Chapter 8: My Mother Had a Plan Before Lily Died
The email sat on the table like a loaded weapon.
Marcus read it once.
Then again.
"If she tells Marcus, we lose everything.""
He looked at Andrew.
"How did you get this?""
Andrew placed another sheet beside it.
"It was forwarded to me anonymously three weeks ago. I believe whoever sent it wanted me to understand why Lily had been frightened.""
Officer Reynolds photographed the documents.
"Do you know who originally sent the email?""
"No.""
"Was it part of a larger conversation?""
Andrew nodded.
"There were several messages between Patricia and Vanessa. Most concerned financial transfers. But one conversation mentioned Lily directly.""
Marcus leaned forward.
"What did it say?""
Andrew opened the folder.
The first message was from Vanessa.
The child found the paperwork. She asked why her name was on the account.
Patricia replied:
Children forget things. Don't make this bigger than it is.
Vanessa responded:
She said she wants to show Marcus.
Patricia's final message read:
Then make sure she doesn't get the opportunity.
Marcus felt sick.
He stood abruptly.
"She planned this.""
Officer Reynolds raised a hand.
"We need to be careful. These messages are evidence, but we still need to establish their authenticity and context.""
"Context?"" Marcus snapped.
"My daughter is dead!""
"I understand.""
"No, you don't!""
Emily stepped between them.
"Marcus.""
He turned toward her.
"How can you stand there calmly?""
"I'm not calm.""
Her voice broke.
"I've been living with this for weeks. Every night, I hear her asking for you.""
Marcus looked away.
Emily continued.
"I wanted you to be there. I wanted you to hold her hand. I wanted you to tell her she wasn't in trouble.""
He lowered his head.
"I know.""
"No, you don't. Because I had to watch her believe she was being punished for calling her own father.""
Marcus began crying again.
Officer Reynolds allowed them a moment before speaking.
"We have enough information to request an immediate search of Patricia's property and the devices connected to the accounts.""
She turned toward Andrew.
"Can you help us identify the source of the forwarded emails?""
"I can try.""
Marcus looked at the investigator.
"Where is my mother?""
"We're checking the private terminal and nearby transport records.""
Vanessa was also missing.
The police had located her handbag at Patricia's residence, but she had not been seen since leaving the property.
Marcus suddenly remembered something.
"Vanessa has a storage unit.""
Officer Reynolds looked at him.
"Where?""
"At the commercial storage facility near our office. She told me she used it for business records.""
"Do you know the unit number?""
Marcus searched his phone.
He found an old message.
Unit 318.
Officer Reynolds contacted the investigation team.
Within minutes, two officers were dispatched to the facility.
Marcus and Emily waited at the hospital with Andrew.
The silence was unbearable.
Finally, Emily spoke.
"Marcus, can I ask you something?""
He looked at her.
"Anything.""
"When was the last time you saw Lily?""
He stared at the floor.
"Three months before she died.""
Emily closed her eyes.
"She remembered that day.""
Marcus looked up.
"What?""
"She remembered you taking her for ice cream. She talked about it every week.""
He swallowed.
"I should have visited more.""
"Yes.""
The answer was immediate.
It hurt.
But it was honest.
Emily continued.
"She used to stand at the window when she heard a car outside. She thought you might be coming.""
Marcus covered his mouth.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"I did.""
She pulled out her phone.
She opened an old conversation.
There were dozens of photographs.
Lily at school.
Lily holding a science project.
Lily wearing a paper crown.
And beneath each photograph were messages from Emily.
She asked about you today.
She wants you to come to the school play.
She made you a birthday card.
She misses you.
Marcus scrolled through them.
He had received every single message.
He had simply stopped opening them.
At the bottom of the conversation was a photograph sent on October thirteenth.
Lily was holding a handmade drawing.
The words across the top read:
DADDY, PLEASE COME HOME.
Marcus began sobbing.
Emily took the phone back.
"She wasn't asking for money. She wasn't asking for gifts. She just wanted you.""
Marcus nodded.
"I know.""
A few minutes later, Officer Reynolds called.
"We've located Vanessa.""
Marcus stood.
"Where?""
"At the storage facility.""
"Was Patricia with her?""
"No. Vanessa was alone.""
"What did you find?""
The officer hesitated.
"Several boxes of financial documents, two laptops, and a collection of personal devices.""
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
"Anything connected to Lily?""
"Yes.""
Officer Reynolds lowered her voice.
"We found a phone containing a conversation between Vanessa and Patricia dated the evening Lily died.""
Marcus closed his eyes.
"Can you tell me what it says?""
"I'd rather show you the evidence after it's properly preserved.""
Then she added:
"There's something else. Vanessa appears to have been attempting to access an account associated with your daughter.""
Marcus frowned.
"What account?""
"A cloud storage account registered to Lily's old tablet.""
Andrew suddenly stood.
"Wait.""
Everyone turned.
"Lily used to save her drawings and recordings in a family cloud account. Emily and I helped her set it up.""
Officer Reynolds nodded.
"That may be the account.""
Andrew took out his phone.
"I remember the username.""
He gave the information to the officer.
A few minutes later, the investigator returned with a message.
"The account contains several archived files.""
Marcus looked up.
"Can we access them?""
"We'll need to preserve the data first.""
Andrew leaned forward.
"There's a recording folder.""
The officer checked.
"Yes. Several recordings.""
Marcus's heart began racing.
"Play them.""
"Not here," Officer Reynolds said.
"We need to establish that the files haven't been altered.""
Marcus wanted to argue.
But he forced himself to sit down.
Then his phone rang again.
Patricia.
He answered.
"Mom.""
"Marcus, I need you to listen.""
"Where are you?""
"That doesn't matter.""
"Come back.""
"No.""
Her voice was colder now.
"You're making a mistake.""
"You stole from Lily.""
"I borrowed money from an account that I helped establish.""
"That money belonged to my daughter.""
"Your daughter would have had everything she needed.""
"Then why did you hide the transfers?""
Patricia sighed.
"Because Emily would have used them to ruin you.""
Marcus stared at the wall.
"You told me Lily didn't need another father figure. You told the hospital not to call me. You told my daughter I didn't want to speak to her.""
"I was protecting you.""
"From what?""
"From the life you had before Vanessa.""
Marcus's voice dropped.
"Vanessa is involved in this.""
Patricia was silent.
"Mom?""
"She made some mistakes.""
"She stole from Lily.""
"She was following instructions.""
Marcus froze.
"Whose instructions?""
Patricia didn't answer.
"Yours?""
A long pause followed.
Then Patricia said:
"Do you really think Vanessa could have managed all those accounts without help?""
Marcus felt his stomach turn.
"You organized everything.""
"I organized your life, Marcus. I gave you opportunities. I helped you build your company. I made sure you never had to worry about anything.""
"You used my daughter.""
"Don't be dramatic.""
The words hit him harder than he expected.
He remembered Lily's little voice.
Please don't be mad at me for calling.
His mother had heard that same child and still believed she was the victim.
"Tell me where you are.""
Patricia gave a small laugh.
"You're still trying to control this conversation.""
"No. I'm trying to find out why my daughter died believing I hated her.""
For the first time, his mother said nothing.
Then she whispered:
"Because she was told what she needed to hear.""
Marcus froze.
"What does that mean?""
The line went dead.
He stared at his phone.
Officer Reynolds had heard the final sentence.
She immediately requested the call details.
Then Andrew spoke quietly.
"There's something I haven't told you.""
Marcus looked at him.
"What?""
Andrew opened the original police report.
"Three weeks ago, when I reported Patricia's threats, I also mentioned something strange about Lily's second phone.""
Marcus frowned.
"What?""
"She had received a message from a number that wasn't saved in her contacts.""
"From whom?""
Andrew showed him a screenshot.
The message was dated October fourteenth, 6:52 p.m.
Your father knows what you did. He doesn't want to hear from you until you tell the truth.
Marcus stared.
"Who sent this?""
Andrew pointed to the number.
"I traced it as far as I could. It was registered to a prepaid device.""
Officer Reynolds looked at the screenshot.
"Did Lily respond?""
Andrew nodded.
He opened the next image.
Lily's reply read:
I didn't do anything bad. I just found Grandma's papers.
Marcus's hands went cold.
Then another message appeared.
If you tell your father, he'll lose everything.
Emily began crying.
"She was threatening my little girl.""
Andrew looked at Marcus.
"There's one more message.""
He opened it.
It had been sent at 7:38 p.m.
Just four minutes before the message telling Lily not to call again.
You have one chance. Don't contact him.
The sender had attached a photograph.
It showed Marcus sitting at a restaurant table with Vanessa.
The picture had been taken earlier that evening.
Lily had seen her father.
She had known he was with Vanessa.
And she had still tried to call.
Marcus stared at the photograph.
"Who sent this?""
Officer Reynolds enlarged the image.
A reflection in the restaurant window showed the person taking the picture.
A woman.
Wearing a distinctive silver bracelet.
Marcus recognized it immediately.
His mother wore the same bracelet in every family photograph.
But there was something else.
The woman in the reflection wasn't Patricia.
It was Emily.
Marcus turned slowly toward his ex-wife.
Emily's face had gone completely white.
"Marcus," she whispered.
He stared at her.
"Why were you at that restaurant?""
Emily began shaking her head.
"I wasn't there to spy on you.""
"Then why?""
She looked toward Officer Reynolds.
May you like
Then back at Marcus.
"I was trying to warn you.""
