Chapter 9: The Recording That Destroyed My Brother
The police arrived twenty minutes later.
Two officers entered the living room and separated Daniel from the rest of us.
Robert immediately requested to speak with them privately.
I handed over the documents.
The bank statements.
The forged property transfer.
The court petition against my mother.
And finally, the USB drive.
One of the officers asked whether I knew what was on it.
I looked at Nia.
She nodded.
"Play it.""
Daniel suddenly stepped forward.
"No!""
The officers stopped him.
"Sir, remain where you are.""
He looked at Nia.
"You promised!""
Nia began crying.
"I promised because you threatened me.""
Daniel shook his head.
"You have no idea what you're doing.""
She looked directly at him.
"I know exactly what I'm doing.""
The older officer placed the USB drive into a laptop.
A moment later, a recording appeared on the screen.
The date was fifteen years earlier.
The sound was poor.
There was background noise, followed by my father's voice.
"Daniel, I've given you enough chances.""
Then Daniel's younger voice.
"Father, please. Just give me until next month.""
"You said that last month.""
"I can repay you.""
"With what money?""
There was a pause.
Then my father spoke again.
"You've been taking money from the company.""
Daniel's voice became defensive.
"It was temporary.""
"That money belongs to your brother and the employees who depend on this business.""
"I said I'd replace it!""
"That's not the point.""
I sat down.
My father sounded exhausted.
The recording continued.
Daniel said something I could barely hear.
Then my father's voice became louder.
"You forged my signature?""
My mother covered her mouth.
I looked at Daniel.
He was staring at the laptop.
My father continued.
"Do you understand what you've done?""
Daniel's voice cracked.
"I was trying to fix everything.""
"By stealing from your own family?""
"I had no choice!""
"There is always a choice.""
A chair scraped across the floor.
Then came a sound.
A heavy thud.
My father's voice disappeared.
Daniel shouted:
"Father?""
There was movement.
A few seconds passed.
Then Daniel spoke again.
"Father, wake up.""
My chest tightened.
The recording continued.
"Father!""
Then silence.
I leaned toward the laptop.
Daniel's breathing was loud.
He began pacing.
"Oh God. Oh God.""
Then he said something that made my blood run cold.
"No. No, no, no. Not now.""
My mother began sobbing.
The recording continued.
Daniel picked up something.
A phone, perhaps.
But he didn't call emergency services.
Instead, he whispered:
"What am I going to do?""
I closed my eyes.
Then another sound came through the speakers.
My father's voice.
Very weak.
"Marcus...""
I froze.
My eyes opened.
The entire room seemed to stop breathing.
My father was still alive.
He was conscious enough to speak.
He called my name.
The recording continued.
"Call... Marcus...""
Daniel answered:
"Father, don't move.""
"Please...""
"Just stay still.""
Then my father's voice became clearer.
"Tell... your brother...""
Daniel interrupted.
"Don't worry about Marcus.""
A pause.
Then my father said:
"Protect him.""
I felt tears fill my eyes.
Those were the last words I would ever hear my father speak.
Protect him.
Daniel had heard them.
He had understood them.
And he had still done nothing.
The recording continued for several more minutes.
We heard Daniel arguing with himself.
He admitted that he had taken money.
He admitted that he had forged documents.
Then, finally, he made a phone call.
Not to an ambulance.
To someone named Robert.
The lawyer sitting across the room stiffened.
The recording played Daniel's voice.
"Robert, I need you to listen. Father collapsed. He's not responding.""
Robert's recorded voice answered.
"Have you called emergency services?""
"No.""
"Daniel, what have you done?""
"I need you to help me.""
"Call an ambulance immediately.""
"But the documents—"
"Forget the documents!""
The recording ended.
Nobody moved.
The older police officer looked toward Robert.
"Mr. Hayes, do you know anything about this call?""
Robert slowly stood.
"I would like to contact my attorney.""
The officer nodded.
"You're welcome to do that.""
Daniel sat down.
His face was pale.
I looked at him.
"You heard him.""
Daniel didn't respond.
"You heard Dad asking you to call me.""
He covered his face.
I stepped closer.
"Why didn't you?""
He began crying.
"I was scared.""
I shook my head.
"You were scared of losing money.""
"No!""
"Then what were you scared of?""
He looked up.
For the first time, I saw something in his expression that I hadn't seen before.
Not anger.
Not arrogance.
Fear.
"Father told me he was going to change the inheritance," he whispered.
I stared at him.
"So you let him die?""
"I didn't let him die!""
"You waited twenty-seven minutes!""
"I thought he was going to recover!""
"You called a lawyer before calling an ambulance!""
Daniel stood suddenly.
"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT WAS LIKE!""
His voice echoed through the room.
"You were always the good son! The responsible one! Father trusted you with everything!""
I stared at him.
"What did you want me to do? Steal from him too?""
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
"He gave you everything.""
"He gave us both a share.""
"That's not what I wanted!""
There it was.
The truth.
My brother had spent fifteen years destroying our family because half wasn't enough.
He wanted everything.
The property.
The business.
The inheritance.
And apparently, even my wife.
I turned toward the officers.
"I want to make a formal statement.""
The older officer nodded.
"Of course.""
Daniel suddenly grabbed my sleeve.
"Marcus, please.""
I pulled away.
"Don't touch me.""
He looked desperate.
"I'm still your brother.""
I stared at him.
"That's the only reason you got this many chances.""
He began sobbing.
I walked away.
But before the officers could take him outside, Nia spoke.
"There's something else.""
I turned.
She was holding another document.
Her hands were shaking.
"What?""
She looked at me.
"I need to tell you why I stayed married to you.""
I felt exhausted.
"Nia, not now.""
"Please. This is important.""
She placed the document on the table.
It was a medical report.
I recognized the hospital logo.
The date was two years earlier.
I looked at the first page.
Then I read the heading.
*Pregnancy and Prenatal Assessment.*
I frowned.
"What's this?""
Nia began crying.
"Before Ethan was born, I was pregnant again.""
I looked at her.
"What?""
She nodded.
"There was another pregnancy.""
I stared at the report.
"Was it Daniel's?""
She nodded.
"What happened?""
Her voice broke.
"I lost the baby.""
For a moment, I didn't know what to say.
Despite everything, the news hit me with a strange sadness.
Not because of the affair.
Not because of Daniel.
But because another child had been involved in this nightmare.
I looked at the medical report.
Then I noticed the next page.
It contained a handwritten note from the attending doctor.
I read it carefully.
The report stated that Nia had been brought to the hospital after a serious incident at home.
There was a reference to an argument.
A fall.
And an emergency call made by someone named Marcus Reed.
My heart stopped.
I looked up.
"I didn't call this hospital.""
Nia closed her eyes.
"I know.""
"Why is my name here?""
She began shaking.
"Daniel used your information.""
I turned the page.
There was a copy of the original emergency intake form.
The caller's name was listed as Marcus Reed.
But the signature at the bottom belonged to someone else.
Daniel.
I looked at my brother.
He was staring at the floor.
"Did you use my identity again?""
He didn't answer.
Nia wiped her face.
"Daniel told the hospital that you were my husband and that you had been there when I fell.""
I felt sick.
"Why?""
She swallowed.
"Because he didn't want anyone to know he was with me.""
I stared at her.
"You let him use my name?""
"I was unconscious when they took me to the hospital.""
I looked at the report again.
Then something caught my attention.
The date.
The same night Daniel had told me he was attending a business conference in Chicago.
I remembered that evening.
I had called him twice.
He hadn't answered.
The following morning, he told me his flight had been delayed.
I looked at him.
"You were with my wife that night.""
Daniel finally nodded.
I felt my knees weaken.
Nia whispered:
"Marcus, I never wanted you to know because I was ashamed.""
I placed the report on the table.
Then I asked the question that had been haunting me since the beginning.
"Did you ever love me?""
Nia began crying uncontrollably.
"Yes.""
I shook my head.
"Then why did you keep choosing him?""
She looked toward Daniel.
Then back at me.
"Because he had something on me.""
I frowned.
"What?""
She reached into her handbag and removed one final photograph.
It showed Daniel standing beside a woman outside a courthouse.
The woman was holding a little boy.
I looked closer.
It wasn't Nia.
It wasn't Denise.
And it certainly wasn't anyone I recognized.
"Who is she?""
Nia's voice dropped to a whisper.
"Daniel's first wife.""
I stared at the photograph.
"First wife?""
She nodded.
"Marcus, Daniel was married when Lily was conceived.""
I turned toward my brother.
He said nothing.
Nia continued.
"And she has been looking for him for years.""
The older police officer looked up.
"What's her name?""
Nia handed him the photograph.
Then she said:
"Sarah Mitchell.""
The officer studied it.
His expression changed.
"Sarah Mitchell?""
He looked at his colleague.
Then back at us.
"That's interesting.""
I frowned.
"Why?""
The officer placed the photograph on the table.
"Because Sarah Mitchell filed a missing-person report fifteen years ago.""
I felt the room go cold.
"Who was missing?""
The officer looked at Daniel.
May you like
Then he answered.
"Your father.""
