Chapter 6: The Last Phone Call
I couldn't stop staring at my mother.
My father had been alive after the crash.
He had been lying in a hospital bed, injured and frightened, asking to see me.
And Vanessa had kept me away.
For two years, I had believed that he died instantly.
I remembered the funeral.
The closed casket.
The flowers.
The way Vanessa had held my shoulders and told me that seeing his body would be too painful.
Now I understood why she had insisted on keeping the casket closed.
“Where was he?”” I whispered.
Amara wiped her cheeks.
“St. Mary's Hospital in Atlanta.””
“When?””
“The night of the accident.””
“How long did he survive?””
She looked down.
“Several hours.””
I felt my knees weaken.
Daniel pulled a chair toward me.
“Sit down, Nia.””
I didn't move.
“Did he ask for me?””
Amara nodded.
“Several times.””
I pressed my hands against my face.
“What did he say?””
My mother took a deep breath.
“He told me he needed to warn you. He said there was something important you had to know before Vanessa could get to you.””
“What was it?””
“I don't know. He became confused during the call. He was in pain.””
I looked at her.
“Did he say anything else?””
Amara hesitated.
Then she reached into her bag and removed an old phone.
It was small, black, and scratched along the edges.
“I kept this because I couldn't bring myself to throw it away.””
“Whose phone is it?””
“Your father's.””
I stared at it.
“He gave it to you?””
“No. I found it in the hospital waiting room after the ambulance brought him in. Someone had left it on a chair.””
Daniel immediately leaned forward.
“Did you ever check the messages?””
“I tried. But it was locked.””
Evelyn took the phone carefully.
“Do you know the passcode?””
Amara shook her head.
“No.””
I looked at the device.
Something about it felt familiar.
My father had owned a phone just like that.
I remembered him showing me pictures of fabric patterns on it.
He used to let me play with the camera while he worked.
Then I remembered something.
His favorite number combination.
The date I was born.
I entered it.
The screen unlocked.
Amara gasped.
“Oh, my God.””
I looked at the messages.
There were dozens.
Most were ordinary.
Calls from suppliers.
Appointments.
Family messages.
Then I found a conversation with Vanessa.
The final message was timestamped 9:17 p.m., the night of the crash.
*Thomas:* We need to talk. I know what you and Richard have done.
*Vanessa:* You're making a mistake.
*Thomas:* I have the records.
*Vanessa:* Then destroy them.
*Thomas:* Not until Nia is protected.
*Vanessa:* You don't understand what you've started.
*Thomas:* I understand perfectly.
The final message came from Vanessa.
*Vanessa:* If you leave tonight, don't expect to come home.
I stared at the screen.
My father's last message had been sent at 9:24 p.m.
*Thomas:* Tell Nia I love her. Whatever happens, make sure she knows I never abandoned her.
I covered my mouth.
My mother started crying again.
Daniel looked at Evelyn.
“We need a forensic copy of this phone immediately.””
Evelyn nodded.
“I'll arrange it through the attorney.””
I scrolled further.
A number appeared in the call history.
An incoming call from an unknown contact at 10:06 p.m.
The call lasted thirty-seven seconds.
I clicked the details.
The number looked familiar.
I showed Daniel.
He studied it carefully.
“That's a hospital number.””
I looked up.
“St. Mary's?””
He nodded.
“We need the hospital records.””
Amara grabbed my hand.
“Nia, there's something I haven't told you.””
I turned toward her.
“What?””
She hesitated.
“After your father died, I received a letter from someone claiming to be a nurse.””
“What did it say?””
“She told me that your father had asked for me before he died. She said he had been conscious enough to speak, but someone had interfered with his treatment.””
Daniel's expression hardened.
“Do you still have that letter?””
Amara nodded.
She reached into her bag and removed a folded piece of paper.
The handwriting was hurried.
Mrs. Carter,
I am contacting you because I believe your husband did not receive the care he should have received that night.
He was asking for his daughter. His wife repeatedly insisted that the family did not want visitors.
I was instructed to keep certain information out of the official report.
I am sorry.
There was no signature.
Only a phone number.
Evelyn photographed the letter.
“This could be important.””
I stared at the final sentence.
I was instructed to keep certain information out of the official report.
“Who instructed her?””
Nobody answered.
Then Daniel's phone rang.
He checked the screen.
“It's the attorney.””
He answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through.
“Daniel, we've got a problem.””
“What happened?””
“The estate records were accessed remotely this morning. Someone attempted to change the beneficiary information.””
Daniel stood.
“That's impossible. The trust is protected.””
“Someone submitted a forged amendment.””
“Who signed it?””
A pause.
Then the attorney answered.
“Nia Carter.””
I felt my stomach drop.
Daniel looked at me.
“That's not possible.””
The attorney continued.
“The document was notarized yesterday afternoon. It transfers the controlling shares to Brianna Reed.””
I stared at him.
“Brianna?””
Evelyn took the phone.
“Send us a copy immediately.””
A few seconds later, the document arrived.
I looked at the signature.
It was mine.
My full name, written in the same style I had used since childhood.
But I had never signed it.
At the bottom was a notary stamp.
And beneath that was a date.
Yesterday.
The day Vanessa had demanded my dress.
I looked at my mother.
“She forged my signature.””
Amara's face became pale.
“Why would she give everything to Brianna?””
Daniel answered.
“Because Brianna is easier to control.””
I shook my head.
“She doesn't even know anything about the company.””
“That may be exactly why Vanessa chose her.””
Evelyn studied the document.
“There is a problem with this amendment.””
“What?””
“The trust requires independent legal verification for any transfer involving a minor beneficiary or controlling shares. This document has neither.””
Daniel nodded.
“It's invalid.””
“But the filing is still serious,” Evelyn said.
“It means Vanessa is willing to manufacture legal records to gain control.””
I looked down at my father's phone.
There was one more unread message.
It had arrived at 10:41 p.m. on the night of the accident.
The sender was listed as Richard Hale.
I opened it.
*Richard:* Is he dead?
The response came from Vanessa.
*Vanessa:* Not yet.
I stopped breathing.
There was another message.
*Richard:* What about the girl?
*Vanessa:* She knows nothing. Keep it that way.
My hands began shaking so violently that the phone nearly slipped.
Daniel read over my shoulder.
He looked at Evelyn.
“We have to move.””
Before anyone could respond, the community center's front door opened.
A man entered.
He wore a dark jacket and sunglasses.
He looked around the room.
Then his eyes settled on Amara.
“Mrs. Carter?””
My mother stood.
“Yes?””
The man removed his sunglasses.
“My name is Detective James Miller. I'm investigating the circumstances surrounding Thomas Carter's death.””
Daniel immediately stepped forward.
“Do you have identification?””
The detective showed his badge.
“I've been trying to contact Mrs. Carter for several months.””
Amara looked frightened.
“Why?””
“Because we've reopened the case.””
My heart began pounding.
“Why now?””
He looked at me.
“Because someone submitted new evidence indicating that your father's vehicle may have been deliberately sabotaged.””
I stared at him.
“We have evidence too.””
The detective's expression changed.
“What kind?””
I glanced at Daniel.
He nodded.
“We have financial records, a recording, and a phone that belonged to Thomas.””
Detective Miller looked toward the device.
“May I see it?””
Daniel hesitated.
“Not without a formal evidence receipt and chain-of-custody documentation.””
The detective nodded.
“Fair enough.””
He pulled out a notebook.
“There's something else you should know.””
I stepped closer.
“What?””
“Yesterday, someone contacted our office claiming to have information about the accident.””
“Who?””
The detective looked at his notes.
“Brianna Reed.””
My stomach tightened.
“Brianna?””
“Yes. She said her mother had admitted something about the night your father died.””
I looked at Daniel.
Then at my mother.
“Where is she now?””
Detective Miller closed his notebook.
“She was scheduled to meet us this morning.””
“Did she show up?””
He shook his head.
“No. She disappeared.””
I felt a strange mixture of anger and fear.
Brianna had always been cruel to me.
She had laughed when Vanessa refused to pay for my treatment. She had taken my dress without remorse. She had watched her mother humiliate me and treated it like entertainment.
But had she finally realized what Vanessa had done?
Or was she trying to protect herself?
Detective Miller continued.
“She left one message before disappearing.””
“What did it say?””
He looked directly at me.
“She said she had something that belonged to your father.””
I felt my pulse quicken.
“What?””
The detective opened a photograph on his phone.
It showed a small silver object lying on a wooden table.
A cuff link.
My father's cuff link.
I recognized it immediately because he had worn the matching pair to every important business meeting.
But there was something strange about the photograph.
The cuff link was beside a handwritten note.
I leaned closer.
The note contained six words.
*The second witness is still alive.*
I looked up.
“Who is the witness?””
Detective Miller shook his head.
“We don't know.””
Then my phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
I have Brianna.
My blood turned cold.
Another message appeared.
If you want your sister alive, bring the original key to the old Carter mansion at midnight.
Daniel grabbed my phone.
“Don't respond.””
A third message arrived.
Come alone, Nia. Or you'll never find out who really killed your father.
I stared at the screen.
My mother grabbed my arm.
“Please don't go.””
I looked at her.
“It's Brianna.””
“She stole from you. She helped Vanessa hurt you.””
“I know.””
“Then why would you risk your life for her?””
I looked down at the photograph of my father.
Because despite everything, Brianna was still the girl who had once sat beside me at our father's birthday dinners.
The girl who had called me her sister before Vanessa taught her to hate me.
I didn't know whether she was innocent.
I didn't know whether she was guilty.
But I knew one thing.
I wasn't going to let someone else decide who deserved saving.
Daniel shook his head.
“We're not giving them the key.””
I reached into my pocket.
The brass key was still there.
“Then we'll give them something else.””
He looked at me.
“What?””
I turned my phone toward him.
“Time.””
Evelyn immediately understood.
“We'll coordinate with Detective Miller. If they expect you to come alone, we'll make sure they don't see us.””
My mother held my hands.
“Nia, I just found you. I can't lose you.””
I looked into her eyes.
“You already lost me once because someone lied to you.””
She began crying.
“I know.””
“I won't let them do it again.””
I hugged her.
For the first time in eighteen years, I felt like I had a mother.
And for the first time in two years, I felt like I wasn't fighting alone.
But as we prepared to leave, Detective Miller received another phone call.
He listened for several seconds.
Then his expression changed.
“Where?””
He grabbed his jacket.
“Don't touch anything. We're on our way.””
He ended the call.
“What happened?”” Daniel asked.
The detective looked at me.
“They found Brianna's car.””
“Where?””
“Outside the old Carter mansion.””
My stomach tightened.
“Is she inside?””
He shook his head.
“No.””
He paused.
“But they found blood on the driver's seat.””
My mother covered her mouth.
I felt the room tilt.
Then Detective Miller said something that changed everything.
“The blood doesn't belong to Brianna.””
He looked directly at me.
“It belongs to Vanessa Reed.””
And before I could ask another question, my phone rang.
The caller ID showed Brianna's name.
I answered.
A whisper came through the speaker.
“Nia?””
“Brianna! Where are you?””
She was crying.
“Listen to me. Mommy knows about the key.””
“Where are you?””
“She's coming for you.””
“Brianna, tell me where you are!””
Her breathing became frantic.
Then she whispered:
“I found the original hospital records. Dad wasn't the only person in that room that night.””
A loud crash sounded.
May you like
Brianna screamed.
And the call went dead.
