Chapter 14 - The Partner Nobody Suspected
Margaret flew to Phoenix the next morning.
She refused to tell us her flight number until she had landed.
She refused to use a car service.
She rented a car under her middle name and arrived at Marcus’s house wearing sunglasses and carrying one small suitcase.
Natalie opened the door.
For several seconds, mother and daughter stared at each other.
Margaret looked at Natalie’s cap.
Then at her face.
Then at the loose sweater hiding how thin she had become.
“What happened?”
Natalie’s jaw tightened.
“Cancer.”
Margaret stopped breathing.
“What?”
“Stage III.”
“Oh my God.”
“Don’t.”
Margaret’s eyes filled.
“Don’t what?”
“Do not walk in after eleven years and act like you get to be my mother because I’m sick.”
The words hit hard.
Margaret nodded slowly.
“You’re right.”
Natalie looked almost disappointed.
Maybe she wanted a fight.
Maybe anger was easier.
Margaret entered.
When she saw me, her expression changed.
“You are Daniel’s son.”
“I am.”
“You have his eyes.”
“So everyone says.”
She looked toward Celia.
Her face went rigid.
“Celia.”
“Margaret.”
There was no hug.
No warmth.
Only history.
We gathered in Marcus’s office.
Margaret refused coffee.
She sat with both hands flat on her knees.
“I will tell you what I know,” she said. “But I need to know whether the tape exists.”
“It does.”
“You heard it?”
“Yes.”
“Then you know Lorraine threatened Daniel.”
“Yes.”
Margaret nodded.
“What you do not know is why she stole the money.”
Brooke leaned forward.
“Why?”
“To cover losses.”
“What losses?”
“Not hers.”
Margaret looked at Celia.
Celia looked confused.
Then afraid.
Margaret said, “Your father had a business partner.”
“I know about Uncle Peter.”
“Not Peter.”
“Who?”
She looked directly at Samuel’s empty space on the computer monitor.
Samuel had not joined us yet.
“Samuel Wren.”
I stared.
“Our lawyer?”
“He was not only Daniel’s lawyer.”
Celia whispered, “No.”
Margaret nodded.
“He invested in Daniel’s development company.”
Brooke shook her head.
“Samuel said nothing about that.”
“Of course he didn’t.”
“What happened?”
“Bad land deal. Leveraged debt. A bank investigation. Daniel’s company was close to collapse.”
I remembered Samuel admitting Dad falsified a loan document.
Margaret continued.
“Samuel was personally exposed. If the company failed, he would have lost his law practice.”
“So Mom stole six hundred thousand to save Samuel?”
“No.”
Margaret’s eyes hardened.
“Lorraine stole it because Samuel told her where to move it.”
Nobody spoke.
Celia stood.
“That is not true.”
“You were sleeping with Daniel. You did not know everything.”
Celia’s face flushed.
“I knew Samuel.”
“You knew the version he showed you.”
I leaned forward.
“Why would Samuel help Lorraine steal from Dad?”
“Because he needed liquidity without triggering the bank’s audit.”
Marcus swore.
“Layering.”
Margaret nodded.
“Money moved through Lorraine’s accounts, then into entities tied to Daniel’s company.”
“So the theft may have been part of keeping Dad’s business alive.”
“Some of it.”
“Some?”
“Lorraine diverted part for herself.”
Of course.
I felt anger and confusion colliding.
“Did Dad know Samuel was involved?”
“Eventually.”
“And the trust?”
“That was Daniel’s escape hatch. The Tucson land was separate family property. He protected it from creditors and from Lorraine.”
“Why make you trustee?”
“Because I had discovered the transfers.”
“And because he trusted you.”
“Yes.”
“Did Samuel know?”
“Not initially.”
The front door opened.
Everyone froze.
Marcus walked in first.
Behind him was Samuel.
The old man took one look at Margaret and stopped.
“No,” he said.
Margaret stood.
“Yes.”
Samuel’s face lost color.
“You should not be here.”
“Neither should you.”
I stepped between them.
“Sit down.”
Samuel looked at me.
“You don’t understand.”
“I’m getting tired of that sentence.”
He remained standing.
I said, “Were you Daniel’s business partner?”
Silence.
“Answer.”
“Yes.”
Brooke began to cry quietly.
“Did you direct Lorraine to move money?”
Samuel closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Celia stared at him as if she had never seen him before.
“You told me she stole it.”
“She did.”
“You used her.”
“I used an opportunity.”
Margaret laughed bitterly.
“Still a lawyer.”
Samuel snapped, “And you ran.”
“So did you.”
“I stayed.”
“You hid behind privilege.”
I slammed my hand on the desk.
“Enough.”
They stopped.
“Did you kill my father?”
Samuel looked stunned.
“No.”
“Did you tamper with his car?”
“No.”
“Did you know someone had?”
“No.”
“Did you suspect Lorraine?”
“Yes.”
“Did you help her after he died?”
Samuel hesitated.
I felt my stomach turn.
“What did you do?”
“I helped settle Daniel’s business liabilities.”
“With money she controlled?”
“Yes.”
“Did you help her hide the trust?”
“No.”
Margaret said, “Liar.”
Samuel turned.
“I protected the trust for twenty-seven years.”
“You also let her intercept Ethan.”
“I made mistakes.”
“You made money.”
Silence.
That was the line.
Samuel sat down.
Marcus looked at him.
“How much?”
Samuel did not answer.
Marcus repeated.
“How much money did you make from managing the trust?”
“Standard fees.”
“How much?”
“Approximately nine hundred thousand over twenty-seven years.”
Brooke laughed through tears.
“Nine hundred thousand. There’s that number again.”
I stared at Samuel.
“Did Lorraine know?”
“Yes.”
“Did she threaten to expose you?”
“Yes.”
“That’s why you hesitated.”
“Yes.”
“Not because you were afraid of her.”
“I was afraid of prison.”
There it was.
The first clean truth.
Natalie appeared at the office door.
She had been upstairs resting.
She looked at all of us.
“You are all the same.”
Margaret flinched.
“Natalie.”
“No. You all keep saying you protected somebody. Daniel. Ethan. Me. The children. The trust.”
Her voice shook.
“But every time one of you says ‘protect,’ what you mean is ‘I decided for you.’”
Nobody answered.
She looked at me.
“Promise me something.”
“Anything.”
“If I survive this, you never protect me by lying to me.”
I swallowed.
“I promise.”
Margaret looked down.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
“Yes?”
A man spoke loud enough that we heard part of it.
“Maggie, you need to leave that house.”
Her face drained.
“Who is this?”
“You know.”
She went white.
I stood.
“Put it on speaker.”
The line clicked dead.
Margaret stared at the phone.
Celia whispered, “Who was it?”
Margaret looked at me.
“The partner I meant.”
I frowned.
“You said Lorraine never works alone.”
“Yes.”
“Was that Aaron Vale?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Margaret swallowed.
“Your uncle Peter.”
Brooke stared at her.
“Uncle Peter is dead.”
Margaret shook her head.
May you like
“No, sweetheart.”
“He isn’t.”
