"Then explain them!"
"I cannot explain payments to companies that no longer exist."
Margaret stared at the phone.
For the first time, she realized that her usual methods might not work.
She had spent decades intimidating people.
But documents did not feel fear.
And evidence did not forget.
CHAPTER 13 β THE SCHOOL GATE
On Monday morning, Noah returned to school.
Emily walked him to the entrance.
She had promised him that everything would be okay.
He looked up at her.
"Mommy, is Grandma still angry?"
Emily knelt.
"I don't know, sweetheart."
"Did I do something wrong?"
Her heart broke.
"No. You did absolutely nothing wrong."
"Then why did she shout?"
Emily took his hands.
"Sometimes adults make bad decisions. That doesn't mean children are responsible for them."
Noah nodded.
Then he hugged her.
"I love you, Mommy."
"I love you too."
Emily watched him enter the building.
She turned toward her car.
A woman was standing near the gate.
She wore a beige coat and held a small handbag.
"Emily Carter?"
Emily stopped.
"Yes?"
The woman approached.
"My name is Susan Bennett. I used to work for Whitmore Holdings."
Emily recognized the surname.
"Are you related to Charles Bennett?"
"I'm his daughter."
Emily looked surprised.
Susan glanced around.
"I need to speak with you."
"About what?"
"Your father."
Emily felt her stomach tighten.
"What about him?"
Susan handed her a folded piece of paper.
"My father has been afraid to tell you everything."
Emily opened it.
Inside was a short message.
THOMAS DID NOT HAVE THE ONLY COPY.
She looked up.
"What does this mean?"
Susan lowered her voice.
"Before your father died, he gave another set of documents to someone he trusted."
"Who?"
Susan looked toward the street.
"William Whitmore."
Emily stared at her.
"That's impossible. William died six years ago."
Susan nodded.
"But he left instructions."
"Where are the documents?"
Susan hesitated.
"My father believes Margaret knows where they are."
Emily looked at the paper again.
"Then why are you telling me?"
Susan's eyes filled with tears.
"Because my father has spent thirty years regretting what he did. He wants someone to finally put things right."
She turned to leave.
Emily caught her arm gently.
"Wait. What else do you know?"
Susan looked at her.
Then she said something Emily would never forget.
"Margaret didn't just steal your husband's inheritance. She may have arranged for your father to remain silent forever."
CHAPTER 14 β THE NIGHT OF THE PHONE CALL
Emily returned home shaking.
She called Daniel immediately.
He arrived within thirty minutes.
After hearing what Susan had said, he contacted Elizabeth.
The lawyer listened carefully.
"We need to speak with Susan and her father."
"Can we trust them?" Daniel asked.
"We should verify everything. But we cannot ignore this information."
Richard arrived that evening.
When he heard the possibility that William had kept another copy of the documents, he looked deeply troubled.
"William may have known more than I thought."
Daniel turned toward him.
"Did you ever suspect him?"
Richard nodded.
"After Robert died, William became a different person. He stopped discussing the old company with me. He refused to explain why the ownership records had changed."
"Why didn't you investigate?"
Richard looked ashamed.
"Because I believed my father had made a decision. I was angry with him, so I left the company. I never imagined the truth was worse than I thought."
Emily sat beside Daniel.
"Then we need to find those documents."
Before anyone could respond, Daniel's phone rang.
It was the police officer assigned to their case.
"Mr. Carter, we have an update regarding the threats."
Daniel stood.
"What happened?"
"We identified the vehicle that followed your wife."
"Who owns it?"
There was a pause.
"An individual named Michael Ross."
Richard frowned.
"Michael Ross?"
Daniel looked at him.
"Do you know him?"
Richard nodded slowly.
"He used to work for Margaret."
The officer continued.
"We also discovered that the vehicle was registered to a company connected to Whitmore Holdings."
Daniel closed his eyes.
It was no longer a family argument.
It was an organized attempt to intimidate them.
"Officer, what should we do?"
"Preserve all communications. Do not approach the individual. We are investigating."
After the call, Richard stood.
"Margaret has gone too far."
Daniel looked at him.