Chương 10
“According to him? Nothing.”
“You believe him?”
“I believe parts of what people say when the parts are supported.”
“Did he show you anything?”
“We have records.”
“What records?”
Holbrook shook her head.
“Not yet.”
Elena sat back.
They were in the detective’s office now.
A printer clicked in the hallway.
Someone nearby was eating something that smelled aggressively like onions.
“So Evelyn didn’t tell him to hide it.”
“We don’t have evidence she did.”
“But she told him Daniel wasn’t there.”
“Yes.”
“And he understood.”
“Apparently.”
Elena felt irritated.
“At what point does everyone stop understanding without being told?”
Holbrook looked at her.
“You worked in that house nine years.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the best one I have.”
The detective closed a folder.
“Cal also says Richard regained consciousness before the ambulance arrived.”
“He was conscious when I called.”
“Cal says Richard told Evelyn something.”
“What?”
“He claims he didn’t hear all of it.”
Elena waited.
Holbrook glanced at the folder.
“He heard, ‘You wanted out. Now you get it.’”
Elena felt cold.
“What does that mean?”
“We don’t know.”
“Did Evelyn answer?”
“He says she told Richard to stop talking.”
“That sounds bad.”
“Lots of things sound bad.”
“You’re annoying.”
“I hear that.”
“What does the medical examiner say?”
“Still reviewing.”
“Daniel shoved him.”
“Yes.”
“He hit something.”
“Likely.”
“Could that have killed him?”
“Yes.”
Elena waited.
Holbrook continued.
“Could something else have contributed? Also yes.”
“What something else?”
“I’m not giving you a pathology lecture before the report is complete.”
“Because you think I’ll tell Adrian?”
“Because I think you are emotionally involved.”
“I’m a witness.”
“You are also a person.”
Elena looked away.
That irritated her more.
Adrian called that evening.
She answered.
“What?”
“Cal’s cooperating.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Detective.”
“She shouldn’t be telling you details.”
“She doesn’t.”
“Then what do you know?”
“That he moved the cufflink. Wiped blood. Disabled cameras at your mother’s request.”
Adrian went quiet.
“Elena.”
“Yes.”
“Did Cal say my father spoke before the ambulance?”
She hesitated.
“I was there.”
“What did he say?”
“I told you. He didn’t want a hospital.”
“Anything to my mother?”
“I couldn’t hear.”
“Cal says he did.”
“Then ask Cal.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“His lawyer won’t let him talk to me.”
“That’s probably intelligent.”
“Elena.”
She heard exhaustion in his voice.
“Have you slept?”
“A little.”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“That means no.”
“I’m not calling for health advice.”
“Clearly.”
He exhaled.
“The board wants me to take a formal leave.”
“You should.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“No.”
She waited.
Adrian said, “If I leave now, people assume I’m implicated.”
“Are you?”
“No.”
“Then let them assume.”
“That’s easy for you to say.”
There it was again.
She almost hung up.
Then Adrian added, “Sorry.”
“You keep doing that.”
“I know.”
“Maybe stop needing to apologize.”
“Working on it.”
Despite herself, she smiled.
“What do you want?”
“I found something.”
“What?”
“My father’s draft separation response.”
Elena sat up.
“He knew?”
“He knew everything.”
“About the lawyer?”
“About the accounts. Daniel. The apartment my mother was considering. He had copies of messages.”
“How?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“Cal?”
“Possibly.”
“But Cal said he stopped giving him logs.”
“Logs aren’t messages.”
Elena felt a slow unease.
“What did the response say?”
“He was going to contest everything.”
“That sounds normal.”
“He also threatened to report Daniel for misappropriating company money unless Mom abandoned the separation.”
Elena closed her eyes.
“Blackmail.”
“My lawyer says don’t use that word yet.”
“What word does he prefer?”
“Leverage.”
“Of course.”
Adrian gave a tired laugh.
Then his voice changed.
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“My father scheduled a meeting Monday morning to remove Daniel from the board and refer the payments to outside counsel.”
“So Daniel had motive.”
“Yes.”
“You sound like you hate saying that.”
“I hate that everything can be true at the same time.”
Elena understood.
Daniel could have loved his mother.
Daniel could have acted recklessly.
Richard could have been controlling.
Richard could have been injured.
Evelyn could have been frightened.
Evelyn could have lied.
Cal could have obeyed.
No truth canceled another.
“What are you going to do?” she asked.
Adrian was quiet.
“The board wants me to protect the company.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“I know.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I don’t know.”
It was the first time Elena had ever heard Adrian Cole say those words without immediately replacing them.
The medical examiner’s report came three days later.
Richard Cole had suffered a traumatic injury to the side of his head consistent with striking a hard surface.
He also had severe underlying cardiovascular disease.
The report did not reduce the death to a clean story.
The injury had caused bleeding inside the skull.
The cardiovascular condition complicated his collapse.
Medical experts could not state, from pathology alone, whether an ambulance called several minutes earlier would definitely have saved him.
Daniel’s shove mattered.
The delay mattered.
Richard’s refusal of help mattered.
None of them mattered in the simple way people wanted.
News channels called it a homicide investigation anyway.
Daniel was arrested on charges connected to the physical confrontation.
Cal faced separate allegations related to evidence tampering and obstruction.
Evelyn was questioned again.
No immediate charge was filed against her.
That made strangers furious.
Elena discovered that thousands of people who had never met Evelyn Cole were very certain about exactly what she deserved.
Some called her a murderer.
Others called Daniel a victim.
Others decided Elena had staged everything for money.
One account posted a photograph of Elena leaving a grocery store and estimated the cost of her handbag.
It was forty dollars from an outlet mall.
The post claimed four thousand.
Maria sent it to her.
WE SHOULD SELL THE BAG.
Elena replied:
Finally a practical idea.
For three days Elena did not leave her apartment except to visit her mother.
She stopped reading comments.
Then she started again.
Then stopped.
May you like
Then checked one more time.
Human dignity turned out to be difficult to maintain with Wi-Fi.
