Chapter 5: The Woman Behind the Voice
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
My mother-in-law.
Helen.
The woman who had called me son for eleven years.
The woman who had cried at my wedding.
The woman Vanessa claimed had been recovering at home that night.
The woman whose voice had just ordered someone to “finish” me.
I looked at Simone.
“You're saying that was Helen?””
“Yes.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.””
Simone pointed toward the phone.
“I have the original recording.””
“No,” Vanessa said again.
Her voice was quieter now.
“You can't.””
Simone's eyes narrowed.
“Why not?””
“Because Mom never knew.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“Never knew what?””
She said nothing.
Derrick stepped away from the table.
“This is getting dangerous.””
I turned toward him.
“You knew Helen?””
“Only once.””
“When?””
He hesitated.
Vanessa said, “Derrick.””
I raised my hand.
“Let him answer.””
Derrick swallowed.
“Six weeks ago.””
My stomach tightened.
“Where?””
“At her house.””
I stared at Vanessa.
“You took him to your mother's house?””
“No.””
Derrick shook his head.
“She called me.””
“Why?””
“She wanted to know what Vanessa had told me.””
I looked at Simone.
She nodded slowly.
“That sounds like Helen.””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“Stop.””
Simone ignored her.
“Mom always needed to know what everyone knew.””
I looked at Vanessa.
“Why would your mother care what Derrick knew?””
Vanessa rubbed her arms.
“I don't know.””
“You're lying again.””
“I don't know!””
Her voice echoed through the dining room.
The server returned, visibly uncomfortable.
“Sir, ma'am, we need to keep the noise down.””
I looked at him.
“I'm sorry.””
He nodded and walked away.
The awkward silence that followed felt worse than the shouting.
I sat.
“Start at the beginning.””
Simone sat across from me.
Vanessa remained standing.
Derrick stayed near the partition.
Simone folded her hands.
“Three years ago, Mom discovered that Marcus was investigating the company.””
I frowned.
“What company?””
Vanessa answered.
“Your company.””
I looked at her.
“I wasn't investigating my company.””
“You were.””
“No. I was auditing accounts.””
“Same thing.””
“No, Vanessa. It wasn't.””
Simone leaned forward.
“You found missing money.””
I remembered.
There had been irregularities in one of our accounts.
Nearly two hundred thousand dollars had disappeared over eighteen months.
I'd assumed it was an internal accounting error.
I had started checking the transactions.
Then my brakes failed.
Then Simone supposedly died.
And after that, the records disappeared.
I looked at Simone.
“You knew.””
“Yes.””
“Who took the money?””
She glanced at Vanessa.
“Mom.””
Vanessa whispered, “Stop.””
“She was laundering money through shell companies,” Simone continued.
I stared at her.
“How?””
“Real estate. Consulting contracts. Fake vendors.””
Derrick slowly sat down.
I looked at him.
“How much did you know?””
“Not enough.””
“That's not an answer.””
He rubbed his jaw.
“I knew there was money moving around.””
“From where?””
“Your company.””
I stood.
“You were involved?””
“No.””
“You knew.””
“Yes.””
“And you still slept with my wife.””
Derrick looked ashamed.
“I didn't know how deep it went.””
Vanessa finally sat.
“Marcus, I was trying to protect you.””
I looked at her.
“By cheating on me?””
“By getting close to Derrick.””
I stared.
“What?””
She took a breath.
“He worked with one of Mom's accountants.””
Derrick nodded.
“She wanted information.””
Vanessa's voice shook.
“I needed someone who could get close to the people moving the money.””
I looked at their joined chairs.
“So the affair was what?””
“A cover.””
Derrick looked at Vanessa.
“It stopped being a cover.””
Vanessa's eyes dropped.
That silence told me everything.
I sat back down.
“You still lied to me.””
“Yes.””
“You kissed him.””
“Yes.””
“You told him I was dangerous.””
“I needed him to believe I was afraid of you.””
“So he would protect you.””
“Yes.””
I stared at her.
“Were you ever going to tell me?””
She whispered, “I don't know.””
Simone slammed her palm against the table.
“That is exactly the problem.””
Vanessa flinched.
“You always say you're protecting people, but you never tell them the truth.””
Simone pulled another envelope from her bag.
She placed it in front of me.
“This is the original divorce petition.””
I opened it.
The paper was old.
My name was there.
Vanessa's name.
The forged signature.
And beneath it, the witness signature.
This time, I saw something I hadn't noticed before.
The witness was Helen's attorney.
I looked at Simone.
“Why would her attorney witness a fake divorce?””
“Because the divorce was never supposed to happen.””
“What?””
“It was supposed to make you disappear.””
I stared at the page.
Simone continued.
“Mom wanted you removed from the company. But you owned shares she couldn't touch without your signature.””
“So she planned to kill me.””
“Yes.””
“And make it look like I left Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
My mouth went dry.
“She would have inherited everything.””
“Not everything.””
Simone looked at Vanessa.
“Half would have gone to Vanessa.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I never wanted it.””
“But you signed something.””
I turned toward Vanessa.
“What did you sign?””
She looked down.
“Nothing.””
Simone's expression hardened.
“Tell him.””
Vanessa closed her eyes.
“I signed a power of attorney.””
“For what?””
“For the company.””
My chair moved backward.
“You gave Helen control?””
“I didn't know what she was doing.””
“You signed it.””
“Yes.””
“When?””
“Three years ago.””
I looked at the divorce petition.
Then at the forged signature.
Then at Vanessa.
“Why did you tell everyone Simone was dead?””
Vanessa started crying.
Simone answered for her.
“Because Mom made her choose.””
I looked at Simone.
“Choose what?””
“Her marriage or her sister.””
Vanessa whispered, “She threatened to kill Simone.””
The room went silent.
I looked at Simone.
She nodded.
“Mom had me taken to a private facility after the accident.””
“Why?””
“Because I had the evidence.””
“What evidence?””
Simone reached into her bag.
She removed a tiny flash drive.
“This.””
I stared at it.
“What is it?””
“Everything.””
Vanessa looked terrified.
“What did you bring here?””
“The truth.””
Derrick stood.
“We should leave.””
Simone shook her head.
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because Helen is already here.””
I looked toward the private dining room.
The door was closed.
A shadow moved behind the frosted glass.
My heart began pounding.
“She's here?””
Simone nodded.
“She followed me.””
Vanessa stood.
“Mom?””
The door opened.
Helen walked out.
Perfect hair.
Cream-colored suit.
Small handbag.
Calm smile.
She looked at the four of us as if she had simply arrived late to dinner.
Then she looked directly at me.
“Marcus,” she said.
I couldn't move.
May you like
She smiled.
“You finally found out.””