Chapter 2 - The MessagesThe funeral director asked everyone to remain calm.
Nobody listened.
People gathered into small groups.
Whispers spread through the chapel.
“What insurance?”
“Did Evelyn know about a policy?”
“Why would she be talking about money at a funeral?”
Evelyn stood beside the casket with her arms crossed.
She had regained her composure.
“You're all misunderstanding.”
Ethan laughed softly.
“No.”
He unlocked his phone.
“You're just hoping nobody asks the right questions.”
Richard stepped toward him.
“Ethan, what exactly did you find?”
Ethan handed him the phone.
Richard read the first message.
His expression changed.
Then he read another.
His hands began trembling.
“What is this?”
Ethan looked at me.
“These were sent from Grandma's phone.”
I couldn't breathe.
I took the phone.
The first message was dated three months before Lily's death.
Evelyn: Has the policy been finalized?
Another message.
Unknown Number: Yes. Two million. Beneficiary is confirmed.
Another.
Evelyn: And if something happens to her?
The response came minutes later.
Unknown Number: The payout should proceed normally.
I stared at the screen.
My hands went numb.
“Who is this number?”
Ethan answered.
“I traced it.”
“To whom?”
He looked at Richard.
“Dr. Samuel Crane.”
Richard's face went white.
Samuel Crane was Lily's physician.
My daughter had been seeing him for several months because of chronic migraines.
I remembered him.
Kind voice.
Professional manner.
Always reassuring.
“What does her doctor have to do with insurance?” I asked.
Ethan scrolled.
“There are more.”
He showed me another conversation.
Evelyn: She has been talking about changing the beneficiary.
My stomach dropped.
Unknown Number: Then you need to act quickly.
I looked at Evelyn.
“You knew Lily wanted to change her beneficiary?”
She said nothing.
Richard turned toward his mother.
“Answer her.”
“She was confused.”
“About what?”
“She was upset with everyone.”
“That doesn't answer the question.”
Evelyn's face hardened.
“She didn't understand her own finances.”
I stared at her.
“You're lying.”
She looked at me.
“You're grieving. You don't know what you're saying.”
“No.”
My voice became steadier.
“I know exactly what I'm saying.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“There's more.”
He opened another file.
“This one isn't from Grandma.”
“What is it?”
“Lily sent it to me.”
My heart stopped.
“When?”
“Two days before she died.”
I stared at him.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I thought she was paranoid.”
He looked devastated.
“I was wrong.”
The message from Lily was short.
Ethan, something is wrong.
Another.
Grandma keeps asking about my insurance.
Another.
If anything happens to me, don't trust what they tell Mom.
I covered my mouth.
My daughter had been afraid.
And I hadn't known.
Ethan looked at me.
“She asked me to protect you.”
I began crying.
“She knew.”
“Yes.”
“What did she know?”
Ethan looked toward Evelyn.
“I don't know yet.”
Then his phone buzzed.
A new message appeared.
Ethan read it.
His expression changed.
“What?”
He turned the phone toward us.
The message came from an unknown number.
You should stop digging unless you want to know what really happened to Lily.
The chapel fell silent again.
Richard whispered:
“Who sent that?”
Ethan looked at the screen.
“I don't know.”
May you like
Then another message arrived.
The accident wasn't an accident.
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