Chapter 5
I wanted to drive straight to the mansion.
Nia grabbed my keys before I reached the door.
"Malik, stop."
I turned toward her.
"That's my mother!"
"And somebody may be using her phone!"
I knew she was right.
But fear was making it impossible to think clearly.
My mother had lied to me.
She had humiliated Nia.
She had helped hide stolen money.
Yet the thought of her being trapped with Uncle Robert terrified me.
Nia held my face between her hands.
"Listen to me. If Robert is dangerous, going there alone won't help her."
I took a shaking breath.
"Then what do we do?"
"We call the police."
For once, I didn't argue.
Detective Angela Brooks arrived at Arthur's office forty minutes later.
She listened while I explained the phone call and threatening messages.
Then she examined my screen.
"Did your mother sound frightened?"
"Yes."
"Has your uncle threatened her before?"
I hesitated.
Robert had always been intimidating.
He shouted at employees.
He belittled anyone who questioned him.
But I'd never seen him physically hurt my mother.
"Not that I know."
The detective nodded.
"We'll arrange a welfare check."
I looked at her.
"What about the messages?"
"Don't respond until we know who's sending them."
Arthur entered carrying another folder.
"Detective, I believe some of the financial records may be relevant."
She glanced at the papers.
"Then let's discuss them."
For the next hour, Arthur explained the missing trust funds.
The suspicious company transfers.
The altered ownership records.
And the concern surrounding my father's medication.
Detective Brooks took notes.
Then she looked at me.
"Malik, I want to be very clear. Your father's death hasn't been established as a crime."
I nodded.
"But the concerns deserve proper examination."
"Yes."
I swallowed.
"Please find out what happened to him."
Her expression softened.
"We'll follow the evidence."
The welfare check produced an unexpected result.
My mother was at home.
She told officers she was safe.
She denied being threatened.
And she refused to speak privately with investigators.
I stared at Detective Brooks.
"That doesn't sound like her."
She looked sympathetic.
"People sometimes deny problems for complicated reasons."
I clenched my fists.
"So we just leave her there?"
"We continue investigating."
I hated that answer.
But I knew she couldn't arrest Robert simply because I suspected him.
That evening, Nia and I visited her grandmother, Mrs. Evelyn's mother, Gloria Williams.
Gloria lived in a modest brick house across town.
She opened the door wearing a blue cardigan.
When she saw Nia crying, her expression changed.
"Baby, what happened?"
Nia hugged her.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Then we sat at the kitchen table.
Nia explained everything.
Her mother's business partnership.
The missing trust.
The forged signatures.
Gloria listened without interrupting.
When Nia finished, she covered her mouth.
"Oh, Evelyn."
Her voice cracked.
"I knew something wasn't right."
I leaned forward.
"What do you mean?"
Gloria stood slowly.
She walked into her bedroom.
Then returned carrying a small wooden box.
Inside were photographs, letters, and a worn business card.
She handed me the card.
CARTER & WILLIAMS PROPERTY GROUP.
I stared at it.
There was my father's name.
And beside it, Evelyn Williams.
Nia began crying.
"Grandma, why didn't you show me this?"
Gloria wiped her eyes.
"Because after your mother died, Richard's wife came to see me."
My stomach dropped.
"My mother?"
Gloria nodded.
"She told me Evelyn had left the business years earlier."
Nia stared at her.
"What?"
"She said the company had nearly failed and there was nothing left."
I felt sick.
Gloria continued.
"She brought papers. Said Evelyn had signed away her ownership."
Arthur had already found evidence that those papers were forged.
Now I understood how the lie had spread.
"Did you sign anything?" I asked.
Gloria shook her head.
"No."
She opened the box again.
"Your mother told me never to sign documents I didn't understand."
Nia smiled through tears.
"That sounds like Mom."
Gloria handed us a photograph.
My father and Evelyn stood outside a small office building.
They were smiling.
Behind them was a sign bearing both their names.
Nia traced her mother's face.
"I wish I remembered her better."
Gloria wrapped an arm around her.
"She was brilliant, baby."
I studied the photograph.
My father looked younger.
Happy.
Proud.
Then I noticed something.
A third person stood near the office entrance.
A man wearing a dark suit.
I leaned closer.
My stomach tightened.
"Is that Uncle Robert?"
Gloria nodded.
"Yes."
I stared at her.
"He worked with them?"
"Briefly."
"What happened?"
Her expression darkened.
"Evelyn didn't trust him."
Nia looked up.
"Why?"
Gloria hesitated.
"She said money kept disappearing from small accounts."
My blood turned cold.
Robert had been involved from the beginning.
Gloria continued.
"She wanted Richard to remove him from the business."
"Did he?"
"Eventually."
I swallowed.
"Then how did Robert come back?"
Gloria looked at me sadly.
"Your mother married Richard."
The room fell silent.
My mother had brought Robert back into the company.
The same man Evelyn suspected of stealing.
Nia reached into the box.
She removed an unopened envelope.
It was addressed to Richard Carter.
The postmark was dated just before Evelyn's death.
Gloria frowned.
"I don't remember that."
Nia carefully opened it.
Inside was a letter from her mother.
She read silently.
Then her face turned pale.
"Malik."
I leaned toward her.
"What?"
She handed me the letter.
Near the bottom, Evelyn had written:
Richard, if anything happens to me, please check the insurance payments Robert arranged. I believe the records are being falsified.
My heart began pounding.
I looked at Gloria.
"How did Evelyn die?"
Her eyes filled.
"Car accident."
I stared at the letter.
"Was Robert involved?"
Gloria shook her head.
"I don't know."
Nia gripped my hand.
And suddenly, I realized something terrifying.
The same man who may have stolen from Nia's mother had remained close to my family for twenty years.
Now my father was dead.
My mother was frightened.
And Uncle Robert was still controlling the money.
I looked at Nia.
"We need to give this to the detective."
She nodded.
But before we could stand, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
"Hello?"
A man's voice spoke.
"Malik, this is Robert."
My entire body went rigid.
He laughed softly.
"I hear you've been asking questions."
I gripped the phone.
"Where's my mother?"
"She's fine."
"Let me talk to her."
"Not yet."
My heart hammered.
Robert's voice became cold.
"Your father should have minded his own business."
I stopped breathing.
"What did you just say?"
He chuckled.
"Some people never learn."
May you like
Then he whispered something I'll never forget.
"Don't make the same mistake."
