Chapter 9: The Person My Father Protected
My mother sat in silence for nearly a minute.
Richard had stopped packing his briefcase.
I stood beside the conference table, unable to understand why every answer seemed to open another door.
“Who else was stealing?”” I asked.
My mother looked at me.
“Someone Daniel trusted.””
“Who?””
She swallowed.
“His younger brother.””
I frowned.
“My uncle?””
She nodded.
Uncle Peter Hayes had died six years before my father.
I'd barely known him.
He had lived overseas for most of my childhood and returned only occasionally for family gatherings.
I remembered him as a cheerful man who brought expensive chocolates and always asked whether I was doing well in school.
“What did he do?””
My mother folded her hands.
“Peter managed the company's finances during its early years. He handled several overseas accounts. When Thomas began investigating the missing money, he discovered that some of the transfers had been authorized through Peter's office.””
Richard opened his notebook again.
“Was Peter ever investigated?””
“No. Daniel refused to involve the police.””
“Why?””
My mother looked down.
“Because Peter was sick.””
I felt my anger rise.
“So my father covered up financial crimes?””
“He believed his brother had made a terrible mistake. He wanted to recover the money without destroying the family.””
I shook my head.
“And Thomas knew?””
“Yes.””
“Then why did he disappear?””
My mother closed her eyes.
“Because Peter told him something.””
“What?””
“He told Thomas that the missing money was only a small part of a much larger scheme.””
Richard leaned forward.
“Do you know who controlled that scheme?””
My mother shook her head.
“No. Thomas believed it was someone outside the company. Someone who had been using Peter's access to move money through several businesses.””
I stared at her.
“Why didn't Dad tell the police?””
“He thought he could identify the person first.””
Richard turned to the photograph of Margaret Cole.
“Was Margaret involved?””
My mother nodded.
“She worked for the company at the time. She was Peter's assistant.””
The room became silent.
I looked at Richard.
“Margaret Cole worked for my uncle?””
“Yes.””
“And she later helped Thomas disappear?””
Richard nodded.
I thought about Vanessa.
Her grandmother had sent her into my life to gather information.
Marcus had wanted the company.
My uncle had been involved in missing funds.
And my father had apparently hidden the truth from everyone.
I sat down.
“Why would my father protect Peter?””
My mother looked at me.
“Because Peter had a daughter.””
I stared.
“What?””
“He had a child from an earlier relationship. Daniel was trying to protect her.””
Richard frowned.
“Was the child acknowledged in the estate?””
My mother nodded.
“Yes.””
I felt a strange uneasiness.
“Who was she?””
My mother hesitated.
“Margaret's daughter.””
I blinked.
“Margaret Cole's daughter?””
“Yes.””
Richard slowly put his pen down.
“That means Vanessa…”
“Was Peter's granddaughter,” my mother whispered.
I stared at her.
Vanessa wasn't just connected to Margaret.
She was connected to my father's family.
She was the granddaughter of my father's younger brother.
She was my cousin.
The realization made my head spin.
“Did Vanessa know?””
My mother shook her head.
“I don't think so.””
I thought about all the family dinners she had attended. All the photographs she'd taken in our house. All the times she'd called my mother Aunt Eleanor as a joke.
She had been much closer to the family than any of us understood.
Richard stood.
“We need to establish whether the financial records are authentic. If Peter was involved, the original account ledgers could be crucial.””
I looked at the folder Marcus had left behind.
“Can we access them?””
Richard shook his head.
“Not through the company's current system. The original records were archived after Peter's death.””
“Where?””
My mother looked toward the window.
“Your father's storage facility.””
I frowned.
“What storage facility?””
“He rented a private unit outside the city. He kept old business files there because he didn't want them mixed with the active company records.””
Richard immediately called the trustees' office.
He arranged for security to meet us at the location.
An hour later, we arrived at a low industrial building surrounded by metal fencing.
The manager recognized my father's name.
“Mr. Hayes used to come here himself,” he said.
“Always on a Friday afternoon.””
He led us down a corridor lined with numbered storage doors.
Unit 118.
The lock was old.
Richard produced the key from my father's archive.
It turned smoothly.
Inside were boxes stacked against the walls, old filing cabinets, and a wooden desk.
A photograph of my father and Uncle Peter sat on top.
They were standing outside their first office.
Both were smiling.
I touched the frame.
“Dad loved him.””
My mother nodded.
“They were brothers.””
Richard began checking the boxes.
Most contained routine company documents.
Then he found a small metal filing cabinet with a label.
*PETER — PERSONAL ACCOUNTS.*
He opened the top drawer.
Inside were bank statements, handwritten notes, and several letters.
One letter was addressed to Daniel.
The handwriting was Peter's.
I opened it.
*Daniel, I know you think I betrayed you. I didn't. Margaret used my access to move the money.
When I discovered what she was doing, she threatened to expose my daughter. I couldn't let that happen.*
I looked up.
“Margaret controlled the transfers.””
Richard took the letter.
“Keep searching.””
The second drawer contained photographs.
One showed Peter entering a bank.
Another showed Margaret meeting a man outside a restaurant.
The man was unfamiliar.
But the third photograph made me stop.
It showed Marcus.
He looked younger, perhaps twenty.
He was standing beside Margaret.
On the back was a date from eight years earlier.
I turned the picture over again.
Below the date were the words:
*First meeting with the next generation.*
My hands went cold.
“Richard.””
He examined it.
“Marcus was involved long before he met you.””
I nodded.
The next box contained a folder marked *BENEFICIARY RECORDS*.
Richard opened it.
Inside were several birth certificates, old insurance documents, and a copy of Uncle Peter's will.
I looked at the beneficiary section.
There was a single name.
*Claire Cole.*
I frowned.
“Who's Claire?””
My mother looked at the document.
“Margaret's daughter.””
“Then why is Vanessa listed nowhere?””
Richard checked the attached records.
“Because Vanessa wasn't born until after Peter's death.””
I looked at the family tree.
Peter Hayes had one daughter.
Claire Cole.
Claire had married and had one child.
Vanessa.
I sat down on the wooden chair.
“So Vanessa is my cousin.””
My mother nodded.
“By blood, yes.””
I looked at the photographs again.
“Does she know?””
Richard checked the last page of the file.
“There's a letter addressed to Vanessa.””
I opened it.
It was written by Peter.
To my granddaughter,
If you ever read this, I hope your mother has told you the truth about our family. Your grandmother made mistakes. So did I. But none of that should define you.
Your grandfather Daniel has promised to keep you safe if anything happens to me. He will always be there for you, even if you never know why.
I stopped reading.
My mother covered her mouth.
“Daniel promised to protect her.””
I stared at the letter.
“Then why did Vanessa try to destroy us?””
Richard took the document.
“Because someone may have convinced her that the Hayes family abandoned her.””
I thought about the money she'd received.
The affair.
The secret files.
The attack on my mother.
None of it excused her actions.
But it explained why she had been so determined to get close to us.
I pulled out my phone.
I called Vanessa.
She answered after three rings.
“What do you want?””
“I found something.””
Silence.
“It's about your family.””
Her voice became tense.
“What about it?””
“Your grandmother wasn't the only person connected to my father.””
She said nothing.
“Your grandfather was Peter Hayes.””
I heard a sharp breath.
“That's impossible.””
I looked at the letter.
“No. It's not.””
“Margaret told me my grandfather was dead before I was born.””
“He was.””
“Then why are you calling me?””
“Because he left you a letter.””
There was a long silence.
Then Vanessa began crying.
“Where?””
“I'm not giving you anything until you tell me the truth.””
“I don't know what you're talking about.””
“Did Marcus know?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered, “Yes.””
My stomach tightened.
“How long?””
“Marcus discovered the family connection years ago. Margaret told him. He said Vanessa Cole would be the perfect person to get close to you.””
I closed my eyes.
“Did you know he planned to marry me?””
“Yes.””
“Did you know about the agreement?””
“Yes.””
“Did you know he intended to transfer the properties to you?””
She began crying harder.
“He told me it was going to be temporary. He said he would give me enough money to start a new life.””
“And what about my mother?””
“I wasn't supposed to hurt her.””
I felt anger rising again.
“You had scissors in your hand.””
“I know.””
“Why?””
Vanessa's voice cracked.
“Because Margaret told me to.””
I went still.
“What?””
“She said your mother deserved to feel powerless. She said Eleanor had taken everything from our family.””
I looked at my mother.
She had heard every word.
“Where is Margaret now?”” I asked.
Vanessa hesitated.
“At the old Reed property.””
“Why?””
“She's been living there with Thomas.””
My heart began pounding.
“Thomas is alive?””
“Yes.””
“Does Marcus know?””
“Of course. He's been visiting them.””
I looked at Richard.
He immediately began writing.
I continued.
“Vanessa, why did you send me the photograph?””
“Because I finally understood what Marcus was planning.””
“What changed?””
She took a shaky breath.
“He told me that after the wedding, he was going to have your mother declared mentally incompetent.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
“He said Eleanor had been unstable since your father's death. He wanted to use the medical records from her surgery and some old prescriptions to convince the trustees she couldn't make decisions.””
My mother stood abruptly.
“That is a lie!””
Vanessa continued.
“He said that if your mother couldn't act as a witness, and you were legally tied to him, he could take control of everything through the agreement.””
Richard's face hardened.
“That's fraud.””
I stared at my phone.
“Where is the old Reed property?””
Vanessa gave me the address.
Before hanging up, she said something else.
“Olivia, there's one more thing. Margaret has the original recording of what happened at the harbor. The recording on Marcus's USB is incomplete.””
I looked at Richard.
“What does the original recording prove?””
Vanessa began whispering.
“It proves that your father didn't stab Thomas.””
“Then who did?””
She paused.
Then answered:
“Margaret.””
The call ended.
I slowly lowered my phone.
My mother sat down.
Richard closed the filing cabinet.
“We need to contact the police.””
I nodded.
But before he could make the call, another message appeared on my screen.
It came from Marcus.
*You found the letters. Good. Now go to the old Reed property. Your biological father wants to meet you.*
A second message followed.
*But don't trust Margaret. She knows what happened to Daniel.*
I looked at my mother.
“What does that mean?””
She shook her head.
“I don't know.””
Then Richard's phone rang.
He listened for a few seconds.
His expression changed.
“What happened?”” I asked.
He slowly lowered the phone.
“There's been an incident at the old Reed property.””
“Is Thomas hurt?””
Richard looked at me.
“Thomas is missing.””
I felt my heart drop.
“And Margaret?””
He hesitated.
“She has been found unconscious.””
May you like
Then he added the detail that made everything worse.
“Marcus was seen leaving the property less than ten minutes before the emergency call.””
