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1068 Words
Immediately after the call with Mr. Thompson, I got up, took my bath, and dressed in a simple black dress.
Alex was already dressed in his work shirt, busy setting the table. He looked up, “Are you going out?”
“Yeah, I need to go see Mr. Thompson” I said
“You need to eat something before going,” Alex said, pulling out a chair for me.
I smiled weakly and sat down. He piled a plate with eggs, toast, and pancakes.
“Come on, take a bite”
He watched me as I ate, forcing each bite to go down my throat. After eating, we left the house separately.
The lawyer’s office was quiet, I sat between my uncle and aunt, sandwiched between them, their presence filled me with anxiety and tension
My father’s lawyer, Thompson, was sitting adjacent to us. Lawyer Thompson cleared his throat,
“I'm sorry for your loss. Your father's estate is a bit complicated. He didn't leave a will, but he did have a conversation with me about his wishes.”
Thompson glanced at me. “He wanted you to lead the company in the future in his absence, and as you know he is the largest shareholder. All his shares will be transferred to you as well.” Lawyer Thompson said
My eyes widened, and I quickly looked at my uncle’s face, his face had transformed. His eyes widened, his expression went cold.
“But do you think the board will agree to a conversation between you and the deceased, without proper documentation?” He protested
Thompson cut him off. “The board might consider it, given the circumstances. Mara's father is the highest shareholder of S constructions and he made his wishes clear to me.” Thompson declared
My uncle leaned back in the chair, his eyes slightly darting towards me, and my aunt sighed uncomfortably.
“Mara, we will support you only if the other board members agree to this” my uncle said forcing a smile, trying to hide it all
“So”, Lawyer Thompson continued, “I'll make it known to the board.”
I nodded “Yes sir, thank you, Mr. Thompson.”
My uncle left the office first, “We’ll see at the board meeting next week, Mara,” he said as he walked out.
My aunt also rose and left the office, her eyes unreadable.
I left the lawyer’s office, the weight of the meeting still setting in, and before I knew it, I was pulling into my driveway. I saw Detective James standing in front of my house, about to leave.
He turned as I parked, “Miss Mara Smith,”
he said
I stepped out of my car and nodded at the detective “Let’s go inside, Detective” I said
I pushed the door open and entered, the detective followed me and I led him into the living room.
“Please have a seat” I said as I directed him to the couch
“I need to ask you some questions about the accident. Can you tell me what happened?” The Detective said, sitting gently.
“We were driving home from dinner,” I started, the memory still felt raw, “we had gone out to celebrate my sister’s graduation and my engagement,” I paused.
“We left the restaurant around 9:30 PM. We were on the highway when it happened. A car just came from nowhere and slammed into us and everything went blurry, I…” I swallowed, the sound of metal crunching echoed through my mind.
“So, the other car? Do you know what happened to it?” the detective asked
I shook my head, “No”
The detective's expression turned grim. “Actually, we found the car not at the crash site but abandoned a mile from the crash site and the driver was never found, it looks like he vanished”.
My eyes widened, “Really?” I exclaimed
He nodded. “Yeah, there was no sign of the driver anywhere. And at the same time, we found no prints or DNA. So, we investigated further and discovered the car was reported stolen a few months ago.”
“I think I saw someone immediately after the crash, but I couldn’t make out a face, not sure if I was hallucinating. Detective, do you think it wasn’t just an accident?” I asked, a shiver running through my spine.
The Detective leaned back. “We’re looking into all angles, Mara. If someone deliberately ran over your whole family with a stolen car, then we need to find out who.” Detective James concluded
I sighed heavily, and I thought about my uncle’s reactions for a few seconds
“Mara, do you suspect anyone who could want to harm the family?” Detective James finally asked
I took a moment, my mind racing with possibilities. “Honestly, detective, I don't know. My father's a businessman, we've got rivals, competitors, but hurt us like this?”
“Mara, think about this very well. Who do you think will gain more from your family’s death, I mean you could have been dead too.” Detective James pressed further
“My uncle” I blurted out
“And what makes you suspect your uncle?” Detective asked leaning forward
“Actually, my grandpa owned S constructions, my uncle headed the company for a few years but ran the company to the ground. Grandpa was furious. He asked my father who was trying to start his own construction company for help. My dad rebuilt S constructions again. So when grandpa died, it was discovered he left S Constructions solely to my dad.” I explained slowly
The detective’s gaze sharpened, “So what happened to your uncle’s motive to control the company after grandpa died?”
“He and my Dad never got along until Grandpa’s funeral where they squashed their beef and everything has been cool between them ever since then,” I said half confused
“Think we will need to check your uncle’s alibi, we need to work together to get the culprit behind everything Mara,” He said and stood to leave
As he approached the door, he turned slowly to me “Mara, please be careful, they never planned you would survive” he finally said.
- Writer
