Chương 7
“From what?”
“From my father.”
Bell tapped his pen against the folder.
“What leverage did Richard have?”
Blake’s silence answered first.
Bell leaned closer.
“Mr. Stanford.”
“Graham had stolen money from the company.”
“How much?”
“I don’t know.”
“Estimate.”
“More than two hundred thousand.”
My mother inhaled.
Bell said, “And Richard knew.”
“Yes.”
“So Graham either controlled Chloe or went to prison.”
“That’s what my father implied.”
“Implied?”
“He said families survive because adults make unpleasant choices.”
My mother muttered, “I already hate him.”
I almost smiled.
Then the pain in my abdomen reminded me there was nothing funny about any of this.
Bell asked, “Did Richard threaten Chloe directly?”
Blake nodded.
“He said if she went public, Graham would be prosecuted and she would be dragged into it because some of the money had been used to pay her college tuition.”
“That wouldn’t necessarily make her criminally liable.”
“She was nineteen.”
Bell’s jaw tightened.
“And she believed him.”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
Blake’s face turned pale.
“I told her to wait.”
I stared at him.
“For what?”
“I thought I could talk to my father.”
My mother said, “There it is.”
Blake looked at her.
“What?”
“The family disease.”
He frowned.
“You all think another conversation with Richard will fix whatever Richard did.”
I looked at Blake.
My mother was right.
Even after stabbing me, his first instinct had been to find Chloe, confront her, correct the situation personally.
He had spent his whole life believing power could be negotiated inside the family before outsiders became necessary.
“What happened after you told Chloe to wait?” Bell asked.
“She looked at me and asked whose side I was on.”
Blake’s throat worked.
“I said hers.”
“But?”
“My father told me that if I walked out with her, he would cut me off.”
My mother stared at him.
“You chose money.”
Blake’s head snapped up.
“It wasn’t just money.”
“What else?”
“The company.”
“You were nineteen.”
“It was supposed to be mine someday.”
“That is money with a logo.”
“Mom.”
She ignored me.
Blake looked toward the floor.
“She waited for me to say something.”
“And you didn’t,” I said.
“No.”
I pictured Chloe at nineteen.
Furious, frightened, betrayed by her stepfather, threatened by Richard, waiting for the boy she loved to choose her.
For the first time, I felt something toward her that was not hatred.
It was not forgiveness.
It was recognition.
A person could be terribly wronged and still become someone who wronged others.
Both could be true.
“What did she do?” I asked.
“She laughed.”
Blake’s mouth twisted.
“She said, ‘Of course.’”
The words were simple.
They sounded worse because of that.
“Then Graham took her home.”
Bell said, “And the next day?”
“She was gone.”
“Where?”
“Graham told me she had left the state.”
“But she remained in Arizona fourteen months.”
Blake looked startled.
“He lied to me.”
Bell’s expression did not soften.
“Yes.”
Blake sat down slowly.
“He said she wanted nothing to do with me.”
“That may also have been true.”
Blake flinched.
Bell closed his notebook.
“Did you ever see Richard and Graham together after that?”
“Many times.”
“Did you ever ask about Chloe?”
“For a while.”
“And eventually?”
“I stopped.”
My mother looked at him with naked disgust.
Bell asked, “Did you know Graham came back to work for Stanford Group?”
“Not officially.”
“What does that mean?”
“My father used him for private matters.”
“What kind of private matters?”
Blake hesitated.
“Background checks.”
“On employees?”
“Sometimes.”
“Competitors?”
“Yes.”
“Family?”
Blake looked at me.
I felt the answer before he spoke.
“Yes.”
My mother stood so fast her chair scraped the floor.
“You investigated my daughter?”
“Mom.”
“No.”
She pointed at Blake.
“You answer me.”
Blake looked miserable.
“My father did.”
“When?”
“Before the wedding.”
My face went numb.
“What did he investigate?”
“Your finances.”
I almost laughed.
“I worked in finance.”
“I know.”
“Employment?”
“Yes.”
“Relationships?”
“Yes.”
My mother’s voice went cold.
“Medical records?”
Blake looked away.
Bell caught it immediately.
“Mr. Stanford.”
“I don’t know.”
“That is not the same as no.”
“I said I don’t know.”
I stared at him.
“Did your father know I was pregnant?”
Blake looked genuinely shocked.
“No.”
“How can you be sure?”
“I can’t.”
That answer frightened me more than a lie would have.
Bell took out his phone and stepped into the hallway.
My mother moved closer to the bed.
“I want you transferred.”
Owen said, “That may not be medically advisable tonight.”
“I don’t care.”
“I do.”
She turned on him.
“I don’t know who in this hospital is compromised.”
“Neither do I.”
His honesty stopped her.
“That is why I’ve already restricted access to Natalie’s chart.”
“When?”
“After we heard the recorder.”
My mother narrowed her eyes.
“You did that yourself?”
“Yes.”
“Can anyone override it?”
“Certain administrators can.”
“Wonderful.”
Owen nodded once.
“That is exactly my concern.”
Blake stood.
“I can arrange private security.”
“No,” I said.
He looked at me.
“You’re exposed here.”
“I would rather take my chances with hospital security than anyone your family hires.”
“Natalie.”
“No.”
His jaw tightened.
“There are people trying to hurt you.”
“One of them was you.”
The sentence hit him cleanly.
He looked away.
“I know.”
Bell returned.
“Everybody stays where they are.”
Something in his tone changed the room.
“What happened?” Owen asked.
Bell shut the door behind him.
“We pulled Graham Mercer’s cell records under the emergency warrant.”
Blake’s face tightened.
“And?”
“He placed three calls to Dr. Adrian Keller in the forty-eight hours before Natalie was attacked.”
Owen swore quietly.
Bell continued.
“The last call was Tuesday at four thirty-eight.”
Fourteen minutes before Keller replaced Voss on my surgical assignment.
My mother gripped the bed rail.
“That’s him.”
Bell shook his head.
“It’s a link.”
“It’s him.”
“It is not yet proof of what was said.”
My mother looked ready to argue.
I interrupted.
“What about Priya?”
May you like
Bell turned toward me.
“We also found a call from Graham to Dr. Shah.”
