Chapter 5
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The rifle remained pointed at my chest.
Diane’s hand rested on the envelope.
Aunt Rose strained against the rope around her wrists.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
Diane answered quickly.
“It means Rose is desperate to hurt me.”
Rose shook her head.
“Daniel, your father had a sister before me. Her name was Laura.”
“I know. She died young.”
“She died after giving birth to you.”
The room went silent.
I stared at Rose.
“That’s impossible.”
“Your father was your uncle,” she continued. “He and Diane adopted you. They promised Laura they would protect you.”
I looked at the woman I had called Mom my entire life.
Diane’s face showed no warmth.
No grief.
Only rage.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?”
“Your father wanted to,” Rose said. “Diane refused. When Laura’s estate was settled, everything went into a trust for you.”
The missing money suddenly made sense.
The lies made sense.
Even Diane’s obsession with controlling my accounts made sense.
I was not the son she believed owed her loyalty.
I was an inheritance she believed owed her money.
Diane ripped the envelope from my hand.
She opened it and found blank paper.
Her expression changed.
“You tricked me.”
“I brought what you deserve.”
She slapped me.
Mark pressed the rifle harder against my chest.
“You always thought you were better than us,” he said.
“No. I thought you were my brother.”
“I am your brother.”
“Brothers don’t steal from each other. They don’t destroy nurseries. They don’t help cover up murder.”
Mark’s eyes flicked toward Diane.
That tiny movement told me Claire had been right.
He knew what happened to Dad.
“You pushed him,” I said.
“He grabbed me first.”
“And Mom put him in the car.”
“He was already dying!”
Rose cried out.
“He was conscious when she drove away. I heard him begging her to call an ambulance.”
Diane spun toward her.
“You weren’t there!”
Rose went still.
Neither she nor I had said she was at the house that night.
Diane had just exposed herself.
The recorder beneath my shirt captured every word.
Outside, Detective Ruiz was listening.
I needed to keep them talking.
“What did Dad discover before he died?” I asked.
Diane clenched her jaw.
“He became weak.”
“He discovered you were stealing.”
“I sacrificed everything for this family!”
“You stole my inheritance.”
“I raised you!” she screamed. “I fed you. I gave you a home. Every dollar was payment for what you cost me.”
Mark lowered the rifle slightly.
“Mom, that isn’t what you told me.”
Diane looked at him.
“What?”
“You said the trust belonged to both of us.”
“Put the gun back on Daniel.”
“You said Dad wanted me to have half.”
“Mark, do what I told you.”
He finally understood.
She had used him too.
The realization made him dangerous.
“You made me think I killed Dad,” he whispered.
“You pushed him.”
“He was breathing.”
“You would have gone to prison.”
“So you murdered him?”
Diane struck Mark across the face.
The rifle fired.
The blast shattered a lamp.
I threw myself toward Rose.
Police stormed through the front and back doors.
“Drop the weapon!”
Mark froze.
Diane grabbed a burning log from the fireplace and threw it onto a curtain.
Flames climbed the fabric.
Smoke filled the room.
An officer tackled Mark.
I dragged Rose’s chair toward the door, but Diane caught my jacket.
“If I lose everything,” she hissed, “Emily loses you.”
She raised a jagged piece of glass.
Before she could strike, Rose kicked Diane’s knee.
Diane fell into the burning curtain.
I pulled the fabric away before the flames reached her clothes.
Even after everything, I saved her.
Police handcuffed her on the floor.
As firefighters entered, Diane stared up at me.
“You still don’t understand,” she said. “Emily knew who your real mother was before she married you.”
I looked at Emily’s downloaded report on my phone.
At the bottom of the final page was the forensic accountant’s name.
Emily Laura Bennett.
Laura.
May you like
My birth mother’s name.
And suddenly, Diane’s final accusation did not sound like another lie.
