Chapter 4
I stood between the door and the children.
Nathan knocked again.
"Rose? I know you're in there."
I looked at Rose.
Her face had gone pale.
"Do you know my brother?"
She nodded.
"He's been here before."
My stomach tightened.
"When?"
"Last month."
I stared at her.
"Why?"
"He asked about Amara."
Before I could respond, Nathan knocked harder.
"Marcus, I know you're inside."
I felt cold.
How had he known where I was?
I had told nobody except Charles and Andre.
I looked at my phone.
Then remembered something.
My car used a family location-sharing system.
Nathan had administrator access because he helped manage our household security.
I immediately disabled sharing.
Then I called Andre.
"Are you nearby?"
"Five minutes away, sir."
"Get here."
"What's wrong?"
"Nathan found us."
Andre's voice sharpened.
"Stay inside."
I ended the call.
Nathan spoke through the door.
"Marcus, we need to talk."
I took a breath.
"Then talk."
"Open the door."
"No."
Silence.
Then Nathan sighed.
"You're making this worse."
My anger rose.
"What's worse, Nathan?"
He didn't answer.
I looked at Lily.
She was holding Malik's hand.
I hated that my daughter was witnessing another frightening moment.
I lowered my voice.
"Rose, is there a back exit?"
She nodded.
"Through the kitchen."
I looked at Malik.
"Take Lily and your grandmother into the kitchen. Stay away from the windows."
Malik nodded.
He immediately moved behind Lily's wheelchair.
As they disappeared, I approached the door.
"Nathan, why were you at Rose's house last month?"
Silence.
"Answer me."
He finally spoke.
"Because I was trying to help."
"Help whom?"
"You."
I almost laughed.
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
"Because you weren't ready."
My hands curled into fists.
"Ready for what?"
"Marcus, there are things about Amara you don't understand."
My heart pounded.
"Then explain them."
Nathan lowered his voice.
"Not through a door."
I looked through the peephole.
He stood alone.
Dark suit.
Perfectly polished shoes.
The same expensive watch I'd given him for his fortieth birthday.
He looked calm.
Too calm.
I opened the door only as far as the chain allowed.
"What do you want?"
Nathan stared at me.
"You're making a mistake."
"By listening to a child?"
"By trusting people who don't understand what they're involved in."
I felt anger burn through me.
"That boy knew my wife."
Nathan's jaw tightened.
"I know."
I stared.
"You knew Malik?"
He looked away.
"Nathan."
"Yes."
The answer hit me like a punch.
"For how long?"
He said nothing.
"How long?"
"Since before the accident."
I felt sick.
"You knew my daughter had a best friend I'd never heard about?"
Nathan exhaled.
"Marcus, Amara kept a lot of things from you."
I stared at him.
"Because you helped make sure I never found out?"
His expression changed.
"Careful."
I leaned closer.
"Is that a threat?"
"It's a warning."
Before I could respond, headlights swept across the porch.
Andre's vehicle pulled up.
Nathan looked toward the street.
Then back at me.
"Don't open the storage unit."
My blood ran cold.
"What?"
"You heard me."
"What's inside?"
Nathan stepped backward.
"Something that will destroy this family."
I stared at him.
"Then maybe this family deserves to know the truth."
Nathan's expression hardened.
"You don't understand what you're risking."
I closed the door.
Locked it.
Then stood there breathing heavily.
Andre entered through the rear after I called him.
He checked the property and confirmed Nathan had left.
I returned to the living room.
Rose looked exhausted.
"He's gone?" she whispered.
"For now."
Malik stood beside Lily.
"Mr. Bennett?"
I turned.
"Yes?"
"Can we still go to the storage place?"
I looked at his frightened face.
Then at my daughter.
"We're going to do this carefully."
Rose nodded.
"That's what Amara wanted."
The following morning, Charles arranged for Evelyn Carter to accompany us to the storage facility.
We also notified the authorities about Nathan's behavior.
I didn't want to trespass or interfere with potential evidence.
The unit was registered under Amara's name.
Because I was her husband and legal representative of her estate, Charles helped clarify the access requirements.
By noon, we were standing outside a row of storage units.
The building smelled of concrete and dust.
Evelyn held the old receipt.
"Unit 214."
We stopped in front of a metal door.
A heavy lock hung from the handle.
Rose had brought the key Amara left with her.
Her hands trembled as she gave it to me.
I inserted it.
Turned.
The lock opened.
I pulled the door upward.
Inside were three cardboard boxes.
A wooden chair.
An old suitcase.
And a metal filing cabinet.
For a moment, I couldn't move.
These were things my wife had touched.
Things she had hidden.
Things she had trusted someone else to protect.
Evelyn stepped inside first.
"We should document everything before moving it."
I nodded.
She photographed the room.
Then carefully opened the first box.
Inside were photographs.
Mostly of children.
School events.
Community programs.
Fundraisers.
Several showed Lily and Malik together.
I found one of Amara kneeling beside Malik, helping him tie his shoes.
I stared at it.
She looked so alive.
So happy.
My chest tightened.
Evelyn opened the second box.
Financial documents.
Invoices.
Bank statements.
Medical records.
I recognized the name on several pages.
The Bennett Children's Hope Foundation.
My own charity.
I frowned.
"Why would Amara hide our foundation's records?"
Evelyn studied a document.
"Marcus, did you authorize payments to Victor Price's medical consulting company?"
I shook my head.
"Not that I remember."
She showed me a transfer.
Two hundred fifty thousand dollars.
Then another.
Four hundred thousand.
Then another.
My stomach twisted.
"Those amounts should have required my approval."
Evelyn looked at me.
"Someone may have used your authority without permission."
I stared at the signatures.
My signature appeared on every page.
But I hadn't signed them.
I knew it.
Then she opened the final box.
Inside was a digital recorder.
A small external hard drive.
And a handwritten letter.
My name was written across the envelope.
Marcus.
Only that.
I picked it up with trembling fingers.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Then I opened it.
My wife's handwriting filled the page.
My dearest Marcus,
If you're reading this, something has happened that I was afraid I couldn't prevent.
I need you to understand that I never stopped loving you.
And I never wanted Lily to be caught in any of this.
I read those lines three times.
My eyes filled.
Then I continued.
The foundation money is being stolen.
Victor Price is involved.
And someone close to us has been helping him.
I know because I found the records.
I tried to confront them.
They threatened me.
Please protect Lily.
Please protect Malik.
Neither child understands what these men are capable of.
My hands shook.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
Marcus, I made a mistake trusting your brother.
I believed Nathan would help me expose the truth.
Instead, he told Victor what I had found.
If anything happens to me, don't let Nathan control the foundation.
And please, my love, remember this.
The accident may not be the end of my story.
I stared at those words.
Evelyn noticed my expression.
"Marcus?"
I couldn't answer.
Because beneath the letter was one final item.
A sealed medical document.
It carried the hospital's official stamp.
The date was two weeks after Amara's supposed death.
And at the top of the page were three words that made my heart stop.
May you like
PATIENT TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION.
The patient's name was Amara Bennett.
