Chapter 6: The Secret Her Grandfather Took to His Grave
Richard didn't remember leaving the conference room.
One moment he was staring at the ownership agreement.
The next, he was walking rapidly through the club with James beside him.
“Call the security team,” Richard ordered.
“I want two people at the medical center entrance and another inside the building.””
James was already dialing.
“I'm arranging it.””
Arthur followed them toward the elevators.
“Richard, what's happened?””
“My daughter received a photograph from someone connected to Thomas.””
“What kind of photograph?””
Richard looked at him.
“A childhood photograph. With a message about my father's death.””
Arthur stopped walking.
“What?””
Richard pressed the elevator button.
“I don't have time to explain.””
When the doors opened, he stepped inside.
James followed.
The elevator descended.
Neither man spoke.
Richard's mind had gone back twenty-four years.
The night his father died.
A rainy Thursday in October.
Samuel Brooks had been sixty-nine years old.
He had spent the evening at home reviewing financial documents with Richard. Thomas had called twice, but their father had refused to answer.
At around ten, Samuel complained of chest discomfort.
Richard called an ambulance.
By the time they reached the hospital, his father had suffered a fatal cardiac event.
The official report described it as a natural death.
There had been no criminal investigation.
No suspicious circumstances.
Only grief.
Richard remembered Thomas arriving at the hospital two hours later, smelling strongly of alcohol and refusing to speak to anyone.
He remembered his mother crying.
He remembered signing the paperwork.
And he remembered one thing that had never made sense.
His father's private secretary, Melissa Grant, had disappeared the following morning.
She left a short resignation letter.
No explanation.
No forwarding address.
Richard had spent months trying to contact her.
Then he gave up.
Now her name was appearing on documents connected to Thomas.
And someone was threatening his daughter with a photograph from her childhood.
The elevator doors opened.
Richard stepped out.
Vanessa was waiting in a private examination room.
Amara was asleep in her portable bassinet.
The nurse stood beside the door.
When Vanessa saw her father, she immediately approached him.
“Dad.””
Richard wrapped his arms around her.
“Are you okay?””
“Yes.””
“Did anyone touch you?””
“No. The receptionist said a man came asking for me. When she refused to give him my room number, he left the envelope.””
James closed the door.
“Where is it?””
Vanessa pointed toward the examination table.
Richard picked up the envelope using a tissue.
Inside was a photograph.
He stared at it.
It showed Vanessa at approximately seven years old, sitting on her grandfather's lap in the garden of the Brooks family home.
Samuel was smiling.
Vanessa was holding a small stuffed rabbit.
Richard turned the photograph over.
The message was written in black ink.
Ask your father what really happened the night Samuel Brooks died.
Vanessa watched his face.
“Dad, did someone hurt Grandpa?””
Richard looked at her.
“No.””
“Then why would they send this?””
He placed the photograph on the table.
“I don't know.””
She searched his expression.
“You're lying.””
“Vanessa—”
“You always told me Grandpa died at the hospital. You said his heart gave out.””
“That is what happened.””
“Then what are you hiding?””
Richard sat down.
James remained near the door, giving them privacy.
Richard rubbed his forehead.
“There are things about that night I never told you.””
Vanessa's face tightened.
“What things?””
“Your grandfather and I argued earlier that evening.””
“About what?””
“Thomas.””
Richard looked down at his hands.
“Your grandfather had discovered that Thomas was using family funds to cover personal debts. He wanted to remove him from several business responsibilities.””
Vanessa blinked.
“Uncle Thomas was stealing?””
“Your grandfather believed he was misusing money. I wanted him to give Thomas another chance.””
“Why?””
“Because he was my brother.””
Richard took a breath.
“Your grandfather was furious. He told me I was confusing loyalty with weakness.””
Vanessa sat beside him.
“What happened next?””
“I left his study around nine-thirty. I went home. About forty minutes later, my mother called and told me your grandfather was being taken to the hospital.””
“Was Thomas there?””
Richard nodded.
“He arrived shortly after the ambulance.””
“Did he see Grandpa before he died?””
“I don't know.””
Vanessa frowned.
“But you said he was there.””
“He arrived at the hospital. He told us he had come from a business meeting.””
Richard looked toward the window.
“Your mother later told me Thomas had been at the house earlier that evening.””
Vanessa's eyes widened.
“Why didn't you tell anyone?””
“Because there was no evidence of anything. And Thomas insisted he hadn't spoken to our father.””
Vanessa looked at the photograph again.
“Did you believe him?””
Richard hesitated.
“I wanted to.””
The room became quiet.
Then James approached.
“Richard, I need to show you something.””
He had received a message from a private investigator he had contacted years earlier.
The investigator had found a possible current address for Melissa Grant.
But there was another detail.
Melissa had recently contacted the Brooks Foundation's legal office.
She had requested a meeting.
The request had been rejected because nobody recognized her name.
Richard stared at the message.
“When?””
“Three days ago.””
Vanessa looked at him.
“Three days ago?””
James nodded.
“She specifically asked to speak with you.””
Richard's expression changed.
“Why wasn't I told?””
“The message was sent to the foundation's general administration account. It was never forwarded.””
Vanessa looked toward the photograph.
“Maybe she knows something about Grandpa.””
Richard stood.
“Find her.””
James nodded.
“I already have an address. She's living outside the city.””
Richard took out his phone.
“Call her.””
James dialed the number attached to the investigator's report.
It rang several times.
Then a woman answered.
“Hello?””
James spoke carefully.
“May I speak with Melissa Grant?””
“Who is this?””
“My name is James Carter. I'm calling on behalf of Richard Brooks.””
Silence.
Then the woman's voice changed.
“Richard?””
“Yes. He's here with me.””
“Is Thomas with him?””
James looked at Richard.
“No.””
Another pause.
Then Melissa whispered:
“Did he finally find the documents?””
Richard stepped closer.
“Melissa, this is Richard. I need to speak with you.””
Her breathing became uneven.
“I've been trying to reach you.””
“I know. Why?””
“Because I think your brother is preparing to do something terrible.””
Richard looked at Vanessa.
“What do you know about the trust agreement?””
Melissa didn't answer immediately.
Then she said:
“The agreement Thomas showed you is real.””
Richard's face tightened.
“But there's something he didn't show you.””
“What?””
“Your father signed a second document.””
Richard went still.
“What second document?””
“A revocation.””
James immediately began taking notes.
Melissa continued.
“Samuel revoked Thomas's voting rights the day before he died. He also changed the beneficiary structure of the family trust.””
Richard felt his chest tighten.
“Who received the voting rights?””
Melissa's voice dropped.
“You did.””
Richard closed his eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because Thomas threatened me.””
“Threatened you how?””
“He told me that if I ever revealed what happened, he would make sure I lost everything. He said he had enough information to destroy my reputation and implicate me in the missing money.””
Richard stared at the floor.
“Did my father know?””
“Yes.””
Melissa began crying.
“He told me to keep the original documents somewhere safe. He said you would need them one day.””
“Where are they?””
“In a safety deposit box.””
“Which bank?””
“First National Trust. Downtown.””
Richard turned toward James.
“Get the information.””
Melissa interrupted.
“Wait.””
Richard returned the phone to his ear.
“What?””
“There's something else.””
Her voice was barely audible.
“Your father didn't die because his heart simply gave out.””
The room became completely silent.
Vanessa stood.
“Dad?””
Richard raised a hand, asking her to wait.
“Melissa, what are you saying?””
“I can't explain everything over the phone. But I was at the house that night. I saw Thomas leave your father's study carrying a leather folder.””
Richard's face turned pale.
“What was in the folder?””
“The original trust documents. And a small bottle from your father's medicine cabinet.””
Vanessa covered her mouth.
Richard struggled to speak.
“Are you saying Thomas poisoned him?””
“I don't know. I never saw him put anything in your father's drink. But the next morning, I found the bottle missing. When I asked Thomas about it, he threatened me.””
Richard looked at James.
James had stopped writing.
Melissa continued.
“Your father told me something that evening. He said Thomas had been asking about Vanessa.””
Richard frowned.
“Vanessa? She was seven.””
“He said Thomas wanted to know whether she would inherit anything directly from the family trust.””
Vanessa stared at her father.
“Why would Uncle Thomas care about me?””
Melissa answered before Richard could.
“Because your grandfather had already decided that you would receive a separate inheritance.””
Richard looked stunned.
“What inheritance?””
“A property trust. A large one. Your grandfather intended it to become yours when you turned twenty-five.””
Vanessa shook her head.
“I never received anything.””
“I know,” Melissa said.
“Because Thomas took control of the paperwork after your grandfather died.””
Richard's voice became dangerously quiet.
“How much was it worth?””
Melissa hesitated.
“Approximately forty-two million dollars.””
Vanessa sank into the chair.
“Forty-two million?””
Richard looked at his daughter.
For the first time that day, he appeared genuinely shaken.
James took the phone.
“Ms. Grant, we need to meet in person. Can you come somewhere safe?””
“I can.””
“Today?””
“Yes. But there's a condition.””
Richard stepped forward.
“Anything.””
Melissa's voice trembled.
“I want protection. Thomas knows I kept copies of the documents. He sent someone to my house last week.””
Richard's jaw tightened.
“Did they hurt you?””
“No. But they left a message.””
“What message?””
Melissa paused.
Then she whispered:
“They said the same thing written on Vanessa's photograph.””
Ask Richard what really happened the night Samuel died.
Richard looked toward his daughter.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated.
A new message had arrived from an unknown number.
It contained a photograph of the medical center parking lot.
Vanessa's car was visible.
So was the security officer standing beside it.
Beneath the image were eight words:
*YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT YOUR DAUGHTER OUT OF THIS.*
Richard's expression hardened.
He immediately called the security director.
“Lock down the building. Nobody approaches my daughter without verification.””
Then he turned toward James.
“Get Melissa somewhere safe. And contact the authorities.””
James nodded.
Richard looked at Vanessa.
“Sweetheart, we're leaving.””
Vanessa picked up Amara's bassinet.
“Dad, what happens now?””
Richard looked at the photograph of her grandfather.
“Now we find out what really happened twenty-four years ago.””
He paused.
“And we find out why your uncle is so desperate to keep it buried.””
As Richard helped his daughter toward the door, another message appeared on his phone.
This one came from Melissa.
Richard, I found the original recording.
May you like
Your father left it for you.
And it contains Thomas admitting what he did that night.
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