Chapter 3
The police wouldn’t let me talk to him at the hospital.
“Detectives will want to interview him first,” the officer said. “Family can visit at the precinct after booking.”
I watched them lead my father out.
His hands were cuffed behind his back.
His shoulders were hunched.
He looked nothing like the man who’d raised me.
Sarah drove me to the police station.
We sat in the waiting room for two hours.
Two hours where I thought about every conversation I’d ever had with my father. Every holiday dinner. Every phone call.
Had he always been this desperate?
Or had someone turned him into this?
*She made me.*
Who was she?
A mistress?
A business partner?
My mother had always been the dominant one in their marriage. She ran the household, she managed the original family money, she made the big decisions. My father had always been the quiet architect, happy to let her take the lead.
Until he found out she’d been hiding four million dollars from him.
That would break any man.
But to drug her?
To almost kill her?
Finally, a detective came out.
“Daniel Hale?”
I stood up.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Detective Marquez. I’m handling your father’s case.” She looked at Sarah. “And you are?”
“Sarah Hale. His wife.”
Marquez nodded.
“Your father’s been charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of financial exploitation of an elder, and one count of administering a noxious substance. He’s being held without bail.”
Attempted murder.
The words hit me like a physical blow.
“Can I see him?”
“Ten minutes. Through the glass. No personal items.”
She led us to the interview area.
My father was already sitting on the other side of the thick plexiglass.
He looked ten years older than he had three hours ago.
I picked up the phone.
He picked up his.
“Daniel.”
“Who is she, Dad?”
He closed his eyes.
“I can’t tell you that.”
“The texts say she manipulated you. She threatened you. If you tell us who she is, maybe the DA cuts you a deal.”
“It doesn’t work like that.” He opened his eyes, and they were red. “She has people. If I talk, she’ll make sure I never see daylight again. And she’ll hurt you too. And your mother.”
My chest tightened.
“You’re talking like she’s some kind of criminal.”
“Maybe she is.” He looked past me at Sarah. “You were right about her, by the way. Sarah. I should have listened years ago.”
I frowned.
“Listened to what?”
Sarah leaned in.
“Richard. Who is she? What does she want?”
“Everything.” He laughed bitterly. “She wants everything your mother has. The money. The house. The business. The reputation. She’s been planning this for years. Decades, maybe.”
“Dad.” My voice was sharper now. “Give me a name. Anything.”
He was quiet for a long time.
Then he whispered one word.
“Victoria.”
The line went dead.
A guard had opened the door behind him.
“Time’s up, Hale.”
“Wait!” I slammed my hand against the glass. “Dad! Victoria who?”
But he was already being led away.
Sarah and I walked back out to the car in silence.
Victoria.
I didn’t know anyone named Victoria in my parents’ circle.
No friends.
No business associates.
No relatives.
Sarah started the engine but didn’t drive.
“Victoria,” she said, testing the name. “Your father said she’s been planning this for decades. That means she’s been in your family’s life for a long time.”
“Then why don’t I know her?”
“Maybe you do. Just not by that name.”
We drove back to the hospital.
My mother was awake when we arrived.
She looked stronger. More alert.
The nurse had removed the breathing tube.
“Daniel,” she said when I walked in. “Where is he?”
“Police took him. He’s been charged with attempted murder.”
She nodded slowly.
Like she’d expected it.
“Mom,” I said, pulling a chair beside the bed. “Dad said one more thing before they took him. He said the woman who helped him is named Victoria.”
My mother’s entire body went rigid.
The heart monitor spiked.
“Evelyn?” The nurse was there in seconds. “Take it easy. Deep breaths.”
But my mother wasn’t listening.
Her eyes were wild.
“Victoria,” she repeated. “That name. I haven’t heard it in… in thirty years.”
“Who is she?”
My mother looked at me.
May you like
And for the first time since I was a child, I saw genuine fear in her eyes.
“She’s my sister.”
