Chapter 5 - THE SECRET FROM THE PAST
That night I could not sleep.
I sat in the library beneath the soft glow of a reading lamp, the ledger spread open across Arthur’s massive desk. Daniel sat opposite me, a pen in hand, copying names and codes onto fresh paper.
We worked in silence. Outside, the storm had returned. Wind howled around the house, and rain lashed against the tall windows. Every creak of the old house sounded like a footstep.
Around midnight, Daniel paused. He turned a page back and frowned.
“Mother,” he said. “Look at this date.”
I leaned forward. He was pointing to an entry from nearly four years earlier. Written in Rachel’s tight, slanted handwriting: Arthur’s health declining. Acceleration possible. Awaiting confirmation from A.W.
My breath caught.
“Four years ago,” I said quietly. “That was the year Arthur fell ill. The year he died.”
Daniel looked up, face pale. “His death was sudden. The doctors said heart failure. Natural causes.”
“Arthur was strong,” I said. “He had high blood pressure, yes—but he took his medication faithfully. He had his checkups. He was expected to live for years.” I stared at the words. “And this entry was written months before he passed away.”
Daniel stood up slowly. “Are you suggesting…?”
“I am suggesting nothing yet.” I reached across the desk and traced the letters A.W. “But if Rachel knew Arthur’s health was declining before his doctors told us… and if she was awaiting confirmation from someone with those initials…”
“Then Arthur might not have died naturally,” Daniel finished, his voice barely audible.
A cold silence filled the room. I looked at Arthur’s portrait above the fireplace. He looked back—steady, confident, as if he had known this day would come.
“Rachel married you eighteen months before Arthur died,” I said. “She gained access to this house. To his schedule. His medications. His private information.”
“And she was reporting every detail to someone named A.W.” Daniel gripped the mantelpiece, his knuckles white. “Did she kill him? Did they kill him?”
“We do not know. Not yet.” I stood, leaning on my cane, and walked to the portrait. “But we will find out. We will have his medical records reviewed. We will speak to his doctors. We will find out exactly what was in his system in his final days.”
“And if it wasn’t natural?”
“Then Rachel didn’t just try to steal a company last night.” I turned to him, my heart heavy but my voice steady. “She may have helped murder the man who built it.”
Daniel sank into his chair, head in his hands. “I brought her into this house. I trusted her. I loved her. And she… she may have helped kill my father.”
“Grief and anger can wait,” I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Careful investigation cannot. If they killed Arthur, they may have left evidence. If they killed Arthur to get to this company… then they have been waiting four years to finish what they started.”
I looked again at the ledger entry. Awaiting confirmation from A.W.
“Arthur knew someone was watching him,” I said softly. “In his final weeks he told me to be careful. He said there was a wolf in the house. I thought he meant business rivals. I never imagined he meant the woman his own son had married.”
Daniel lifted his face. Tears tracked down his cheeks. “A.W. Who is it? Arthur’s initials were A.W. too.”
“Yes. But Arthur is dead.” I walked back to the desk. “Which means someone else uses his initials deliberately. Someone who wanted Rachel to think she was working for him. Or someone who wanted Arthur’s name on the orders so he would be blamed even after death.”
“A ghost,” Daniel said. “A.W. could be anyone.”
“Or everyone.” I closed the ledger. “Tomorrow we take Arthur’s records to an independent specialist. And we find out exactly how he died.”
I walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. The driveway was empty. The gates were closed. But somewhere out there, someone was waiting. Someone who had been planning this for years. Someone who had arranged Arthur’s death, then sent Rachel in to finish the job.
“Daniel,” I said quietly. “If Arthur was murdered… then whoever stands behind this has been inside our home, inside our lives, for four years. They have watched us. Studied us. Waited for us to make a mistake.”
May you like
Daniel stood beside me. “And now they know we are onto them.”
“Yes.” I let the curtain fall back into place. “Which means they may try to finish what Rachel failed to do. And this time, they will not ask us to sign anything.”
