Chapter 6: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Richard didn't sleep that night.
Neither did Olivia.
At 6:30 the following morning, the mansion's kitchen was already filled with the smell of fresh coffee and toasted bread.
But nobody was eating.
Olivia sat at the breakfast table in a soft lavender sweater, her hair loosely tied back. The silver princess gown had been returned to its garment bag.
The blue music box sat beside her plate.
Daniel sat across from her, wearing a pair of borrowed sneakers and an oversized gray sweatshirt Mrs. Harris had found in the guest room.
For the first time since arriving at the mansion, he looked almost comfortable.
Almost.
Richard entered the kitchen carrying his phone.
“Thomas is not alive.””
Daniel looked up.
“I saw the photograph.””
“Photographs can be manipulated.””
“My mother spoke to him.””
Richard placed his phone on the table.
“Your mother was a confused woman who spent eleven years obsessed with something that wasn't her business.””
Daniel's expression tightened.
“Don't talk about my mother.””
Richard ignored him.
“I have people checking the photograph. Until I know the truth, nobody leaves this house.””
Olivia put down her spoon.
“You can't keep us here.””
Richard looked at her.
“I'm trying to protect you.””
“From what?””
He glanced at Daniel.
“From people who want to use you.””
Olivia shook her head.
“Daniel could have asked for money. He didn't. He came to return something Mommy left for me.””
Richard's voice softened.
“Sweetheart, I know this is confusing.””
“No. It's confusing because you keep telling me different stories.””
Richard pulled out a chair.
“Your uncle Thomas died in a car accident six years ago.””
“Then who was at the clinic?””
“I don't know.””
“Did you attend his funeral?””
Richard hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Did you see his body?””
His silence lasted too long.
Olivia's expression changed.
“You didn't.””
Richard stood abruptly.
“That's enough.””
Daniel looked at him.
“Where was the funeral?””
Richard turned.
“A private cemetery outside Albany.””
“Which cemetery?””
“Why?””
“Because my mother went there.””
Richard's face tightened.
Daniel pulled a small notebook from his pocket.
“She told me there was no grave.””
Richard stared at him.
“That's impossible.””
Daniel opened the notebook.
“My mother visited the cemetery three times. She asked the caretaker to show her the burial records. There was no record of Thomas Bennett.””
Richard's hands began trembling.
Olivia looked at him.
“Daddy, what are you hiding?””
Before he could answer, the doorbell rang.
Mrs. Harris entered the kitchen.
“Mr. Bennett, there's a visitor.””
Richard frowned.
“Who?””
The housekeeper hesitated.
“He says his name is Thomas.””
Richard dropped his phone.
It struck the floor.
Olivia's heart began pounding.
Daniel stood.
“That's him.””
Richard grabbed the back of the chair.
“Tell him I'm unavailable.””
Mrs. Harris looked toward Olivia.
“Miss Olivia, he specifically asked to see you.””
Richard turned sharply.
“No.””
Olivia looked at her father.
“Why not?””
“Because I said no.””
She pushed her wheelchair back from the table.
“I'm going to see him.””
Richard stepped in front of her.
“Olivia, you don't know what you're inviting into this house.””
She looked up at him.
“Neither do you.””
For several seconds, father and daughter stared at one another.
Then Richard stepped aside.
Mrs. Harris opened the front door.
A man in his late fifties stood outside.
He was tall and thin, with gray hair, deep lines around his mouth, and a noticeable scar running from his left temple toward his cheek.
His coat was expensive, but his shoes were covered in dried mud.
He looked at Richard first.
Then his gaze moved to Olivia.
“Hello, sweetheart.””
Olivia stared at him.
“Uncle Thomas?””
The man smiled sadly.
“You've grown up.””
Richard's voice was sharp.
“You shouldn't be here.””
Thomas looked at him.
“Neither should you.””
Daniel stepped into the hallway.
Thomas recognized him immediately.
“Evelyn's boy.””
Daniel nodded.
“You knew my mother?””
Thomas lowered his eyes.
“I did.””
“Then you know what happened to her.””
Thomas swallowed.
“I do.””
Olivia looked at him.
“Please tell me what happened to my mother.””
Thomas glanced toward Richard.
“I think we should sit down.””
Richard laughed bitterly.
“After six years, you decide to come home and explain everything?””
Thomas removed his coat.
“I didn't come for you.””
He looked directly at Olivia.
“I came because your mother asked me to.””
Olivia's eyes widened.
“What?””
Thomas reached inside his coat.
He pulled out a small envelope.
It was sealed with a strip of faded blue tape.
“Catherine gave this to me the night before the accident. She told me that if anything happened to her, I should make sure you received it.””
Richard moved forward.
Thomas raised one hand.
“Don't.””
The two men stared at each other.
Then Thomas handed the envelope to Olivia.
Her fingers trembled as she opened it.
Inside was a letter.
My dearest Olivia,
If you're reading this, something has happened that I couldn't prevent. I want you to know that I love you more than anything in this world.
There are people in this family who believe that protecting someone means controlling their choices. I hope you never become one of them.
Thomas knows what happened that night. He was supposed to help me.
Olivia stopped reading.
She looked up.
“Uncle Thomas, what does that mean?””
Thomas pulled out a chair.
“I was the one driving the SUV.””
Richard closed his eyes.
Olivia stared at him.
“What?””
Thomas continued.
“Your mother left the house because she was going to meet Evelyn. Your father called me and asked me to follow her.””
Richard interrupted.
“I asked you to make sure she was safe.””
Thomas nodded.
“That was how you described it.””
“Because that's what I wanted!””
Thomas looked at Olivia.
“Your mother was driving through heavy rain. I followed her because Richard was afraid she would take the trust documents to the lawyers.””
Daniel stood motionless.
“What happened?””
Thomas looked down at his hands.
“I saw her car stop at an intersection. I pulled up behind her. She got out and started shouting at me.””
He paused.
“She said I was helping Richard steal from his own daughter.””
Olivia covered her mouth.
Thomas continued.
“I told her I didn't care about the money. I told her I was trying to keep the family together.””
“And then?”” Daniel asked.
Thomas looked at him.
“Then another car came speeding through the intersection.””
Olivia's eyes widened.
“Did it hit Mommy?””
Thomas nodded slowly.
“Your mother's car was struck from the side. I ran toward her. The other driver didn't stop.””
Richard's face became ashen.
Thomas continued.
“I called an ambulance. But before it arrived, Richard showed up.””
Olivia turned toward her father.
“Daddy?””
Richard stared at the floor.
Thomas's voice became quieter.
“Your father looked at the damaged car. Then he looked at me. He told me we needed to protect the family.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“What did he mean?””
Thomas closed his eyes.
“He told me to say I hadn't been there.””
The kitchen fell silent.
Olivia stared at her father.
“You knew Uncle Thomas was following Mommy.””
Richard finally spoke.
“I was trying to protect her.””
“From what?””
“From the consequences of leaving with those documents!””
Thomas slammed his hand against the table.
“Stop pretending this was about the company!””
Richard turned toward him.
“You had no right to disappear.””
Thomas laughed without humor.
“You told me to take the blame if anyone asked questions. When the police started investigating, you arranged for me to leave the country. You told everyone I had died in an accident because it was easier than explaining why I was there.””
Olivia looked horrified.
“You told me my uncle was dead?””
Richard didn't answer.
Thomas reached into his coat again.
He pulled out a small digital recorder.
“There is something else.””
Richard immediately stood.
“Don't.””
Thomas pressed play.
A man's voice emerged.
Richard's voice.
“If the police find out I transferred the money, everything is finished. Thomas, you were following her. You were there. You can tell them you saw nothing.””
Then another voice.
Thomas's.
“What about Olivia?””
Richard replied:
“She's five years old. She won't remember anything.””
Olivia's eyes filled with tears.
The recording continued.
“And Evelyn?””
Richard's voice became colder.
“She knows too much. I'll deal with her.””
Daniel took a step forward.
“What did you do to my mother?””
Thomas looked at him.
“Richard had Evelyn dismissed and threatened. But that wasn't the worst part.””
Daniel's face tightened.
Thomas reached for another document.
“Your mother discovered the original police report had been altered. She tried to submit the evidence to the authorities.””
Richard shook his head.
“Thomas, stop.””
“She was followed.””
Daniel went pale.
“By whom?””
Thomas looked directly at Richard.
“Your father's private security contractor.””
Daniel stepped backward.
“My mother never told me that.””
“She was afraid they'd come after you.””
Daniel's hands began shaking.
Olivia reached across the table and touched his sleeve.
“I'm sorry.””
Daniel looked at her.
For the first time since entering the mansion, he seemed unable to hold himself together.
“My mother died believing she had failed you.””
Olivia shook her head.
“She didn't fail me.””
Daniel's eyes filled.
“She wanted you to know the truth.””
Olivia looked at the letter in her lap.
Then she turned toward Richard.
“Did you know the other driver?””
Richard looked away.
Thomas answered for him.
“Yes.””
Olivia's voice dropped.
“Who?””
Thomas hesitated.
Then he placed a final photograph on the table.
It showed a younger man standing beside Catherine outside the mansion.
The man was smiling.
He wore a police uniform.
Daniel examined the picture.
Then he looked at Richard.
“That's Detective Michael Reeves.””
Thomas nodded.
“He was the officer assigned to investigate the accident.””
Olivia stared at the photograph.
“Why would Mommy be standing with him?””
Thomas's face became grave.
“Because he wasn't just investigating the accident.””
He leaned closer.
“He was the one who had been helping Catherine recover the stolen trust money.””
Richard's expression collapsed.
Thomas turned the photograph over.
There was a handwritten message on the back.
If anything happens to me, Michael knows where the original evidence is.
Olivia looked at Daniel.
“Where is he now?””
Thomas took a breath.
“He's outside.””
Everyone turned toward the front windows.
A black sedan had pulled into the driveway.
A man in a dark suit stepped out, carrying a leather briefcase.
He looked toward the mansion.
Then he raised his phone.
Richard's phone began ringing.
He glanced at the screen.
His face went completely white.
The caller ID displayed two words.
*DETECTIVE REEVES.*
And before Richard could answer, Olivia's phone lit up with a message from an unknown number.
May you like
Olivia, don't let your father open the front door. He doesn't know that I have the original hospital report.
And that report contains the name of the person who caused your mother's accident.
