Chapter 5 - The Account My Father Never Mentioned
I didn't leave with Dad.
Not yet.
I needed the truth from both men.
“What's at the bank?”
Dad glanced toward Richard.
“Not here.”
Richard laughed.
“There it is.”
I turned on him.
“You don't get to pretend you're protecting me.”
Then I looked at Dad.
“But neither do you.”
Dad nodded slowly.
Fair.
We moved outside where other people could see us.
My phone stayed recording.
Chief Mercer had disappeared.
That bothered Dad immediately.
He scanned the yard.
“When did he leave?”
Nobody answered.
Richard folded his arms.
“Maybe he got tired of your performance.”
Dad ignored him.
Then he told me about the account.
After Mom died, Dad discovered irregular requests involving the family trust.
Someone had repeatedly sought beneficiary information.
My address.
My marital status.
Even whether I had children.
Dad suspected the Coles.
But suspicion wasn't proof.
So he established a protected reserve account outside the ordinary trust structure.
“Why?”
“To make sure you had money Richard couldn't reach if something happened.”
“How much?”
“Enough.”
“Dad.”
“Two point four million.”
I stared at him.
Richard's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
He hadn't known.
Suddenly the anonymous warning made sense.
Someone wanted to stop me from reaching money Richard couldn't control.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I wanted you to live your own marriage without your father whispering poison into your ear.”
His answer hurt.
But I understood it.
Then my phone rang.
The trust administrator.
I answered on speaker.
“Ms. Bennett, we received your emergency inquiry. There's a problem.”
“What problem?”
“A withdrawal authorization was submitted yesterday.”
My mouth went dry.
“How much?”
“Two point four million dollars.”
Dad became completely still.
Richard backed one step toward the patio.
The exact amount.
From an account he supposedly hadn't known existed.
The administrator continued.
“And, Ms. Bennett… the authorization didn't come from your husband.”
I looked at Dad.
Dad looked at Richard.
“Whose name is on it?”
There was a pause.
May you like
“Thomas Bennett.”
My father's name.
