Chapter 6: The Man Who Died Twice
Marcus didn't speak for almost a full minute.
Robert Ellis.
He remembered the man's laugh.
The way he always opened the passenger door.
The way he called Marcus "Mr. Reed" even after Marcus had repeatedly told him to use his first name.
Robert had two daughters.
One was studying nursing.
The other had just started high school.
Marcus had attended their mother's funeral and helped pay for the youngest girl's education.
Now Vanessa was telling him that Robert had died under suspicious circumstances.
“Why didn't you tell me?”” Marcus finally asked.
Vanessa stared at her hands.
“Because Mom said it was better that way.””
“Better for whom?””
“For everyone.””
Marcus shook his head.
“You watched me spend three years believing my accident was a terrible coincidence while you knew the man driving my car might have been involved.””
“I didn't know the whole story.””
“You knew enough.””
Vanessa began crying again.
Marcus turned away.
He couldn't look at her.
Outside, Daniel returned to the restaurant.
He sat beside Marcus and quietly asked, “What's happened?””
Marcus told him.
Daniel's expression darkened.
“Robert Ellis?””
Vanessa nodded.
Daniel opened his laptop.
“I'm going to need his employment file, death certificate, and original accident report.””
Marcus looked at him.
“Can you get them?””
“I can request them through the proper channels. But there's something else we should check.””
“What?””
“Robert's family.””
Marcus nodded.
“His daughters.””
Daniel looked at Vanessa.
“Do you know where they live?””
She shook her head.
“Mom handled everything.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
Of course she had.
Eleanor had handled the hospital visits.
The paperwork.
The insurance.
The company accounts.
She had controlled the information while Marcus sat in a wheelchair believing that he had lost his independence.
Daniel drove Marcus home.
Neither man spoke much.
When they reached the mansion, Eleanor was waiting in the entrance hall.
She wore a beige-gold silk dress and held a glass of wine.
Vanessa stood beside her.
Marcus noticed that the younger woman's face was pale.
Eleanor smiled.
“Where have you been?””
“Meeting someone.””
“Without telling me?””
Marcus removed his jacket.
“I'm a grown man, Eleanor.””
She glanced at Daniel.
“Your attorney seems to be spending a great deal of time with you lately.””
Daniel remained polite.
“That's my job, Mrs. Reed.””
Eleanor's smile tightened.
“Of course.””
Marcus started toward the study.
Then Eleanor spoke again.
“Vanessa tells me you've been asking questions.””
Marcus stopped.
He slowly turned.
“Have I?””
“She said you were upset about old medical records.””
“I'm interested in understanding what happened to me.””
Eleanor placed her glass on a nearby table.
“Marcus, darling, why are you doing this to yourself?””
He looked at her.
“Doing what?””
“Digging through painful memories. You're finally recovering. You should be celebrating.””
Marcus almost laughed.
“You're right. I should.””
Eleanor seemed relieved.
“Exactly.””
Then he added, “Perhaps we should invite Robert Ellis's daughters to dinner.””
The color drained from her face.
Only for a second.
But Marcus saw it.
“Why would we do that?”” Eleanor asked.
“Because I heard they could use some help.””
Eleanor picked up her glass again.
“I'm sure they are managing.””
“Are they?””
“Marcus, it's been years.””
He stepped closer.
“Three years, Eleanor. Not a lifetime.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“What exactly are you accusing me of?””
“Nothing.””
He smiled faintly.
“Not yet.””
He entered the study and closed the door.
Daniel followed.
Once they were alone, Daniel lowered his voice.
“She knows.””
“I know.””
“We need to move quickly.””
Marcus sat behind his desk.
“Find Robert's daughters.””
Daniel nodded.
“And the old Savannah property?””
Marcus looked up.
“What about it?””
“We should inspect it.””
“Tomorrow.””
Daniel opened his laptop.
“I've already started checking the ownership records. There's something strange.””
He turned the screen.
The property had never been sold.
But its tax payments had been made through an offshore holding company connected to the same consulting firm that had received Marcus's money.
Marcus stared at the screen.
“Thomas has been using that house for years.””
“Apparently.””
“Then whatever he's hiding is probably still there.””
Daniel nodded.
“I'll arrange a visit.””
Before they could continue, Marcus's phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A woman spoke.
“Mr. Reed?””
“Yes.””
“My name is Denise Ellis. I'm Robert Ellis's oldest daughter.””
Marcus sat straighter.
“Denise. I've been trying to find you.””
“I know.””
Her voice was cautious.
“Your attorney contacted me.””
“I wanted to speak with you personally.””
There was a pause.
Then she said something that made Marcus grip the edge of his desk.
“My father didn't die of a heart attack.””
Marcus closed his eyes.
“I suspected that.””
“No, sir. You don't understand. My father called me the night before he died.””
“What did he say?””
“He told me he had made a terrible mistake.””
Marcus waited.
Denise continued.
“He said he had been offered money to drive your car that night. He thought it was just a way to scare you. He didn't know the brakes had been tampered with.””
Marcus felt the air leave his lungs.
“Did he say who offered him the money?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
“Your brother.””
Marcus looked at Daniel.
Daniel stopped typing.
Denise's voice trembled.
“But that wasn't the worst part.””
“What do you mean?””
“My father said someone else knew about the plan. Someone inside your house.””
Marcus felt his stomach tighten.
“Who?””
“I don't know. He wouldn't tell me over the phone.””
“Denise, where are you?””
“I'm in Savannah.””
Marcus looked sharply at Daniel.
“Why Savannah?””
“Because my father left something there. Something he wanted me to find if anything happened to him.””
Marcus stood.
“What did he leave?””
“A key.””
“What does it open?””
“I don't know. But I found a note with it.””
“What did the note say?””
Denise took a shaky breath.
“It said, 'If Marcus is still alive, give him the truth. If Thomas finds it first, run.''”
Marcus looked at Daniel.
Neither man moved.
“Denise,” Marcus said, “do you have the key?””
“Yes.””
“Don't go anywhere. We'll come to you.””
“I can't wait much longer.””
“Why?””
A sudden noise came through the phone.
A door slamming.
Denise gasped.
Then a man's voice sounded in the background.
“Who are you talking to?””
Denise whispered, “I have to go.””
“Denise, wait!””
The call disconnected.
Marcus immediately called back.
The number was unavailable.
Daniel grabbed his coat.
“We're going to Savannah.””
“Now?””
“Right now.””
Marcus reached for his jacket.
But before they could leave the study, the mansion's security alarm sounded.
A moment later, the house manager appeared at the door.
“Mr. Reed?””
“What happened?””
“There's someone at the front gate.””
“Who?””
The manager hesitated.
“He says he's your brother.””
Marcus and Daniel exchanged a look.
Then the security monitor on the wall switched to the front entrance camera.
Thomas Whitaker stood outside the gate.
He wore a navy overcoat and held a small black case.
He looked older than Marcus remembered.
But his smile was exactly the same.
The gate attendant spoke through the intercom.
“Mr. Whitaker says he wants to speak with you.””
Marcus approached the monitor.
“Tell him I'm not interested.””
The attendant nodded.
But Thomas stepped closer to the camera.
He looked directly into the lens.
Then he raised the black case.
And spoke loudly enough for the microphone to capture every word.
“Marcus, I brought you something that belongs to your wife.””
Marcus frowned.
Thomas opened the case.
Inside was a thick stack of photographs.
The first showed Eleanor standing beside Robert Ellis.
The second showed Thomas handing money to the driver.
The third showed Vanessa entering a hospital room.
But the final photograph was different.
It showed Marcus himself.
He was lying unconscious in his hospital bed.
And standing beside him was a woman Marcus had never expected to see again.
His first wife.
The mother of his only biological child.
A woman who had supposedly died twelve years earlier.
Marcus stepped backward.
Daniel looked at the screen.
“Marcus?””
Marcus couldn't speak.
Thomas smiled through the camera.
“Now you understand why Eleanor has been so afraid of the past.””
He leaned toward the microphone.
“Your first wife didn't die in that car accident, brother.””
A pause.
“She was alive when you married Eleanor.””
Marcus stared at the screen.
Thomas delivered his final sentence.
“And she knows exactly who ordered your accident.””
The security monitor went black.
Then a message appeared on Marcus's phone.
It came from an unknown number.
If you want to know what really happened to your first family, come to Savannah alone tonight. Bring the wheelchair.
Marcus slowly lowered the phone.
Daniel read the message over his shoulder.
“Don't even think about going alone.””
Marcus looked toward the front gate.
Then at the photograph of the woman he had mourned for twelve years.
His voice was barely audible.
“Daniel, I buried my first wife.””
May you like
He turned toward his attorney.
“So who have I been mourning all these years?””
