Chapter 8: The Man Who Died Before Lily
My former business partner's name was Daniel Price.
Not the hospital security supervisor who had helped us recover the footage.
My Daniel Price had been my closest friend for fifteen years.
We had started Reed Price Consulting in a rented office above a dry cleaner, working late into the night and surviving on coffee, cheap sandwiches, and the belief that one day we'd build something our families could be proud of.
Daniel was the person who stood beside me when I married Danielle.
He was the first person to hold Lily after she was born.
He had bought her a stuffed elephant when she was three days old and promised her that he would teach her to play baseball when she was old enough.
Eighteen months ago, Daniel died in a single-car accident on a rain-soaked highway.
The police report concluded that he had lost control of his vehicle.
His blood alcohol level was below the legal limit.
There was no evidence of foul play.
I had attended his funeral, delivered a speech, and returned to work two days later because the company was falling apart.
Within six months, I had bought out his remaining interest in the business.
Within a year, I was wealthy enough to consider retiring.
I'd always believed Daniel's death was a tragedy.
Now Lily's video had made me question everything.
I opened the attachment.
It contained a collection of financial records, emails, and photographs.
The first page showed a transfer of $120,000 from Reed Price Consulting to a company registered under a different name.
The transaction had occurred three weeks before Daniel died.
The second page showed a similar transfer, this time for $85,000.
The recipient was another company associated with Eric Cole.
My hands began to shake.
Danielle stood beside me.
"What is it?""
"Daniel's company transferred money to Eric.""
"How much?""
"More than two hundred thousand dollars.""
She stared at the screen.
"Did Daniel know?""
"I don't know.""
I scrolled through the records.
There were emails between Daniel and Vanessa.
At the time, I had barely known Vanessa. She had worked with several vendors and occasionally attended company meetings.
The first email was ordinary.
The second was not.
We need to resolve the discrepancy before Daniel reviews the quarterly accounts.
The reply came from Vanessa.
Eric says the records can be corrected. We just need access to the original device.
The next email was dated two days before Daniel's death.
He knows something is wrong. If he contacts Marcus, everything is over.
I leaned back.
Danielle placed a hand over her mouth.
"Marcus.""
"I know.""
"Did Vanessa know Daniel?""
"Yes. She attended meetings with him.""
"Did Eric?""
"Eric installed security equipment at our old office.""
I looked at the documents again.
There was a photograph of Daniel standing beside Eric in the company's parking lot.
The timestamp was three days before the accident.
On the back of the digital image, someone had added a note.
He has the original files.
My chest tightened.
Daniel had discovered something.
And shortly before he died, he'd been trying to preserve evidence.
I called Officer Brooks.
She answered immediately.
"Mr. Reed?""
"I found another file on Lily's flash drive. It's connected to my former business partner, Daniel Price.""
There was a pause.
"Please don't send it through an ordinary email. I'll arrange a secure transfer.""
I explained the contents.
When I mentioned the transfers to Eric's companies, her tone became more serious.
"Mr. Reed, did you report these transactions when they occurred?""
"No. I didn't know about them.""
"Are they connected to the business account you discussed earlier?""
"Possibly. I need to compare the records.""
"Don't make any changes to the originals. We'll have a forensic accountant examine them.""
I swallowed.
"Officer Brooks, Daniel died in a car accident eighteen months ago. The emails suggest he discovered financial irregularities shortly before his death.""
"Do you have any evidence directly connecting those irregularities to the accident?""
"Not yet.""
"Then we need to keep those questions separate until the evidence supports a connection.""
I understood.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that Lily had uncovered something far more dangerous than the scheme against our family.
After the call, I drove to Daniel's old house.
His widow, Rebecca, still lived there with their teenage son, Matthew.
I hadn't visited since the funeral.
I'd sent flowers on the anniversary of Daniel's death and made a donation to the scholarship fund Rebecca had established in his name.
I had told myself I was honoring my friend.
The truth was that I had avoided the house because every time I saw Rebecca, I remembered how quickly I'd returned to work after Daniel died.
She opened the door wearing a blue sweater.
When she saw me, her expression hardened.
"Marcus.""
"Rebecca. I'm sorry to arrive without calling.""
She folded her arms.
"What do you want?""
I looked at the photograph of Daniel hanging behind her.
"I found something about Daniel's final weeks.""
She went still.
"What kind of something?""
"Emails. Financial records. Documents suggesting he discovered irregularities in the company before he died.""
Rebecca stared at me.
Then she stepped aside.
"Come in.""
We sat in the living room.
The house looked almost exactly as it had eighteen months earlier. Daniel's books remained on the shelves. His baseball cap still hung beside the front door.
Rebecca sat opposite me.
"Daniel told me someone was stealing from the company," she said.
My heart lurched.
"What?""
"Three days before he died, he came home angry. He said he'd found money missing from several accounts.""
"Why didn't you tell me?""
She gave me a look of disbelief.
"I did.""
I froze.
"You called me?""
"Twice. I left messages. You were in a meeting when I called the first time, and the second time you texted me that you'd speak to Daniel yourself.""
I remembered nothing.
Rebecca continued.
"He said he had evidence. He said he was going to confront the person responsible the next morning.""
"Who?""
"He didn't tell me the name. He said he didn't want to accuse anyone until he was certain.""
She looked toward the window.
"That night, he received a call. He went into the garage to answer it.""
My throat tightened.
"Did you hear what he said?""
"Only part of it. He kept repeating, 'You don't understand what you're doing.'' Then he said something about a device and a backup.""
I leaned forward.
"What happened afterward?""
"He came back inside and told me he needed to meet someone.""
"Who?""
"He wouldn't say.""
Rebecca looked at me.
"The next morning, he died.""
Silence settled between us.
I told her about Lily's files.
I showed her the emails and the photograph of Daniel with Eric.
She read the documents slowly.
When she reached the message about the original files, her face changed.
"I know what he meant by the device.""
"What?""
Rebecca stood and walked to a cabinet.
She opened a drawer and removed a small metal key.
"After Daniel died, I found this in his desk. It was attached to a note that said, 'If anything happens to me, give this to Marcus.''"
My hands went numb.
"You never gave it to me?""
"I tried. I called you the week after the funeral. You told me you couldn't deal with anything related to the company.""
I lowered my head.
She placed the key on the table.
"I kept it because I didn't know what else to do.""
I stared at the key.
It was small and silver, with a number stamped on the side.
"Do you know what it opens?""
Rebecca shook her head.
"No. But Daniel once mentioned a storage locker near his office. He said it was where he kept the things he couldn't afford to lose.""
I took a photograph of the key and sent it to Officer Brooks.
She called back within minutes.
"Mr. Reed, don't go to the storage facility alone. We'll need to establish whether the locker is connected to the investigation.""
"I won't.""
Rebecca looked at me.
"Marcus, did Daniel know Vanessa?""
"Yes.""
"Did he trust her?""
I thought about the emails.
"No.""
She nodded slowly.
"Then perhaps he was trying to protect you.""
Her words followed me as I drove home.
That evening, Officer Brooks informed me that a warrant had been obtained for the storage locker.
The following morning, I accompanied investigators to the facility.
The locker was at the end of a narrow corridor, behind a steel door marked 214.
The key fit.
Inside were several boxes, an old laptop, and a black briefcase.
The briefcase contained financial ledgers, photographs, and a small digital recorder.
The recorder had a label on it.
Meeting with E.C. — October 14.
I recognized the initials.
Eric Cole.
Officer Brooks instructed the forensic team to preserve the recorder.
After it had been documented, the investigator played a verified copy of the audio.
Daniel's voice filled the small room.
"You told me the transfers were legitimate.""
Eric answered.
"They are.""
"Then why are you hiding them?""
A pause.
Then Eric said, "Because Marcus doesn't need to know.""
Daniel's voice grew sharper.
"He's my partner. He deserves to know.""
Eric laughed.
"Your partner is too busy chasing contracts to notice what happens behind his back.""
There was a scrape of furniture.
Daniel spoke again.
"What about Vanessa?""
Eric lowered his voice.
"She's handling the personal side. We handle the money.""
My stomach tightened.
Daniel continued.
"And if I report this?""
Silence.
Then Eric said something that made Rebecca cover her mouth.
"You should think about your family before you do anything stupid.""
The recording ended.
Officer Brooks immediately instructed the team to preserve the file.
Rebecca was crying.
"He threatened Daniel.""
Officer Brooks spoke carefully.
"The recording establishes that there was a confrontation and that Eric made a threatening statement. It does not, by itself, prove he caused Daniel's death.""
I nodded.
I knew she was right.
But I also knew that the man I'd trusted to help build our company had been hiding something from me.
And my daughter had somehow found evidence connecting him to it.
As the investigators packed the documents, I noticed a photograph tucked inside the briefcase.
It showed Daniel standing beside a woman I didn't recognize.
She was holding a baby.
On the back was a handwritten note.
If I can't tell Marcus, tell him the truth about Vanessa.
I stared at the photograph.
"Who is she?"" I asked.
Rebecca looked at it for a long moment.
Then her face drained of color.
"That's not possible.""
"Why?""
She pointed to the woman.
"Because that's Vanessa Cole.""
I stared at her.
The woman in the photograph was younger, perhaps twenty-five.
The baby in her arms had a thick head of dark hair.
Rebecca's voice trembled.
"Marcus, Daniel told me Vanessa had a daughter years ago.""
I felt the room tilt.
"She has a daughter?""
"Yes. But she told everyone the baby had died shortly after birth.""
I looked at the photograph again.
The date on the back was eighteen years earlier.
And beneath Vanessa's name, Daniel had written another name.
Evelyn.
Officer Brooks took the photograph.
"Mr. Reed, we need to identify this child and establish why Daniel believed the information was important.""
I swallowed.
Then I remembered the second file.
The one Vanessa had said contained everything.
The financial scheme.
The messages.
The insurance policy.
And the reason Eric wanted Lily's phone.
I looked at Officer Brooks.
"Could this be connected to the insurance policy on Lily?""
"Possibly.""
"What if Vanessa was trying to do this before?""
Officer Brooks held my gaze.
"Then we need to find the evidence.""
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
It contained a single photograph.
Vanessa standing beside a teenage girl outside a school.
The girl had dark hair and wore a blue backpack.
Beneath the photograph were five words.
Your daughter is still alive.
I stared at the screen.
May you like
Then another message arrived.
And she knows what Vanessa did.
