yellow hair clip.””
A tear formed in her eyes.
“You remember?””
“I remember you crying because you dropped your ice cream.””
A small smile appeared.
“You gave me yours.””
I nodded.
“I told you Mom would buy another one.””
“She did.””
For a moment, everything disappeared.
The secrets.
The lies.
The fear.
She wasn’t a stranger.
She was my little sister.
Then the memory broke.
Because someone had taken her away.
Someone had made us both believe the other person had left.
Vanessa watched us quietly.
Then she asked:
“So Thomas Reed was involved?””
Maya’s face hardened.
“We need to find out.””
I grabbed my keys.
“Where are you going?””
“To his office.””
Maya stood.
“I’m coming.””
“No.””
Both of them looked at me.
I continued.
“If Thomas is involved, I don’t know what he’ll do when he realizes we know.””
Maya gave a bitter laugh.
“You think I spent twenty years without learning how to protect myself?””
“That’s not what I mean.””
“I know exactly what you mean.””
She stepped closer.
“You found me three months ago because you wanted your sister back.””
Her voice softened.
“But you can’t suddenly lock me out because things became dangerous.””
I had no response.
Because she was right.
Vanessa picked up her purse.
“I’m coming too.””
I looked at her.
“Vanessa—”
“No.””
She interrupted.
“I have questions too.””
The confidence in her voice surprised me.
“Like what?””
She looked at the photograph.
“Like why your father sent this to you instead of going directly to you.””
Nobody answered.
Because that was the question.
Why now?
Why after twenty years?
Why after my mother died?
Thomas Reed’s office was downtown.
A glass building filled with expensive furniture and quiet conversations.
The kind of place designed to make people feel safe.
I hated it immediately.
The receptionist looked up.
“Can I help you?””
“I’m here to see Thomas Reed.””
“Do you have an appointment?””
“No.””
She checked her computer.
“Mr. Reed is unavailable today.””
“Tell him Marcus Bennett is here.””
The moment I said my name, her fingers stopped moving.
Just for a second.
But I noticed.
Maya noticed too.
“Interesting,” she whispered.
The receptionist smiled nervously.
“Please have a seat.””
We waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty.
Then a door opened.
Thomas Reed walked out.
Older than the man in the photograph.
Gray hair.
Same gentle smile.
Same calm eyes.
“Marcus.””
He said my name like he had been expecting me.
That bothered me more than anything.
“Mr. Reed.””
He looked at Maya.
And froze.
Only for a moment.
But it happened.
“Maya.””
Her expression turned cold.
“You remember me.””
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
“I remember a lot of things.””
“Apparently not enough.””
He glanced around.
“Perhaps we should talk privately.””
“No.””
My voice was firm.
“We talk here.””
Thomas studied me.
Then smiled slightly.
“You’ve discovered something.””
It wasn’t a question.
My hands tightened.
“What did you do?””
His expression changed.
“Be careful.””
“Why?””
“Because you don’t understand the situation.””
Maya stepped forward.
“You helped him.””
Thomas looked at her.
“I tried to help your mother.””
“By letting my father take me?””
His face changed.
A flash of guilt.
Gone almost immediately.
“I was following legal advice.””
“Whose?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Thomas sighed.
“You need to leave this alone.””
My anger rose.
“Leave what alone?””
“Your father is not the only person who made mistakes.””
“Mistakes?””
I laughed.
“My sister disappeared.””
Thomas looked at Maya.
“I know.””
“Then tell me why.””
He lowered his voice.
“Because your mother was going to destroy everything.””
I stared.
“What?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Your mother discovered what Daniel had done.””
“What did he do?””
Thomas glanced toward the hallway.
Then back at us.
“He transferred ownership of company assets before the investigation.””
Maya stepped forward.
“You knew?””
“I knew pieces.””
“And you helped him?””
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
Thomas looked at me.
“Your mother hired me to protect her children.””
I shook my head.
“Then why did you change the will?””
His face went still.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
“I didn’t.””
“Someone did.””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
Thomas looked at Maya.
Then at me.
Then he whispered:
“Ask Vanessa.””
The air disappeared from the room.
Vanessa stepped back.
“What?””
Thomas’s eyes stayed on her.
“Your fiancée knows more than she’s telling you.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She looked shocked.
“No.””
Thomas continued.
“I warned your mother not to trust anyone connected to Daniel.””
Vanessa’s face changed.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.””
Thomas reached into his desk drawer.
He pulled out a file.
Then he placed it on the table.
“This was found in Denise Bennett’s safe.””
My hands moved toward it.
Inside was a document.
A single page.
A name.
A signature.
And a date.
Three days before my mother died.
My heart stopped when I read the name at the bottom.
*Vanessa Collins.*
Before I could say anything, Vanessa whispered:
“Marcus…”
I looked at her.
And for the first time since I met her, I wondered if I had ever truly known her at all.
Then Thomas said the words that changed everything.
“She didn’t meet you by accident.””
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?””
Thomas looked at the document.
“She was sent to find out what your mother left behind.””
My phone vibrated.
A new message appeared.
From my father.
*Now you know why I stayed away.*
I looked at Vanessa.
She was crying.
May you like
But she wasn’t denying it.
And that scared me more than anything.
