"What did he say?"
Helen looked at Emily.
"He once told me that an honest person should never have to fear the truth."
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"That sounds like him."
Helen nodded.
"He was a good man."
Emily held the documents tightly.
"Who was responsible for his death?"
Helen's face became pale.
"I don't know everything. But I know that Victor Hayes arranged a meeting with him on the night he died."
"Where?"
"At the Whitmore estate."
Emily felt the blood drain from her face.
"My father was at that house?"
Helen nodded.
"And someone deleted the security footage."
Emily stood.
"Who?"
Helen looked toward the window.
"I believe Richard knows."
A car stopped outside the café.
Helen noticed it immediately.
Her expression changed.
"We need to leave."
Alexander entered through the side door.
"Emily."
She turned.
He looked at Helen.
"Who is she?"
"Helen Morris. She worked for Richard."
Alexander studied her carefully.
"Do you have evidence?"
Helen nodded.
"Enough to reopen the investigation."
Alexander took the envelope.
"We need to get this to the proper authorities."
Helen stood quickly.
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because there's something else."
She looked directly at Emily.
"Your father did not die of natural causes."
Emily's knees weakened.
"What are you saying?"
Helen's voice trembled.
"The medical report was altered."
For several seconds, the café seemed completely silent.
Then Emily whispered:
"Who changed it?"
Helen looked at her.
"Victor Hayes."
CHAPTER 6: THE NIGHT EVERYTHING CHANGED
Emily remembered the night her father died with painful clarity.
It had been raining.
Thomas had come home late, carrying a black leather briefcase.
He had looked exhausted.
His shirt was wet, and his hair was disheveled.
Emily had been twenty-six.
She was preparing dinner when he entered the kitchen.
"You're home late," she said.
Thomas smiled weakly.
"Work."
"Again?"
"Just a few more things to finish."
She looked at him.
"Are you okay?"
He placed his briefcase on the table.
"Emily, I need you to listen to me."
Something in his voice made her nervous.
"What happened?"
Thomas glanced toward the living room.
Her mother was watching television.
He lowered his voice.
"I may have to leave the company."
"Why?"
"Because there are things happening that I cannot ignore."
Emily frowned.
"Are you in trouble?"
"No. But someone wants me to be."
He took her hand.
"Promise me something."
"What?"
"Never allow anyone to convince you that doing the right thing is a mistake."
Emily laughed nervously.
"Dad, you're being dramatic."
He smiled.
"Maybe."
Then he kissed her forehead.
That was the last ordinary conversation they ever had.
At 11:30 that night, the doorbell rang.
Thomas went to answer it.
Emily was already in bed.
She heard two male voices.
One belonged to her father.
The other was unfamiliar.
Then came an argument.
A door slammed.
Her mother screamed.
Emily rushed downstairs.
She found Thomas lying on the living room floor.
He was breathing heavily.
A man stood near the entrance.
He wore a dark coat and held a briefcase.
Emily could not see his face clearly.
Her mother was kneeling beside Thomas.
"Call an ambulance!" she shouted.
Emily reached for her phone.
The stranger walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he turned slightly.
And for one brief moment, Emily saw his face.
It was Victor Hayes.
She had recognized him from company photographs.
But at the time, she had been too frightened to understand what she had witnessed.
The ambulance arrived.
Thomas was taken to the hospital.
He died before sunrise.
The official report stated that he had suffered a sudden cardiac event.
The family was devastated.
No investigation was conducted into the visitor.
No questions were asked about the argument.
And Victor Hayes disappeared from the company shortly afterward.
Now, three years later, Emily was beginning to understand that the man she had seen that night might have known much more than anyone had admitted.
At the café, Emily stared at Helen.
"You knew Victor was there?"
Helen nodded.
"I saw his car outside the estate that night."
"Why didn't you tell the police?"
"I was told that if I spoke, my family would suffer."
Alexander leaned forward.
"Who told you that?"
"Richard."
"Do you have proof?"
Helen reached into her bag.
"I kept the original visitor log."
She placed a folded sheet on the table.
The document contained several entries.
At 10:47 p.m., Victor Hayes had entered the estate.
At 11:58 p.m., he had left.
Beside his name was Richard Whitmore's handwritten approval.
Alexander examined the page.
"This could be important."
Emily looked at Helen.
"Did Victor hurt my father?"
Helen's eyes filled with tears.
"I don't know exactly what happened inside the house."
"Then why are you telling me he wasn't naturally ill?"
"Because I saw the report before it was changed."
Emily's voice became barely audible.
"What did it say?"
Helen closed her eyes.
"The first report mentioned signs of physical trauma."
Emily stopped breathing for a moment.
"Physical trauma?"
Helen nodded.
"Someone had injured him before the ambulance arrived."
Emily began to cry.
For three years, she had believed that her father had died because the scandal had broken his heart.
Now she was hearing that his death might have been caused by violence.
Alexander placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Emily, we need to proceed carefully."
She wiped her tears.
"No."
He looked at her.
"No?"
"I'm done waiting. I'm done being afraid. I want the truth."
Alexander nodded.
"Then we'll get it."
CHAPTER 7: THE SON WHO REFUSED TO REMAIN SILENT
Ethan Whitmore had spent the previous night reviewing the security recordings from the mansion.
He had watched the confrontation repeatedly.
He saw Richard grabbing Emily.
He saw the damaged blouse.
He saw Alexander intervening.
And he saw his father falling after the struggle.
The footage was clear.
Richard had initiated the physical confrontation.
But Ethan noticed something else.