"That's a lie."
"I wish it were."
"My brother wouldn't steal money in my name."
"He didn't steal it. He moved it."
"Where?"
Richard's voice dropped.
"Into an account created to protect your personal assets."
Daniel shook his head.
"I never authorized anything like that."
"I know."
"Then why would Michael do it?"
"Because someone convinced him that the company was about to collapse and that you would lose everything."
Daniel looked at Arthur.
"Did you know?"
Arthur shook his head.
Richard continued.
"Michael believed he was protecting you. He thought Richard—"
He stopped himself and gave a bitter laugh.
"I mean, he thought I had found a way to save the company. I told him the money would be transferred temporarily and returned when the financial situation improved."
Daniel stared at him.
"But it wasn't returned."
"No."
"Why?"
Richard looked away.
"Because the account wasn't controlled by Michael."
"Who controlled it?"
Richard hesitated.
Then he said, "Someone who had been watching the company for years."
Daniel felt a growing sense of dread.
"Who?"
Before Richard could answer, a loud noise came from somewhere downstairs.
A door slammed.
Emily moved toward the window.
"There is someone outside."
Daniel approached her.
A dark vehicle was parked across the street.
Its headlights were off.
Someone was sitting inside.
Richard looked toward the window and immediately stepped back.
"You're not supposed to be here."
Daniel turned.
"What?"
Richard grabbed his arm.
"We need to leave. Now."
"Not until you tell me who controls the account."
Richard's expression was desperate.
"Daniel, listen to me. The person behind this is not someone you can confront without preparation."
"Who is it?"
Richard looked at him.
Then, in a voice barely louder than a whisper, he answered.
"Margaret Hayes."
Daniel went completely still.
Margaret.
The operations director.
The woman who had warned him not to trust everyone.
The woman who had known about the investigation.
The woman who had told him that some people had more to lose than others.
Daniel suddenly understood the meaning of her warning.
She had not been concerned about the company.
She had been concerned about herself.
A sharp sound came from the hallway.
Someone was trying the door.
Emily stepped away from the window.
"We need to go."
Arthur took the notebook and handed it to her.
"Keep this safe."
Daniel looked at Richard.
"How long have you known?"
Richard shook his head.
"Too long."
"Did Margaret know about Helen?"
Richard did not answer.
Daniel grabbed his coat.
"Did she know Helen was going to meet you that night?"
Richard finally looked at him.
"Yes."
The words seemed to silence the entire building.
Daniel felt something inside him break.
For twelve years, he had believed Helen's death was a tragic accident.
Now he was standing in the office where she had spent her final evening, holding a photograph that suggested the truth had been deliberately buried.
"Tell me what happened," he demanded.
Richard looked toward the door.
Then back at Daniel.
"I'll tell you everything. But first, you need to understand one thing."
"What?"
Richard swallowed.
"Helen wasn't the only person who died because of what Margaret was trying to hide."
Daniel stared at him.
"Who else?"
Richard opened his mouth.
But before he could answer, the lights suddenly came on.
Someone stood in the corridor.
A woman's voice came from the doorway.
"That's enough, Richard."
Daniel turned.
Margaret Hayes was standing there.
Her expression was calm.
Her eyes were cold.
And in her hand was a folder Daniel recognized.
It was the same folder Emily had been searching for.
Margaret looked at Daniel.
"I was hoping you wouldn't come back to this building."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Then you should have told the truth when I returned."
Margaret glanced at Arthur.
"Some truths are better left buried."
Arthur stood slowly.
"Not this one."
Margaret gave a small smile.
"After all these years, Arthur, you still believe you can save everyone."
She turned toward Daniel.
"Your wife made the same mistake."
Daniel's voice became dangerously quiet.
"What did you do to Helen?"
For the first time, Margaret's composure faltered.
Only for a second.
But it was enough.
She looked toward the corridor.
"Get them out of here."
Two men appeared behind her.
Daniel stepped in front of Emily and Arthur.
"Nobody is going anywhere until she answers."
Margaret looked at him.
"You still don't understand, do you?"
"Then explain it."
She opened the folder.
Inside were several documents and a photograph.
She held the photograph up.
Daniel recognized it immediately.
It showed Michael.
His brother was standing beside a black car, speaking to a woman whose face was partly hidden.
The date printed on the back was twelve years old.
Margaret placed the photograph on the desk.
"Your brother has been lying to you for a very long time, Daniel."
Daniel stared at the image.
"Where is Michael?"
Margaret smiled faintly.
"That's something you should ask yourself."
Daniel looked at Richard.
Richard's face had turned pale.
Then Margaret delivered the words that would change everything.
"Michael isn't missing."
She paused.
"He's been working for me all these years."
The room fell silent.
Daniel looked at the photograph again.
His brother had not abandoned him.
He had not simply disappeared.
He had been somewhere in the background, connected to the very people who had destroyed the company.
And now Daniel understood that the investigation had reached a point from which there would be no easy return.
But the greatest shock was still waiting.
Because as Margaret turned to leave, Emily suddenly spoke.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at her.
She had been examining the photograph more closely.
Her face was pale.
"That woman standing beside Michael..."
She looked at Daniel.
"That's not Margaret."
Daniel moved closer.
Emily pointed to the woman in the picture.
"That's my mother."
Arthur dropped his walking stick.
For the first time that evening, he looked completely helpless.
And Daniel realized that the secret surrounding Helen's death was only one part of a much larger story.
A story that connected two families.
A story that had begun long before the company was built.
And a story that someone had spent twelve years trying to keep hidden.
END OF PART 2