Chapter 14 - The Last ConversationI didn't remember it.
That was the problem.
The final conversation with Frank.
The night before he died.
I remembered sitting beside him.
I remembered making tea.
I remembered asking if he wanted toast.
I remembered him saying no.
Then nothing.
Or almost nothing.
Rebecca asked me questions.
“What did Dad say?”
“I don't know.”
“Try.”
“He was tired.”
“What else?”
“I told him I loved him.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he loved me.”
Rebecca looked at Evelyn.
“Could grief erase part of a conversation?”
Evelyn nodded.
“It can.”
But Laura found something.
A receipt.
From the pharmacy.
Time stamped 8:42 p.m.
And a second one.
From a convenience store.
9:06 p.m.
I had bought aspirin.
Frank had been outside.
I didn't remember.
The investigator pulled the home security footage.
At 9:14 p.m., Frank left through the back door.
I followed him.
We stood near the garage.
He gave me something.
A flash drive.
Then he kissed my forehead.
I walked back inside.
He stayed outside.
Twenty minutes later, Thomas arrived.
I watched the footage.
My stomach turned.
Frank and Thomas stood face to face.
They argued.
Then Frank handed him a folder.
Thomas said something.
Frank shook his head.
Thomas walked away.
Frank entered the house.
I followed him.
The camera cut off.
I remembered suddenly.
The flash drive.
It had been in my coat pocket.
I had forgotten about it completely.
Rebecca looked at me.
“Where is it?”
I knew.
In the pocket of my old winter coat.
The coat had been stored in the garage.
We found it.
The drive contained one file.
A video.
Frank spoke directly to the camera.
“I couldn't tell Margaret everything.”
He sighed.
“She would forgive Daniel too quickly.”
My throat closed.
“But I made one final decision.”
He held up a document.
“This house belongs to Margaret.”
He explained that the mineral rights had been placed under a protective trust.
The trust would become effective if anyone attempted to transfer the property without Margaret's direct consent.
That explained everything.
Thomas needed the forged signature because without it, the trust would block the transaction.
Then Frank revealed the final piece.
Thomas wasn't acting alone.
Someone inside the county records office had been helping him.
Someone who could alter filings.
Someone who could backdate documents.
Rebecca looked at the investigator.
“Can you identify them?”
He nodded.
“Maybe.”
Frank continued.
“The person who knows the full chain is Daniel.”
I froze.
“He agreed to testify.”
Rebecca looked at me.
“Against Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
Frank answered.
“Because I told him that if he didn't, your mother would lose everything.”
My eyes filled with tears.
Frank had been trying to save our son too.
Even at the end.
The video ended with one final sentence.
“Margaret, if Daniel returns, listen to him.”
“He may be the only person who can tell you what happened after I died.”
The screen went black.
At 3:11 a.m., someone knocked on the door.
Three times.
We all froze.
The investigator drew his weapon.
Rebecca moved behind me.
The knock came again.
Then a voice.
“Mom.”
Daniel.
We opened the door.
He stumbled inside.
His face was bruised.
His shirt was torn.
He had blood on his sleeve.
Rebecca grabbed him.
“Where were you?”
He looked at me.
“Mom.”
“What happened?”
He couldn't breathe properly.
“Thomas.”
“Where is he?”
Daniel shook his head.
“He knows.”
“Knows what?”
“He knows about the archive.”
Rebecca stepped closer.
“How did you escape?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Melissa helped me.”
Rebecca froze.
“Melissa?”
“She turned against him.”
I stared.
“Where is she?”
Daniel didn't answer.
He reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small envelope.
And handed it to me.
It was addressed in Frank's handwriting.
Margaret.
My hands shook.
I opened it.
Inside was one final paragraph.
If Daniel gives you this letter, you must make one decision before sunrise.
Trust your son.
Or protect yourself from him.
Because the truth about my death is still missing.
And the person responsible is someone you have never suspected.
I looked at Daniel.
“Dad wrote that?”
He nodded.
“Mom…”
“What?”
He looked toward the window.
Then whispered:
“Frank didn't die because of Bellwood.”
My heart stopped.
“What killed him?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Someone in this house gave him the final dose of his medication.”
The room went silent.
Rebecca stared at him.
“Who?”
Daniel looked at me.
May you like
And I saw pure fear in his eyes.
“It was someone you loved.”
