Margaret's face filled the screen.
I stared at the photograph.
“She hasn't changed much.”
Sarah looked at me.
“You know her.”
“I knew her twenty years ago.”
The officer zoomed in.
Margaret was wearing a dark coat.
Beside her stood the former accountant.
They were walking toward a black vehicle.
I watched the footage again.
“She wasn't forcing him.”
“No.”
“Then why would he go with her?”
“Maybe he trusted her.”
Sarah looked at the screen.
“Or maybe she convinced him she could protect him.”
I thought of the note.
Your wife is already being watched.
Maybe it hadn't referred to me.
Maybe it had referred to Margaret.
The officer asked whether I had ever met Margaret alone.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“After David died.”
“How often?”
“Twice.”
“What did she want?”
“The first time, she asked whether David had left me anything.”
My stomach tightened.
“And the second?”
“She asked whether I still had the original insurance papers.”
Sarah looked at me.
“You never told me that.”
“I had forgotten.”
“You forgot someone asking about the original policy?”
“I thought she was helping with the estate.”
The officer wrote something down.
“Did she seem concerned?”
“Yes.”
“About you?”
“No.”
“About the documents?”
I nodded.
“She was very interested in them.”
Sarah pulled out the estate file.
“There's something here.”
She turned several pages.
Then stopped.
“Daniel Price represented David during the insurance settlement.”
“Yes.”
“And Margaret worked as his assistant.”
I looked at the page.
That was the first time I remembered.
Margaret had been present during meetings.
She knew the policy.
She knew the account numbers.
She knew where the documents had been stored.
And after David died, she knew exactly what to ask.
The officer looked at Sarah.
“Could she have accessed the estate records?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Daniel had access.”
“And Margaret?”
“She worked in his office.”
The pieces shifted again.
Victor Hale may have been involved.
But Daniel Price had been closer to David's estate.
Margaret had been closer still.
And Robert had known them both.
I looked at Ellen.
“How did Robert meet Margaret?”
“Through me.”
“Why did he ask you to introduce them?”
“He said he needed help finding Dad's old investment records.”
“When?”
“About seven years ago.”
I stared.
Seven years.
That was long before Robert began talking about my money.
“What happened afterward?”
“He met her several times.”
“Did he tell you why?”
“He said she knew things about Dad's estate.”
“Did you ever meet her with him?”
“No.”
Ellen hesitated.
“Once.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
“The day you heard them arguing?”
“Yes.”
“What did Margaret say?”
Ellen looked at me.
“She said Robert had promised to find the documents.”
My chest tightened.
“Which documents?”
“The original policy.”
Sarah closed her eyes briefly.
“So Robert wasn't the person who started looking.”
“No,” Ellen whispered.
“He was recruited.”
I looked at her.
“By whom?”
She swallowed.
“I think Margaret.”
The officer immediately called another investigator.
“Find everything on Margaret Price.”
He paused.
“And Daniel Price.”
Then he ended the call.
Sarah sat beside me.
“We need to think about the message.”
“What message?”
“The one saying your husband left instructions.”
I looked at my phone.
“Maybe it came from Margaret.”
“Why would she warn you?”
“I don't know.”
“Maybe she wants you to find something.”
“Or maybe she wants me to go somewhere.”
The officer looked at us.
“Where?”
I remembered the old house.
The basement.
The loose brick.
The hidden policy documents.
I suddenly understood.
If someone wanted me to retrieve them, they needed me to go there.
And if Victor Hale had been watching for twenty years, he might already know where they were.
I said, “We shouldn't go.”
Sarah nodded.
“Agreed.”
The officer asked, “Then how do we find out what David left?”
I looked at the photograph.
“Maybe we don't need to go there.”
I remembered the key from the metal box.
A small brass key.
David had labeled it with a number.
I had assumed it belonged to an old filing cabinet.
Sarah examined it.
“There's an engraving.”
“What does it say?”
“314.”
I stared.
The officer asked, “Does that mean anything?”
I shook my head.
Then Ellen spoke.
“Room 314.”
I turned.
“What?”
“Dad had a storage unit.”
“When?”
“After the bakery expanded.”
“Where?”
“I don't remember.”
She thought for a moment.
“Wait.”
Her eyes widened.
“The old commercial building.”
I remembered it.
David had rented a storage unit there before we bought the bakery.
I had forgotten completely.
“Do you know the address?”
Ellen nodded.
“Robert might.”
We looked toward the hallway.
Robert was still with the officer.
Sarah asked, “Why would your father use a storage unit?”
Ellen answered quietly.
“He kept things there that he didn't want me to see.”
I felt a chill.
“Did you ever see inside?”
“No.”
“Did Robert?”
“I don't know.”
The officer returned.
“Robert's lawyer has arrived.”
I looked at him.
“Can we ask him about the storage unit?”
“He may refuse to answer.”
“Then ask.”
The lawyer entered several minutes later.
He was composed.
Too composed.
He introduced himself as Mark Collins.
He looked at me.
“Mrs. Miller, my client won't answer questions without legal advice.”
I nodded.
“That's fine.”
I looked at Sarah.
“Ask him one thing.”
Sarah turned toward Robert.
“Do you know anything about storage unit 314?”
Robert's expression changed.
It lasted less than a second.
But I saw it.
The lawyer noticed.
“Mr. Miller?”
Robert looked at him.
Then at me.
“No.”
I said nothing.
Sarah asked, “Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
The officer stepped forward.
“Then you won't object if we search it.”
Robert's face went pale.
His lawyer immediately said, “I need to understand the legal basis.”
The officer replied, “We can obtain the necessary authorization.”
Robert looked down.
Ellen whispered, “You know what's there.”
Robert didn't answer.
She stood.
“What's there?”
He finally looked at her.
“Your father's records.”
My heart stopped.
“What else?”
Robert hesitated.
“Money.”
Sarah frowned.
“How much?”
“I don't know.”
“Then why are you afraid?”
Robert looked at me.
“Because Victor told me never to open the box.”
The room went silent.
I stared at him.
“You've seen Victor.”
“Yes.”
“Recently?”
Robert nodded.
“Where?”
“At the storage unit.”
My heart began pounding.
“When?”
“Three days ago.”
“Why?”
Robert's voice dropped.
“He wanted the key.”
I looked at the brass key in Sarah's hand.
314.
The room seemed to close around us.
Victor hadn't disappeared.
He had been waiting.
And Robert had already given him access.
The officer asked, “Did you give him the key?”
Robert shook his head.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I realized what was inside.”
“What?”
Robert looked at me.
“Evidence.”
“Evidence of what?”
He swallowed.
“Your husband's death.”
I couldn't breathe.
“My husband died of a heart attack.”
“Yes.”
“That is what the doctors said.”
Robert looked at the floor.
“Victor told me it wasn't that simple.”
Sarah stood.
“What did he say?”
Robert looked at me.
“He said David knew he was going to die.”
My hands became cold.
“How?”
Robert closed his eyes.
“He said someone made sure of it.”
Click here to continue reading: PART 12: Robert Finally Named the Person David Feared, and the Truth Forced Me to Reconsider What I Thought Happened Twenty Years Ago
The Moment My Daughter Reached for My Money, I Realized She Had Been Waiting for Something Much Darker
Part 11 of 15
