Chapter 6: The Witness Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
“My name is Thomas Reed.””
I gripped the phone tighter.
The hallway seemed to narrow around me.
Evelyn stared at my face.
Daniel stood several feet away, motionless.
“Thomas?”” I whispered.
“Yes.””
“Where are you?””
“Not where the photograph says.””
“Why did you call me?””
His breathing was uneven.
“Because I heard you found the blue book.””
I looked at Daniel.
He was watching me now.
“You knew about it?”” I asked.
Thomas gave a humorless laugh.
“Daniel knows about everything eventually.””
“Then tell me where you are.””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because if I give you my location, he’ll know.””
Daniel stepped toward me.
“Mom, hang up.””
I turned away from him.
“Thomas, what happened the night Robert fell?””
Silence.
Then Thomas said, “I wasn’t there.””
I looked at the photograph in my hand.
“Your statement says you met Robert before his accident.””
“I did.””
“Then why are you telling me not to go to that address?””
“Because it’s being watched.””
“By Daniel?””
“Yes.””
“How do you know?””
Another silence.
Then he said, “Because he sent someone there yesterday.””
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“Who?””
“I don’t know his name.””
“What did he look like?””
“Gray jacket. Tall. Limped slightly.””
I glanced at Evelyn.
She was already writing.
“Thomas, why did you let Daniel think you were dead?””
“Because he wanted me dead.””
Daniel suddenly spoke behind me.
“That’s a lie.””
Thomas went silent.
He had heard him.
Daniel came closer.
“Put it on speaker.””
I did not.
“Daniel,” Thomas said through the phone, “you should have left your mother alone.””
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about.””
“I know what happened in the garage.””
My stomach turned.
I asked, “Thomas, were you there?””
“No.””
“Then how do you know?””
“Because Robert told me.””
“When?””
“The day before he died.””
Daniel slammed his hand against the wall.
“Stop.””
Evelyn stepped between us.
“Mr. Hale, control yourself.””
I stared at my son.
“Why are you afraid of Thomas?””
He shook his head.
“I’m not.””
“Then why did you tell me he was dead?””
“I heard he died.””
“When?””
“After Dad’s funeral.””
Thomas laughed softly through the phone.
“I was at the funeral.””
Daniel went still.
“You saw him?””
I asked.
“Yes,” Thomas said.
“Where?””
“Across the street.””
“Why didn’t you come to me?””
“Because Daniel was standing beside you.””
My chest tightened.
I remembered the funeral.
Daniel had stayed beside me the entire day.
He had answered every question.
He had signed every paper.
He had told people I was too overwhelmed to speak.
He had even taken my phone.
I had thought he was protecting me.
Thomas said, “I wanted to come over. But then I saw Vanessa.””
I looked at my daughter-in-law.
“She saw you?””
“No.””
Thomas paused.
“Daniel did.””
Daniel’s eyes dropped.
I whispered, “You knew Thomas was alive.””
He didn’t answer.
That was enough.
Evelyn took the phone from my hand and put it on speaker.
“Mr. Reed, this is Evelyn Shaw, Robert Hale’s attorney.””
Thomas immediately said, “I know who you are.””
“Then you know we are trying to establish what happened to Robert.””
“Yes.””
“Can you give a sworn statement?””
“Yes.””
“Can you meet us?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because I’m being watched.””
“By whom?””
“I told you. Someone working for Daniel.””
Evelyn looked at me.
“Then we need another location.””
Thomas hesitated.
Finally he said, “There’s an old train station outside town.””
I frowned.
“Which one?””
“Fairview Station.””
“It closed twenty years ago.””
“Exactly.””
“When?””
“Midnight.””
Evelyn immediately shook her head.
Thomas heard her.
“Come with the attorney.””
“I’m coming too,” I said.
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because Daniel will follow you.””
Daniel smiled bitterly.
“You think I’m going to follow you?””
Thomas answered before I could.
“You already did.””
Daniel’s smile disappeared.
Then the line went dead.
For several seconds, no one moved.
I looked at my son.
“Who is following Thomas?””
“I don’t know.””
“You said he was dead.””
“I was wrong.””
“Convenient.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“I’m trying to protect you.””
“From Thomas?””
“From everyone.””
I stepped closer.
“No. You’re trying to control who I can hear.””
He stared at me.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
“I can’t.””
“Because there is nothing left to explain.””
His eyes reddened.
“You think I wanted any of this?””
“Yes.””
He looked stunned.
“Mom…”
“You had choices.””
“I made mistakes.””
“You made plans.””
His face hardened.
“Dad left us with a mess.””
“Your father left us a house.””
“He left debts.””
“Then why did you need my money?””
Silence.
I looked toward Vanessa.
She was crying quietly.
“Did you know?”” I asked her.
She shook her head.
“Not everything.””
“That is not what I asked.””
She hesitated.
“Yes.””
Daniel looked at her.
“Vanessa.””
She flinched.
“I knew he was desperate.””
“How desperate?””
She wiped her cheek.
“He owed people.””
“How much?””
She whispered a number.
“Three hundred thousand dollars.””
My stomach dropped.
“Three hundred thousand?””
Daniel closed his eyes.
Vanessa nodded.
“He had business debts.””
I turned toward him.
“You could have sold the business.””
“It wasn’t worth anything.””
“You could have gone to the bank.””
“They wouldn’t lend to me.””
“You could have asked me.””
He laughed bitterly.
“You would have said no.””
“Yes.””
“Exactly.””
“You were not entitled to my money.””
“I was your son.””
“And that gave you access to my heart.””
I pointed toward the documents.
“Not my accounts.””
Nobody spoke.
The conservator finally stepped in.
“Mrs. Hale, we need to leave.””
I nodded.
Before I walked outside, I looked back at Daniel.
“Tomorrow night, I’m going to Fairview Station.””
His expression changed.
“You can’t.””
“I can.””
“It’s dangerous.””
“Everything became dangerous when you decided I was easier to control than to respect.””
He said nothing.
As I reached the front door, Vanessa called after me.
“Margaret.””
I turned.
She stood at the bottom of the stairs.
“If you go tomorrow night, take someone you trust.””
I looked at her.
“Who?””
Her voice dropped.
“Not Evelyn.””
My heart skipped.
“Why?””
Vanessa glanced toward Daniel.
“Because Daniel has been listening to her phone calls.””
Evelyn went completely still.
“What?””
Vanessa looked terrified.
“He knew about your appointment with the doctor before you arrived.””
Evelyn slowly pulled out her phone.
Daniel said nothing.
We left the house without another word.
Outside, the air was freezing.
I sat in the passenger seat while Evelyn drove.
Neither of us spoke for several minutes.
Finally, she said, “I want to believe Vanessa is lying.””
“So do I.””
“You think she could be?””
“Yes.””
“But?””
“But Daniel knew about things I never told him.””
Evelyn tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
“I need to check my phone.””
“Why?””
She held it up.
“Because there may be spyware.””
I stared at her.
“You think Daniel installed it?””
“I think we should assume he did.””
She pulled into a parking lot and turned the car off.
For nearly an hour, she checked every account.
Every login.
Every unfamiliar application.
Every connected device.
Then she looked at me.
“He didn’t need spyware.””
“What?””
“He had access to my email.””
I stared.
“How?””
“The office assistant.””
“Daniel paid her?””
“She forwarded him copies of my correspondence.””
My stomach twisted.
“So he knows everything.””
“Almost.””
“What doesn’t he know?””
Evelyn looked at me.
“The second copy.””
“What second copy?””
She opened the trunk.
Inside was a locked document case.
“I made another copy of everything.””
I stared at the case.
“When?””
“Before the first hearing.””
“You never told me.””
“I didn’t know who to trust.””
I looked at her.
“You didn’t trust me?””
“I trusted you.””
“Then who?””
She hesitated.
“Myself.””
I almost laughed.
“Fair enough.””
She unlocked the case.
Inside were copies of every document.
Financial records.
Medical evidence.
The audio files.
The trust.
Robert’s notes.
And something else.
A photograph of Robert standing beside a silver sedan.
The license plate was visible.
I stared.
“That car.””
“What?””
“I remember it.””
“Where?””
“At the hospital.””
Evelyn leaned closer.
“You’re sure?””
“Yes.””
I thought back to that night.
Rain.
White hospital lights.
Daniel running through the emergency entrance.
A man waiting in a silver sedan.
The same man had been standing near the hospital entrance after Robert was admitted.
I had assumed he was an employee.
But now I remembered something.
Robert had seen him.
And when he did, he had gripped my hand.
Hard.
I had asked what was wrong.
May you like
He whispered,
“Don’t let that man near Margaret.””
