Chapter 8: The Night My Mother Died
The hospital room seemed to shrink around Emily.
She turned toward Michael.
"Mom was asking for you that night, wasn't she?""
Michael stared at the floor.
"Emily, we need to talk somewhere else.""
"No. I want to know.""
Vanessa watched them from the bed.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"Go on, Michael. Tell her.""
He turned sharply.
"Don't.""
"Tell her where you were.""
Michael walked toward the window.
His shoulders rose and fell with a slow breath.
"When your mother was admitted, I was at a business meeting.""
Emily waited.
"Richard was with me.""
"Then why did Mom write his name?""
Michael shook his head.
"I don't know.""
Vanessa laughed weakly.
"You always say that.""
Michael looked at her.
"Be quiet.""
"You remember the meeting. You remember the phone call. You remember coming home after midnight.""
Emily felt her throat tighten.
"You didn't go to the hospital?""
"I went afterward.""
"How long afterward?""
Michael looked at her.
"Several hours.""
"Why?""
He closed his eyes.
"Because Richard told me your mother had been given medication and was resting. He said the doctors didn't want visitors.""
Emily stared.
"You believed him?""
"I had no reason not to.""
Vanessa shifted on the bed.
"You had every reason.""
Michael's expression darkened.
"Why are you doing this?""
"Because you're pretending you were innocent.""
"Did you tell me Laura was resting?""
Vanessa looked away.
Michael stepped closer.
"Answer me.""
"Yes.""
"Why?""
"Because you were already upset. You were making everything worse.""
Emily looked between them.
"Both of you knew she was in the hospital, and neither of you went to see her?""
Michael shook his head.
"I went. I swear I went.""
"After midnight?""
He nodded.
Emily stepped backward.
Her mother had spent the final hours of that night alone.
Or so she'd believed.
Vanessa watched Emily carefully.
"Ask your father about the money Richard paid him.""
Michael spun around.
"That's enough!""
Emily's eyes widened.
"What money?""
"Nothing," Michael said quickly.
Vanessa smiled.
"That's what he told me, too.""
Michael picked up his coat.
"Daniel will be here tomorrow with the investigators. You're not saying another word until your attorney arrives.""
Vanessa's expression changed.
"You're leaving?""
"I'm taking my daughter home.""
"Michael—"
He opened the door.
Vanessa called after him.
"You can't pretend you didn't sign the original agreement!""
Michael stopped.
For a long moment, he didn't turn.
Then he said quietly, "I didn't know what I was signing.""
Vanessa answered with a cold smile.
"That's what you always say.""
The drive home was silent.
Emily sat with her hands folded in her lap.
Her father had betrayed her trust before. He had allowed Vanessa to control the house, taken her side during arguments, and failed to protect her mother's inheritance.
But the hospital revelation was different.
This was about Laura.
The woman who had raised her, held her when she cried, and promised that everything would be okay.
Emily turned toward the window.
"Did you get paid?""
Michael's hands tightened around the steering wheel.
"Emily—"
"Did Richard pay you?""
He didn't answer.
She waited.
Finally, Michael spoke.
"Not directly.""
"What does that mean?""
"Richard arranged for a payment to be made to one of our company accounts. I discovered it months later.""
"How much?""
"Seventy thousand dollars.""
Emily looked at him.
"Where did it go?""
"It was used to cover a business debt.""
"Whose debt?""
Michael swallowed.
"Mine.""
Emily stared.
He continued.
"Before your mother died, the company was struggling. We had a major construction project delayed, and several creditors were demanding payment. Richard said he could arrange temporary financing.""
"And he used Mom's money?""
"I didn't know that at the time.""
"But you knew the payment came from somewhere.""
"I thought it was a legitimate business loan.""
Emily looked away.
"Why didn't you tell the police?""
"I didn't know it was connected to Laura's estate until tonight.""
"Did Mom know?""
Michael didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Daniel was waiting in the living room when they returned.
Claire sat beside him, holding a cup of untouched tea.
Daniel stood immediately.
"How is Vanessa?""
"Alive," Michael replied.
"And still lying.""
Emily sat down.
"She says Dad was in the hospital room when Mom was there.""
Daniel looked at Michael.
"Is that true?""
Michael shook his head.
"I don't remember entering her room that night.""
Claire's expression changed.
"You were there.""
Michael turned.
"What?""
"I saw you.""
Emily looked at her.
"When?""
"After midnight. I was leaving the hospital to get something from Laura's apartment. I saw Michael standing in the hallway with Richard.""
Michael frowned.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"You told me you weren't there.""
"I don't remember seeing you.""
Claire looked hurt.
"Because you were arguing with Richard.""
Daniel placed a folder on the coffee table.
"We need to establish a timeline.""
He spread several documents across the table.
"The hospital admission began at approximately 8:40 p.m. Laura was conscious when she arrived. The first nursing entry indicates that she complained of dizziness and nausea.""
He pointed to the next page.
"At 9:15, a blood sample was ordered. The preliminary report contains a notation about an abnormal result.""
Emily leaned forward.
"And the final report?""
"Marked inconclusive.""
Claire shook her head.
"That isn't what I remember.""
Daniel looked at her.
"What do you remember?""
"Laura told me the doctor came to see her. She was frightened. She said somebody had changed her medication.""
Michael leaned forward.
"Did she say who?""
"No. She told me not to let anyone give her anything unless the doctor verified it.""
Emily felt her stomach tighten.
Daniel removed a photocopy from his folder.
"This is the medication administration record. Several entries have handwritten corrections.""
Michael looked at it.
"Can you tell who made them?""
"The initials are J.B.""
Claire covered her mouth.
Emily looked at her.
"You know those initials.""
Claire nodded slowly.
"I think I do.""
"Who?""
"Janet Brooks. She was a senior nurse at St. Mary's.""
Daniel made a note.
"Do you know if she's still employed there?""
"She retired several years ago.""
Michael stared at the document.
"Can we find her?""
Daniel nodded.
"I'll contact the hospital records department.""
Emily picked up the photocopy.
At the bottom was another notation.
*Medication supplied by family member.*
She looked up.
"Who supplied it?""
Daniel examined the line.
"The space is blank.""
Claire's eyes moved to Michael.
Then away.
Emily noticed.
"Claire?""
She hesitated.
"Your mother had a bottle of medication in her purse. She carried it because she didn't trust the hospital pharmacy to keep her prescriptions organized.""
Michael frowned.
"She didn't bring her purse.""
Claire looked at him.
"Exactly.""
Emily felt a chill.
Her mother's missing purse.
The one that had disappeared from the hospital that night.
The one that had never been recovered.
Daniel slowly closed the folder.
"I think we need to locate Janet Brooks before drawing conclusions.""
Michael stood.
"I'm calling Richard.""
Daniel immediately shook his head.
"Don't.""
"He's my business partner. I want to hear his explanation.""
"That is precisely why you shouldn't call him. We don't know what he knows or whether he's been monitoring your communications.""
Michael stopped.
Emily looked at Daniel.
"Do you think he's involved?""
"I think his name appears repeatedly in the evidence. That's enough reason to be careful.""
Michael sat down.
His phone vibrated.
A message appeared on the screen.
From Richard.
We need to meet. Tonight. No lawyers. No police.
Michael stared.
Emily noticed the change in his expression.
"Is it him?""
Michael nodded.
Daniel reached for the phone.
"Don't answer.""
But another message arrived.
You should tell Emily what happened after Laura's fall. She deserves to know why you let me into her room.
Emily's stomach dropped.
She looked at her father.
"What happened after Mom fell?""
Michael slowly lowered the phone.
"I don't remember everything.""
Emily stood.
"That's not good enough anymore.""
Michael looked at her with exhausted eyes.
"You're right.""
He walked to the study.
"I have something in there that might explain it.""
Daniel followed.
Emily and Claire remained in the living room.
A few minutes later, Michael returned holding a small wooden box.
He placed it on the coffee table.
Emily recognized it.
It was the box her father used to store old business contracts.
He opened it.
Inside were several envelopes, a flash drive, and a photograph.
Emily picked up the photograph.
It showed Michael and Richard standing beside Laura in a hospital corridor.
Laura was sitting in a wheelchair.
Her face was pale.
But she was smiling.
Emily turned it over.
The date was written on the back.
*October 19, 2015. 11:42 p.m.*
She looked at her father.
"Mom was still alive at this time?""
Michael nodded.
"Yes.""
"Then why did you tell me she was already sleeping?""
He looked down.
"Because I didn't want you to remember that night.""
Emily stared.
"What happened?""
Michael pointed toward the flash drive.
"I recorded a conversation with Richard that night. I thought I deleted it years ago.""
Daniel inserted the drive into his laptop.
A single audio file appeared.
The filename was:
*LAURA_FINAL_CONVERSATION.wav*
Michael pressed play.
At first, there was static.
Then Richard's voice emerged.
"You can't tell Michael.""
A second voice answered.
Vanessa.
"He's already suspicious.""
Richard laughed.
"Then give him something to worry about.""
There was a pause.
Then Laura's voice.
Weak, but unmistakable.
"Get away from my daughter.""
Emily's hands flew to her mouth.
The recording continued.
Richard spoke again.
"You're making this difficult, Laura.""
Then came a sound.
A chair scraping.
A door closing.
And Michael's voice.
"Richard, what have you done?""
The recording stopped.
Nobody moved.
Daniel replayed the final few seconds.
This time, another sound could be heard beneath Michael's voice.
A woman whispering.
The medication.
Emily turned toward her father.
"Who said that?""
Michael looked as though he might collapse.
"I don't know.""
Claire stood abruptly.
"I do.""
Everyone turned toward her.
Claire's voice trembled.
"That was Janet Brooks.""
Daniel closed the laptop.
"Then we need to find her.""
Janet Brooks lived in a quiet neighborhood outside Atlanta.
By the time Daniel located her address and arranged a meeting, the sun had begun to rise.
Michael insisted on driving.
Emily sat beside him, barely speaking.
When they arrived, a small American flag moved gently beside the front steps of a modest brick house.
Daniel knocked.
A woman in her seventies opened the door.
Her gray hair was neatly pinned back, and she wore a pale blue cardigan.
She looked at Daniel first.
Then at Michael.
And finally at Emily.
Her face drained of color.
"Oh," she whispered.
Emily stepped forward.
"You knew my mother?""
Janet looked down.
"Yes.""
"Do you know what happened to her?""
The woman gripped the doorframe.
"I've been waiting eleven years for someone to ask me that question.""
Michael stepped closer.
"Then tell us.""
Janet looked over his shoulder toward the street.
Then she opened the door wider.
"Come inside.""
She led them to a small sitting room.
On the coffee table was a framed photograph of Laura Carter.
Emily recognized the picture.
It had been taken at the hospital.
Janet picked it up.
"Your mother gave me this the night she died.""
Michael went still.
"The night she died?""
Janet nodded.
"She knew she might not survive.""
Emily sat down slowly.
"Did someone poison her?""
Janet closed her eyes.
"Yes.""
The room went silent.
Michael gripped the back of a chair.
"Who?""
Janet opened her eyes.
"Your mother didn't know. But I did.""
She walked toward an old cabinet and removed a small envelope.
"I kept the original report. I also kept a copy of the medication records.""
Daniel stood.
"Why didn't you come forward?""
Janet looked at Michael.
"Because somebody threatened to destroy my family.""
She placed the envelope on the table.
May you like
Then she said:
"Your mother wasn't the only patient who received that medication.""
