[CHAPTER 8]
Laura agreed to come back.
Not because she trusted the family.
She made that painfully clear.
She trusted Detective Mills.
And, strangely, she trusted me.
“You recorded Evelyn when no one else would challenge her,” she told me over the phone. “That tells me enough.”
I wasn’t sure I deserved that confidence.
I had only pressed a button.
Laura had survived decades.
Still, I accepted it.
Police arranged her travel quietly.
Only Mills and I knew the exact schedule.
Not Robert.
Not Daniel.
Not Melissa.
Not even Henry.
The reason was simple.
Someone inside the family was still helping Victor.
Nathan’s disappearance made that undeniable.
The burned study proved the conspiracy was active.
And until police understood who was involved, nobody got full information.
Daniel didn’t argue when I told him.
That was new.
Robert struggled more.
“She was my sister-in-law.”
“And the last time she trusted this family, everyone turned against her.”
He looked ashamed.
“You’re right.”
Those words were becoming more common.
Too late.
But still important.
Meanwhile, police found Nathan.
Or rather, they found the stolen company SUV abandoned near a bus station.
No Nathan.
Inside the vehicle was another burner phone.
One outgoing call.
Victor.
The call lasted twenty-three seconds.
Mills didn’t tell us what cell towers showed.
I took that to mean police were close.
Evelyn was released on bail that afternoon.
That terrified me.
The assault charge alone wasn’t enough to keep her jailed indefinitely, and the larger financial case was still developing.
She received a protective order.
She could not contact me.
She could not approach Robert’s house.
She could not contact witnesses about the case.
Within one hour of her release, she violated the spirit of every restriction without technically violating the wording.
She went to Aunt Patricia.
Patricia called Daniel crying.
“She says this is all a misunderstanding.”
Daniel put the call on speaker for Robert.
“What misunderstanding?” Daniel asked.
“Your mother says Victor manipulated her.”
Robert laughed bitterly.
“For thirty years?”
Patricia started defending her.
“She’s your mother, Daniel.”
I saw his face change.
That sentence used to control him.
He looked at me once.
Then back at the phone.
“She assaulted my wife.”
Patricia went quiet.
“She planted money in her coat.”
No answer.
“She stole her identity.”
Still nothing.
Daniel’s voice grew stronger.
“If you want to comfort Mom, that is your decision. But don’t ask me to pretend facts aren’t facts because we share blood.”
I looked away.
I didn’t want him to see how much that affected me.
He was finally becoming the man I had begged him to be.
It didn’t mean our marriage would survive.
But at least he was changing for himself.
That evening, Detective Mills called me privately.
“We have a problem.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
“Someone tried to access Laura’s flight information.”
“How?”
“Using an old family travel account connected to Robert’s company.”
“Who has access?”
“Several people.”
Of course.
“Did they succeed?”
“No.”
“Does Laura know?”
“Yes. We changed her route.”
I sat on Melissa’s couch.
“Is she safe?”
“For now.”
I hated those words.
For now.
Nothing felt permanent anymore.
Mills continued.
“There’s something else. We traced the prepaid number that threatened you.”
“To Victor?”
“No.”
My heartbeat quickened.
“Who?”
“The device was purchased at a convenience store three miles from Nathan’s apartment.”
“That doesn’t prove Nathan bought it.”
“No. But surveillance footage shows someone resembling him.”
I closed my eyes.
Nathan had texted me.
Nathan knew about Laura.
Nathan burned the study.
Or helped.
Why?
Money seemed the obvious answer.
But when I thought about the family gathering, I remembered something.
Nathan hadn’t simply watched when Evelyn hit me.
After she accused me of stealing, he had said one sentence.
I almost forgot it.
He had muttered, “Not again.”
At the time, I thought he meant family conflict.
Now I wasn’t sure.
I told Mills.
She wrote it down.
“Could he have known about Laura?”
“He grew up hearing the same story Daniel did.”
“Unless somebody told him the truth.”
That night, I couldn’t sleep.
At three in the morning, I went to the kitchen for water.
Melissa was already there.
She looked at me.
“Do you think Nathan is helping Mom?”
“Yes.”
She leaned against the counter.
“He used to be my best friend.”
“I’m sorry.”
“He changed when he started working for Dad.”
“How?”
“More money. Expensive clothes. Trips he couldn’t afford.”
I stared at her.
“Did Robert pay him well?”
“Good salary. Not that good.”
I called Mills immediately.
By dawn, police had searched Nathan’s financial records.
He was deeply in debt.
Gambling.
Credit cards.
A failed investment.
Then, eighteen months ago, his debts suddenly disappeared.
The same month Robert’s missing transfers began.
That was enough.
Nathan wasn’t just protecting Evelyn.
He had been paid.
At nine, Mills called with better news.
“We found Victor.”
My heart jumped.
“Where?”
“Airport hotel outside Baltimore.”
“Is he arrested?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“We’re watching him.”
I didn’t understand.
Then she explained.
Victor had booked two rooms.
One for himself.
One under a false name.
Police wanted to know who was coming.
By afternoon, surveillance caught the answer.
Nathan.
But someone else arrived too.
Someone nobody expected.
Dr. Barrett.
The physician Evelyn mentioned on the recording.
The man she had said would help declare Robert incompetent.
Mills called Robert.
By evening, all three men were under arrest.
For the first time, I felt like the net was closing.
Then Detective Mills came to see me personally.
Her expression stopped me from celebrating.
“What happened?”
“Victor had a flash drive.”
“And?”
“It contains files on you, Robert, Laura, Daniel, and several others.”
I stared at her.
“What kind of files?”
“Insurance records.”
My mouth went dry.
“Why would he need insurance records?”
Mills hesitated.
“Because Michael had a life insurance policy.”
I knew before she said the rest.
May you like
“Who received the money?”
“Evelyn.”
