Chapter 7: The Man Who Had Been Watching Lily
Darius read James's message again.
Victor Hayes had been connected to his first wife's finances.
He had also been receiving money from Vanessa.
And now Lily had revealed that someone was supposed to come and take her away.
Darius gently lifted his sleeping daughter and carried her upstairs.
Margaret followed.
“Darius, what are you going to do?””
He carefully tucked Lily beneath her blanket.
“I'm going to find out who Victor really is.””
Margaret looked toward the little girl.
“And Vanessa?””
Darius paused.
“I think Vanessa knows more than she's telling us.””
He kissed Lily's forehead and closed her bedroom door halfway.
Downstairs, his phone rang.
James.
“Sir, I have some information. But I think you should see it in person.””
“Come to my mother's house.””
“There's something else. Victor Hayes has been trying to contact Vanessa since this afternoon. We traced several calls.””
“Did she answer?””
“Yes. Multiple times.””
Darius tightened his grip on the phone.
“Keep monitoring the company records. Don't contact Victor yet.””
“Understood.””
When James arrived forty minutes later, he carried a laptop and a thick folder.
Margaret prepared coffee, but nobody touched it.
James opened the laptop.
“Victor Hayes was a financial consultant who worked with your family for almost eight years. He handled several estate documents after your first wife passed away.””
Darius nodded.
“I remember him. He attended the funeral.””
“Exactly. He also helped establish the Carter Family Trust.””
James opened a spreadsheet.
“Two years ago, a new payment arrangement appeared. Money was transferred from Lily's trust into an account connected to a company Victor controlled.””
“How much?””
James hesitated.
“Approximately eight hundred thousand dollars over twenty months.””
Margaret gasped.
Darius stared at the screen.
“That's Lily's inheritance.””
“Yes, sir.””
“Can it be recovered?””
“We're working with the bank and your attorney. Some of the money appears to have been moved through several accounts.””
Darius rubbed his forehead.
“Why would Vanessa need to take Lily's inheritance?””
James opened another file.
“This is the part I find particularly concerning.””
A scanned document appeared.
It was a draft application concerning Lily's guardianship.
James pointed to a paragraph.
“Victor had apparently been preparing documents that would support a change in Lily's living arrangements.””
Darius leaned forward.
“Why?””
“According to the correspondence, Vanessa wanted to establish that you were frequently absent because of your business responsibilities. They were collecting evidence to portray her as Lily's primary caregiver.””
Darius looked furious.
“They were trying to take my daughter away from me?””
“That's what the documents suggest.””
Margaret stood abruptly.
“Those people wanted that little girl to lose everyone!””
Darius looked at James.
“Was there a court application?””
“Not yet. The documents appear incomplete. We need the attorney to verify what can legally be done.””
Darius nodded.
“Get everything to him.””
James closed the folder.
“There's one more thing.””
He hesitated before opening a photograph.
It showed Victor standing outside the Carter mansion.
The date was nearly eighteen months earlier.
Darius recognized the clothes Vanessa had worn that day.
“She told me she was meeting a friend for lunch.””
James enlarged the photograph.
Victor was holding a small envelope.
A second photograph showed Vanessa accepting it.
Darius stared.
“Where did you get these?””
“The neighborhood security system. Your previous property manager retained archived footage.””
Darius leaned back.
“Find out what was in that envelope.””
James nodded.
Then his phone vibrated.
He read something and looked up.
“Sir, Victor has just booked a flight.””
“To where?””
“Out of state. Tomorrow morning.””
Darius stood.
“Contact the attorney. We need to preserve the evidence immediately.””
But before James could answer, Darius's own phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Hello?””
A man's voice came through.
“Darius Carter?””
“Who is this?””
“Victor Hayes.””
Darius looked at James.
“I'm listening.””
Victor laughed softly.
“You've been asking a lot of questions.””
“You've been stealing from my daughter's trust.””
“That's a serious accusation.””
“I have the documents.””
“Documents can be misunderstood.””
“Then come explain them.””
Victor was silent for a moment.
Then he said something that made Darius's stomach turn.
“Your first wife understood the situation. She knew there were complications with Lily's trust.””
Darius gripped the phone.
“What complications?””
“Perhaps you should ask your mother.””
Darius glanced at Margaret.
“What are you talking about?””
Victor ignored the question.
“You're making a mistake, Darius. Your wife was trying to protect herself. She wasn't the person who started this.””
“Then who did?””
Victor lowered his voice.
“Your first wife made arrangements before she died. Arrangements you were never supposed to discover.””
The call ended.
Darius stared at his phone.
Margaret looked pale.
“What did he say?””
Darius turned toward her.
“He said my first wife made secret arrangements involving Lily.””
Margaret slowly sat down.
“I think I know what he means.””
Darius's expression changed.
“Mom?””
Margaret reached for the wooden box.
“There was another document. I didn't show you because your wife specifically asked me to keep it hidden until Lily was older.””
“Why?””
“Because she was afraid someone would use it against her.””
Margaret opened a hidden compartment beneath the box.
Inside was a sealed envelope.
The handwriting on the front was unmistakable.
*For Darius. Only to be opened if someone tries to take Lily away.*
Darius broke the seal.
The first sentence made his heart stop.
*My darling, if you are reading this, someone has finally come for our daughter.*
He looked up at his mother.
“Who was my wife afraid of?””
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
“Her own brother.””
Darius stared at her.
“Victor?””
Margaret shook her head.
“No. Victor was only helping him.””
She pointed to the name written at the bottom of the letter.
Darius read it.
May you like
And suddenly, the man threatening his daughter was no longer a stranger.
It was someone whose photograph had hung in his family home for years.
