CHAPTER 6: "The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead"
Daniel didn't sleep.
He watched Sarah's video at least twenty times, hoping he had misunderstood.
He hadn't.
Every word sounded more terrifying than the last.
Your father's death wasn't natural either.
The following morning, Daniel took the USB drive to Detective Marcus Hale, the lead investigator on Emily's case.
Marcus watched the recording without saying a word.
When it ended, he leaned back in his chair.
"If this video is authentic..."
"...we're not dealing with one attempted murder."
"We're dealing with a conspiracy that's been hidden for nearly two decades."
The police immediately reopened both investigations—Sarah's fatal car crash and Henry Carter's sudden heart attack.
Forensic experts reexamined old evidence that had been locked away for years.
Then another shocking discovery emerged.
Henry Carter's body had never undergone a full toxicology examination.
The original report had simply listed the cause of death as a heart attack.
But when investigators obtained preserved medical samples, modern testing revealed traces of a rare poison—one that could trigger cardiac arrest while leaving almost no evidence.
Daniel felt physically sick.
His father...
had been murdered.
But who had done it?
Days later, Detective Hale called Daniel with urgent news.
"We found someone."
"Someone who disappeared eighteen years ago."
Daniel drove to an old rehabilitation center outside the city.
A frail man in his seventies sat alone in a wheelchair by the window.
The moment Daniel saw his face, he froze.
It was Victor Lawson.
Henry Carter's former personal chauffeur.
Victor had vanished just weeks after Sarah's death.
Everyone believed he had died overseas.
Instead...
Someone had been paying him to stay hidden.
Victor slowly looked up.
"I've been waiting for this day," he whispered.
Daniel stepped closer.
"You know who killed my wife?"
Victor nodded with tears in his eyes.
"I drove the car."
Daniel's knees nearly gave out.
"What?"
Victor began to cry.
"I didn't know they had tampered with Sarah's brakes."
"I was ordered to switch vehicles at the last minute."
"I thought it was just another security request."
His voice cracked.
"When the crash happened..."
"...they paid me millions to disappear forever."
Daniel clenched his fists.
"Who paid you?"
Victor reached into his coat and handed over an old photograph.
Daniel stared at it.
His heart nearly stopped.
Standing beside Henry Carter...
was a man Daniel had known his entire life.
His father's closest friend.
His trusted mentor.
His own godfather.
Richard Bennett.
The same attorney who had delivered the second will...
The same man the entire nation had praised for exposing Emily...
Victor whispered the words Daniel never expected to hear.
"You've been hunting the wrong monster."
"Emily was only a pawn."
"Richard Bennett has been controlling everything from the beginning."
At that exact moment, Daniel's phone vibrated.
A private number.
He answered.
A familiar voice calmly spoke.
"You should have left the past buried, Daniel."
Then came one sentence that turned his blood to ice.
"If you want Lily to stay alive..."
"...stop looking for me."
The line went dead.
Daniel looked out the window.
Across the street...
A black sedan slowly pulled away.
Inside, a man in a dark suit lowered his phone.
May you like
It was Richard Bennett.
And he was smiling.
