CHAPTER 10 — The Call Before the Crash
CHAPTER 10 — The Call Before the Crash
For a moment, nobody understood what my father had just said.
Then the meaning sank in.
The last person my mother called before she died...
was him.
My father.
The man who had spent twenty-five years searching for answers.
The man who had raised me alone.
The man who had always told me my mother's death was a tragedy.
But now there was another question.
One I never thought I would ask.
What happened during that call?
"Dad..."
My voice sounded unfamiliar.
"What did Mom say?"
My father didn't answer.
Not immediately.
He looked at the old photograph of my mother sitting on the desk.
For the first time in my life, I saw hesitation in his eyes.
Not because he didn't remember.
Because he remembered everything.
"I was at the office that night."
He finally said.
"Your mother called me around 11:40 p.m."
I sat down slowly.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because the conversation didn't make sense."
"What do you mean?"
My father looked at me.
"Your mother sounded afraid."
The room became silent.
"But she didn't say she was in danger."
"She said something strange."
I leaned forward.
"What?"
He closed his eyes.
"She said..."
"Richard, if anything happens to me, don't trust the people closest to us."
A chill went through me.
"People closest to us?"
My father nodded.
"Then the call ended."
"Minutes later, she crashed."
Thomas looked troubled.
"Why didn't you tell the police?"
My father looked at him.
"Because I did."
"Then why was it never investigated?"
A bitter smile appeared.
"Because the police found no evidence."
"And because someone made sure there wasn't any."
Everyone became quiet.
James looked through the documents again.
"Mr. Carter..."
"Yes?"
"There is something strange about the accident report."
My father turned.
"What?"
"The original report says the vehicle lost control because of weather conditions."
He pointed at the page.
"But the weather records from that night..."
He paused.
"There was no rain."
My father's expression changed.
"What?"
James continued.
"The accident report was falsified."
The room exploded into questions.
Who changed it?
Why?
How?
But one thing was becoming clear.
My mother's death was not a closed case.
It had never been properly investigated.
Someone had buried the truth.
And they had been successful for twenty-five years.
That afternoon, Dominic found something unexpected.
He had returned to the Hayes family home to search through old records.
When he came back, he looked disturbed.
"I found this."
He placed an envelope on the table.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
My mother's.
My hands froze.
"Where did you find it?"
"In my mother's old safe."
Everyone looked at Eleanor.
She looked shocked.
"I didn't know it was there."
I opened the envelope carefully.
Inside was a letter.
Not finished.
Not sent.
A draft.
The date was two days before the accident.
I began reading.
Eleanor,
I don't know how to say this without hurting you.
But I discovered the truth.
The money you accepted came from Victor Lang.
You told yourself it was only a loan.
You told yourself you were helping Dominic.
But you don't understand what he wants.
My hands trembled.
I continued.
He isn't helping you.
He's using you.
And if you continue, you will destroy more than Carter International.
The next sentence made my heart stop.
You will destroy my daughter’s future.
I looked up.
My father was staring at the letter.
My mother knew.
She knew Eleanor was involved.
She knew something dangerous was happening.
And she was trying to protect me.
But there was more.
The final paragraph was unfinished.
Only one sentence.
"The person who gave Victor access to our company is..."
And then nothing.
The letter ended.
The name was missing.
Someone had interrupted her.
Someone had stopped her.
"We need to find the original."
My father's voice was firm.
"This copy was incomplete."
James nodded.
"We need the rest."
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
Again.
Everyone became silent.
I answered.
"Hello?"
Victor's voice came through.
"You found your mother's letter."
I froze.
"How do you know?"
He laughed softly.
"Because I know everything."
My grip tightened around the phone.
"What did you do to my mother?"
A pause.
Then:
"That is the wrong question."
My anger rose.
"Then what is the right question?"
His answer was quiet.
"Ask yourself why your mother trusted the wrong person."
I looked at my father.
"Who?"
Victor continued.
"Someone she considered family."
The call became silent.
Then he added:
"And Vivienne..."
"Your father has been protecting you from the truth for twenty-five years."
My face changed.
"What does that mean?"
But Victor had already ended the call.
I turned toward my father.
For the first time...
a small doubt entered my heart.
Not because I believed Victor.
But because I knew something.
Secrets destroy trust.
Even when they are kept for protection.
"Dad."
He looked at me.
"What aren't you telling me?"
Pain crossed his face.
"Vivienne..."
"No."
My voice shook.
"I need the truth."
He remained silent.
And that silence hurt more than anything.
Because silence was exactly what had destroyed my marriage.
I couldn't let it destroy my family too.
Finally, my father spoke.
"There is something I never told you."
I waited.
"The night your mother died..."
My heart stopped.
"She wasn't driving alone."
Nobody moved.
"What?"
My father looked down.
"Someone was in the car with her."
The room became ice cold.
"Who?"
My father whispered:
"I don't know."
"But before the crash..."
"That person disappeared."
The next morning, a shocking discovery changed everything.
James found the missing page from my mother's letter.
Not hidden in Carter files.
Not in police records.
Not with Victor.
It was somewhere nobody expected.
Inside Dominic's family archive.
And the name written on that missing page...
was not Victor Lang.
It was not Thomas Reed.
It was not Eleanor Hayes.
It was someone connected to my family.
May you like
Someone I had trusted my entire life.
Someone whose secret could destroy everything.
