Chapter 5: The Last Message
Chapter 5: The Last Message
The room went silent.
"They found Marcus?" I whispered.
Detective James Morrison looked at me with a heavy expression.
He nodded once.
"I'm sorry, Bridget."
A cold wave swept over me.
Marcus had been more than an employee.
After my grandmother, he was the only person in the family who had ever made me feel safe.
"How?" I asked, barely able to speak.
"They're treating it as a homicide."
The words echoed through my hospital room.
Another murder.
Another victim.
Because of the Walker family.
An hour earlier...
Officers had responded to a call from a park ranger near the old Riverside Boat Launch.
Marcus's body had been found at the bottom of a steep embankment.
At first glance, it looked like an accident.
But Detective Morrison knew better.
The medical examiner pointed toward bruises on Marcus's wrists.
"These weren't caused by the fall."
"What do you think happened?"
"He was restrained."
The examiner carefully lifted Marcus's sleeve.
Dark marks circled both wrists.
"He was tied up before he died."
Morrison's jaw tightened.
"What about the cause of death?"
"The fall didn't kill him."
The detective looked up.
"It didn't?"
The examiner shook his head.
"He was already dead before he went over the embankment."
Someone had staged the scene.
Back at the hospital, Sarah Chen quietly closed the door after Morrison finished explaining.
"I can't believe this," I whispered.
"He knew something."
Morrison nodded.
"And someone made sure he couldn't tell us."
I stared out the window.
Rain continued falling over the city.
"This is my fault."
"No."
"If Grandma hadn't changed her will..."
"This isn't your fault."
"If Tyler hadn't..."
Morrison interrupted gently.
"The person responsible is the one who chose violence."
I closed my eyes.
Deep down...
I knew he was right.
Later that afternoon, the forensic team completed a second search of Marcus's vehicle.
Officer Daniel Ruiz called Morrison immediately.
"Detective."
"What did you find?"
"There was a hidden compartment under the driver's seat."
"What was inside?"
"A prepaid cell phone."
"Anything on it?"
Ruiz's voice became more excited.
"One voicemail."
"Play it."
A crackling voice filled the speaker.
It was Marcus.
If anyone is hearing this... then I'm probably already dead.
Morrison stopped breathing.
Marcus continued.
Bridget...
Your grandmother knew someone inside the family was planning something.
That's why she secretly changed her will.
She believed only one person could protect the truth.
Not me.
You.
If anything happens...
Don't trust appearances.
The person giving the orders...
isn't the person everyone suspects.
The recording suddenly ended.
Ruiz frowned.
"That's it?"
"No."
A technician interrupted.
"The audio was cut."
"What do you mean?"
"The file originally continued for another thirty-one seconds."
"So where are they?"
"They were deliberately erased."
That evening...
News of Marcus's death reached every major television station.
The headline spread quickly.
Estate Manager Connected to Walker Family Dies Under Suspicious Circumstances.
Reporters surrounded the hospital.
Police cars lined the entrance.
The story was no longer about a wealthy family's inheritance.
It had become a murder investigation.
Inside my hospital room, Lauren quietly slipped through the door after visiting hours.
She looked terrified.
"I only have a minute."
I looked at her.
"You came."
She nodded.
"I should've spoken sooner."
"What happened that night?"
Lauren's hands shook uncontrollably.
"I saw Tyler push you."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I was standing inside the dining room."
"There was a reflection in the glass doors."
"I saw everything."
My heart pounded.
"Will you tell Detective Morrison?"
"I want to."
She swallowed hard.
"But Tyler called me."
"What did he say?"
Lauren looked toward the hallway before answering.
"He said Marcus should've kept his mouth shut."
The room fell silent.
I stared at her.
"Tyler knew Marcus was dead..."
She nodded slowly.
"...before the police announced it."
A chill ran through my body.
That wasn't possible.
Unless...
Lauren reached into her purse.
"I found this in Tyler's office yesterday."
She placed a folded piece of paper on my bedside table.
It wasn't handwritten.
It was printed.
A bank transfer receipt.
Five hundred thousand dollars.
Sent three days before my grandmother died.
The recipient's name was hidden.
Only the initials remained.
M.R.
I frowned.
"Marcus Reed."
Lauren slowly shook her head.
"No."
"Marcus's last name was Bennett."
I looked back at the paper.
Then who was M.R.?
Before either of us could speak again, someone turned the doorknob.
Lauren quickly stepped away from the bed.
The door opened.
Detective Morrison walked inside.
He looked from Lauren...
to the bank receipt...
then back to us.
"What did I just interrupt?"
Lauren took a deep breath.
She looked at me.
Then at the detective.
Finally, she made her decision.
May you like
"I know who's helping Tyler."
To Be Continued...
