Chapter 9 - THE NIGHT MY PARENTS WERE SILENCED
For two years, I'd believed my parents died in an ordinary traffic accident.
Now investigators were examining evidence that Gabriel Greedy had threatened their lives the evening before the crash.
I sat beside Sadi in our temporary apartment.
She was doing homework at the kitchen table.
I was staring at my father's photograph.
"Diane?"
I looked up.
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"Did somebody hurt Mom and Dad?"
The question shattered me.
I wanted to protect her from everything.
But she deserved an honest answer.
"The police are investigating whether someone caused the accident."
Sadi lowered her pencil.
"Why would anybody do that?"
I swallowed.
"Because sometimes people do terrible things to hide their mistakes."
Her eyes filled.
"Are they going to hurt us too?"
I moved beside her.
"No one has the right to hurt us. We're taking precautions, and the police are helping."
She leaned against me.
"Promise you won't leave?"
I kissed her hair.
"I'm staying right here."
Later that evening, Detective Mitchell called.
She had located the original crash investigation file.
The accident occurred on a rain-soaked road outside New York.
My father's car had reportedly lost control and collided with a delivery truck.
But several important details had never been explained.
The brake system showed signs of tampering.
An unidentified vehicle appeared in nearby security footage.
And the mechanic who examined the wreckage had reported suspicious damage.
His statement was missing from the final police report.
"Why wasn't anyone told?" I asked.
Mitchell's voice was serious.
"That's part of what we're investigating."
I closed my eyes.
"Do you believe somebody murdered them?"
"We have evidence suggesting deliberate interference with the vehicle. We're working to establish who was responsible."
The next day, investigators interviewed the retired mechanic.
His name was Walter Simmons.
He remembered my father's car immediately.
"The brake line had been deliberately damaged," he said.
My stomach tightened.
"Did you tell the police?"
"Yes."
"What happened?"
"An officer told me the damage occurred during the collision."
Walter shook his head.
"I disagreed."
"Did you keep any photographs?"
He nodded.
"Copies."
Those photographs became crucial evidence.
Investigators also recovered old financial transfers between Gabriel Greedy and a private garage.
One payment was made three days before the crash.
Another was made the following morning.
Both were marked as vehicle maintenance.
But the garage had never serviced my father's car.
Detective Mitchell traced the payments to a mechanic named Peter Shaw.
When questioned, Peter initially denied knowing Gabriel.
Then investigators confronted him with the records.
His attorney requested a private meeting.
Hours later, Mitchell called me again.
Her voice was unusually quiet.
"Diane, Peter Shaw has agreed to cooperate."
I gripped the phone.
"What did he say?"
"He claims Gabriel paid him to disable your father's brakes."
My knees weakened.
I sank into a chair.
Then Mitchell continued.
"There's something else. Peter says Gabriel wasn't acting alone."
I closed my eyes.
"Who helped him?"
May you like
She took a breath.
"Catherine Voss."
Related Stories
