Chapter 8: My Signature Was on the Murder Contract
Marcus stared at his wife.
“That's impossible.””
Elina shook her head.
“I saw the document.””
“I never signed anything involving your disappearance.””
“You did, Marcus. But you didn't know what you were signing.””
Detective Brooks closed the hospital room door.
“Let's slow down. What contract are we talking about?””
Elina looked at Marcus.
“Four months before I disappeared, Daniel presented him with a set of documents. He said they were routine restructuring papers for the company.””
Marcus remembered.
He remembered sitting in his study while Daniel placed a thick folder on his desk.
He remembered Vanessa bringing coffee.
He remembered signing several pages without reading every paragraph because he trusted his brother.
At the time, he had been preparing to expand the business.
“What was in those documents?”” Marcus asked.
Elina answered quietly.
“A power-of-attorney agreement and a medical contingency authorization.””
Marcus frowned.
“Medical?””
“If you or I were declared incapacitated, the agreement allowed a designated representative to make certain decisions concerning our property and personal affairs.””
“Who was the representative?””
Elina hesitated.
“Vanessa.””
Marcus looked toward the detective.
“Can that even be legal?””
Brooks replied carefully.
“An authorization can be legally valid under specific circumstances. But if it was obtained through fraud or used improperly, that's another matter.””
Elina continued.
“They used your signature to gain control over the company. Daniel wanted the properties. Vanessa wanted the authority to transfer them without our approval.””
Marcus remembered another detail.
The folder had contained a page with a red tab.
Daniel had told him it was an administrative requirement.
He had signed it.
He hadn't asked questions.
Now he felt physically sick.
“I gave them the authority,” he whispered.
Elina took his hand.
“You trusted your brother.””
“That doesn't change what happened.””
“No. But it doesn't make you responsible for their crimes.””
Brooks received a message on his phone.
He read it, then looked at Marcus.
“We've located Vanessa's private storage facility.””
Marcus stood.
“What does that have to do with the contract?””
“Your brother's arrest has triggered an emergency review of several financial accounts. We found transfers made during the months your wife was missing.””
“How much?””
“Approximately twenty-three million dollars.””
Marcus stared.
“Where did it go?””
Brooks turned his phone toward him.
The account holder's name was visible.
*Lily Hale Education and Trust Fund.*
Marcus frowned.
“My daughter's trust?””
“That's what the account is registered as.””
Elina suddenly grabbed his arm.
“No.””
Marcus looked at her.
“What?””
“That's not Lily's account.””
Brooks studied her.
“Can you explain?””
Elina shook her head.
“When Lily was born, I created a trust for her. Daniel knew about it. But I never authorized those transfers.””
Marcus felt another wave of confusion.
“Then who owns the account?””
Elina whispered:
“Vanessa.””
Brooks immediately called the financial crimes unit.
Within minutes, he received confirmation that the account had been established using forged documents.
But there was something else.
The money hadn't simply been transferred into Vanessa's name.
It had been used to purchase a property.
A private estate outside the city.
Marcus recognized the address.
It was the house where he and Elina had spent their honeymoon.
He looked at his wife.
“Why would they buy that place?””
Elina's expression changed.
“Because that's where they kept the original documents.””
Brooks asked for details.
Elina explained that before her disappearance, she had hidden a small safe behind a removable panel in the estate's study.
Inside were original company records, copies of the fraudulent contracts, and a recording of Daniel discussing the plan.
Marcus stared at her.
“You recorded him?””
“I knew he was lying. I just didn't know how far he would go.””
“Why didn't you tell the police?””
“Because Daniel told me you had signed everything voluntarily. He said if I went to the police, you'd be arrested too.””
Marcus lowered his head.
Elina touched his cheek.
“I believed him at first.””
Brooks stood.
“Where is the safe?””
“Behind the bookcase. The second panel from the left.””
The detective immediately contacted his team.
Before leaving, he looked at Marcus.
“Don't go anywhere without telling us.””
Marcus nodded.
But when the detective stepped into the corridor, Marcus noticed something on his phone.
A message from an unknown number.
*Your wife is telling you half the story.*
Another message arrived.
*Ask her what happened to the real Elina Hale.*
Marcus looked at the screen.
Then he looked at his wife.
“Elina?””
She noticed his expression.
“What is it?””
He showed her the messages.
Her fingers began trembling.
“Don't answer.””
“Who sent this?””
“I don't know.””
Marcus sat down.
“You told me they used another woman's body for the funeral.””
“Yes.””
“But Daniel says I don't understand everything.””
Elina looked away.
“Marcus, please.””
He moved closer.
“What are you hiding?””
She closed her eyes.
For several seconds, the only sound in the room was Lily breathing softly in her sleep.
Then Elina whispered:
“Before they took me to the clinic, I wasn't alone.””
Marcus waited.
“I was with another woman.””
“The woman from the funeral?””
Elina nodded.
“She was my twin sister.””
Marcus went completely still.
He had known Elina for twelve years.
He had never heard her mention a twin.
“Your sister?””
“Her name was Elena. We were separated when we were children. I found her again six months before I disappeared.””
Marcus struggled to understand.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because she was involved in something dangerous.””
“What?””
Elina looked at the door.
Then back at him.
“She knew Daniel was planning everything before I did.””
Marcus felt a chill.
“Was she helping him?””
Elina began crying.
“No.””
She reached for his hand.
“She was trying to save me.””
Marcus stared at her.
“Then how did she die?””
Elina's voice broke.
“Because she took my place.””
At that exact moment, Detective Brooks returned.
He was holding a photograph.
“Mr. Hale,” he said carefully, “we searched the estate.””
Marcus looked at the image.
It showed a photograph recovered from the hidden safe.
Two identical women stood beside Daniel.
One was Elina.
The other was her twin sister.
May you like
But written across the back was a message:
*THE WRONG SISTER WAS BURIED.*
