Robert answered:
"He is my son."
Margaret's voice became colder.
"And what happens when he grows up? He comes here and takes half of everything?"
"That is exactly what the agreement says."
There was a long pause.
Then William spoke.
"Robert, perhaps we should postpone this conversation."
Robert answered:
"No. I want this resolved today."
The recording continued.
Margaret said:
"If you continue, you will destroy the company."
Robert replied:
"No, Margaret. You are destroying it."
Then came a sound.
A chair moved.
Someone dropped something.
The recording ended.
Daniel stared at the screen.
"Was this before his death?"
Richard nodded.
"According to the date, yes. Approximately two weeks."
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
His father had been fighting to protect him.
And nobody had told him.
Elizabeth paused the recording.
"There is something important here."
She pointed to the final section.
"The conversation suggests that Margaret and William knew the transfer was invalid."
Richard nodded.
"But there may be more."
He opened the black notebook.
Inside were several pages containing financial transactions.
One entry had been circled.
A payment of $750,000.
The recipient was a private company registered under the name of Michael Ross.
Daniel looked at Richard.
"Is that the same Michael Ross who followed Emily?"
Richard nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Emily felt sick.
"Why would Margaret pay him?"
Elizabeth examined the page.
"We need to establish what the payment was for."
Then Daniel noticed another line.
It contained a date.
The day before Robert Carter died.
He stared at it.
"Wait."
He pointed to the page.
"Why did my father receive a payment from this company?"
Richard leaned closer.
He read the entry.
Then his face changed.
"That's impossible."
Daniel looked at him.
"What?"
Richard answered in a whisper.
"Your father didn't die without warning."
CHAPTER 17 β THE TRUTH ABOUT ROBERT CARTER
The medical records from Robert Carter's death were requested through the proper legal channels.
Elizabeth worked with investigators to compare the financial records, correspondence, and timeline.
They discovered that Robert had visited a private medical clinic shortly before his death.
He had complained of severe dizziness and unusual fatigue.
The clinic had recommended further tests.
But the appointment was canceled.
The cancellation was made by someone using a company account associated with Whitmore Holdings.
Daniel could barely believe it.
"Who canceled it?"
Elizabeth examined the paperwork.
"We don't know yet."
Richard looked deeply disturbed.
"William never mentioned this."
Emily held Daniel's hand.
"Let's not jump to conclusions."
He nodded.
But the questions were becoming harder to ignore.
Why had Robert canceled his medical appointment?
Why had money been transferred to Michael Ross?
And why had Margaret threatened Thomas Carter shortly before his death?
The next afternoon, Elizabeth received a call from an investigator.
He had located a retired nurse who worked at the clinic in 1994.
Her name was Patricia Evans.
She remembered Robert Carter.
More importantly, she remembered the day he visited.
Patricia agreed to meet them.
She was now seventy years old and lived in a small house outside the city.
When Daniel introduced himself, she immediately recognized the family name.
"Your father was a kind man."
Daniel swallowed.
"Do you remember what happened to him?"
Patricia nodded.
"I remember something unusual."
She explained that Robert had arrived at the clinic looking pale and exhausted.
He had told the doctor that someone had been interfering with his medication.
The doctor recommended tests.
But before the appointment could be completed, Robert received a phone call.
He left the clinic suddenly.
Patricia remembered that a woman had been waiting outside.
She was dressed elegantly and carried a large handbag.
"Do you remember her name?" Emily asked.
Patricia thought for a moment.
"No. But I remember her face."
Elizabeth showed her a photograph of Margaret.
Patricia stared at it.
Then she nodded.
"Yes. That's the woman."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Was she with my father?"
Patricia answered carefully.
"They argued near the entrance. I could not hear everything, but I remember your father saying something about a document."
"Did you report it?"
"I told the doctor. He said it was a family matter."
Daniel looked down.
For thirty years, everyone had treated his father's final days as an ordinary tragedy.
But the evidence suggested something much more complicated.