Chapter 5 - The Secret in Isabella's Trust
By morning, Dominic had assembled a team of independent investigators, forensic accountants, and attorneys.
He trusted none of the people who had handled Isabella's estate.
Daniel began with the hospital bracelet. The number led to an archived maternity record at St. Vincent's, but the original file had been marked restricted.
A hospital administrator agreed to meet them privately.
Her name was Dr. Rebecca Shaw, and she had worked at St. Vincent's for more than twenty years.
“I remember Isabella,” she said when Dominic showed her the photograph. “She was frightened during her final visit.”
“Why?”
Rebecca folded her hands.
“She believed someone had accessed her medical records without permission.”
“Was Vanessa Sterling involved?”
Rebecca's expression tightened.
“I can't discuss another person's records without proper authorization.”
Dominic placed the court order on the table.
Rebecca read it carefully.
Then she stood.
“Come with me.”
In a secure records room, she retrieved a sealed file containing Isabella's medical history, an incident report, and a consent form.
Dominic examined the documents.
The incident report described a confrontation between Isabella and a woman who had demanded access to a restricted file. The woman's name had been removed from the public copy.
But the original signature remained.
Vanessa Sterling.
Rebecca spoke quietly.
“Isabella asked us to preserve these records in case anything happened to her. She believed her family was in danger.”
“What was in the restricted file?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“A genetic screening report. Isabella had been investigating a discrepancy in her family's medical history.”
Dominic looked up.
“Did it concern Ethan?”
“Yes. But the report alone doesn't establish anything about his parentage. It was part of a larger investigation.”
Dominic felt a surge of anger.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Isabella asked us not to contact you until she had verified the information. She said she feared you would confront the wrong person and put Ethan at risk.”
Rebecca handed him another document.
It was a letter from Isabella to Grace Miller.
If I cannot finish this myself, give Dominic the original recording. He deserves the truth, but only when Ethan is safe.
Dominic looked at Daniel.
“We need to find Grace before Vanessa does.”
Meanwhile, at the estate, Lily sat with Ethan in the breakfast room. She had promised him they would make pancakes, but he hadn't touched his plate.
“Do you think Daddy will stop being sad?” he asked.
Lily set down the spatula.
“Your dad loves you very much.”
“Then why does he keep looking at Mommy's pictures like he wants to disappear?”
She struggled to answer.
“Sometimes grown-ups are afraid that remembering someone will hurt too much. But forgetting them hurts, too.”
Ethan considered that.
“Mommy told me secrets are heavy.”
Lily sat beside him.
“What kind of secrets?”
He lowered his voice.
“She told me if I ever heard a phone ring three times at night, I should go to the closet and stay quiet.”
Lily's face changed.
“Did that happen?”
Ethan nodded.
“The night Mommy went away. The phone rang three times. Then Vanessa came into my room.”
Lily felt a chill.
“What did she do?”
“She told me Mommy was sleeping and I shouldn't wake her up.”
Ethan stared at his hands.
“But Mommy was crying.”
Before Lily could ask another question, Marco entered.
“Lily, I need you to come with me.”
She stood.
“What's wrong?”
“Someone called the house pretending to be from the school. They asked for Ethan's schedule.”
Lily immediately moved closer to the boy.
“Did you give them anything?”
“No. But the call came from a number linked to the Sterling Foundation.”
Marco escorted them to a secure room.
Minutes later, Dominic returned from the hospital and learned about the call.
He was furious.
“Vanessa is supposed to be under supervision.”
“She is,” Marco said. “But the call originated outside the estate.”
Dominic turned to Daniel.
“Freeze every account connected to the trust. Immediately.”
Daniel's phone rang.
He answered, listened, and slowly went pale.
“Dominic, the money hasn't been stolen from the trust.”
“Then where is it?”
“The $250,000 was transferred into a dormant account in Isabella's name. Someone reactivated it using a document signed three days after her death.”
Dominic stared at him.
“That's impossible.”
Daniel placed a copy of the document on the table.
The signature looked like Isabella's.
But the witness line contained a name Dominic recognized from the accident report.
Adrian Cole.
Then Daniel delivered the final blow.
“The account has been receiving payments every month for three years.”
Dominic looked at the total.
More than two million dollars.
May you like
And the most recent payment had been made that morning.
---
