Chapter 7 - THE NIGHT LEAH’S MOTHER DIED
The video had no sound at first.
Four people.
Charles Hale.
Marcus Vale.
Victoria.
Thomas Cross.
The red ledger on the desk.
Then Anna Bennett entered.
Leah stopped breathing.
Her mother.
Alive.
Walking.
Clear.
Angry.
That was the first crack.
Anna pointed at Marcus.
Then at the ledger.
Charles stood beside her.
Not against her.
With her.
Victoria looked frightened.
Thomas Cross grabbed her arm.
Not violently.
Urgently.
Trying to pull her toward the door.
Marcus blocked them.
Then the audio returned.
Only twenty seconds.
Enough.
Anna’s voice:
“I copied everything.”
Marcus said,
“You have no idea what you’re destroying.”
Anna answered,
“No.”
A pause.
“I know exactly what you stole.”
The room froze.
Leah closed her eyes.
Her mother had not been confused.
Not unstable.
Not emotional.
Clear.
That was the second crack.
Then Charles spoke.
“Tomorrow, we go to the board.”
Marcus went still.
Present-day Ethan stared at the recording.
His father had known.
He had planned to expose everything.
Then Thomas Cross said,
“Victoria knows nothing.”
Anna answered,
“Then get her out.”
The younger Victoria started crying.
Present-day Victoria looked down.
Leah saw it.
“You were afraid.”
Victoria said nothing.
The video continued.
Marcus looked at Thomas.
“If you leave with her, your daughter becomes part of the file.”
Victoria froze.
Present-day Ethan understood.
Leverage.
Again.
Family.
Reputation.
Threat.
The same method.
That was the third crack.
Thomas Cross stopped.
Victoria stared at her father.
And Marcus smiled.
The video ended.
Leah looked at Victoria.
“What happened next?”
No answer.
“Where did my mother go?”
Victoria began crying.
“I don’t know.”
Leah held her gaze.
“No.”
Her voice stayed calm.
“You know something.”
Silence.
That was enough.
Victoria finally spoke.
“My father took Anna’s car.”
Leah froze.
“Why?”
“To create a distraction.”
The room changed.
Anna left in another vehicle with Charles.
Thomas drove Anna’s car toward the highway.
Marcus followed him.
Victoria remained at the mansion.
Hours later, authorities reported Anna Bennett had died after a roadside medical emergency.
But if Thomas had been driving her car—
Then Anna had not been inside it.
That was the fourth crack.
Leah stopped breathing.
“My mother didn’t die in that car.”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
The official story was false.
Again.
Ethan looked at the video.
“Then where did Anna go?”
Victoria whispered,
“With my father.”
Leah’s eyes filled.
“Where?”
Victoria looked toward the red ledger.
Then answered.
“I never saw either of them again.”
Silence.
Then Leah turned one final page.
A handwritten note from Anna.
Dated two days after her reported death.
Leah stared at it.
May you like
Her mother had survived.
And somewhere, someone had kept a document proving she was alive after the world was told to mourn her.
