Chương 10
“One point eight million.”
The number felt familiar.
Not exact.
Close enough to make her pulse jump.
Daniel had noticed too.
He took her phone and wrote on a notepad.
Current missing investment funds: approx. $1.96M.
Meredith read it.
“What happened to the 1998 transfer?”
“It went to Rourke’s company.”
“Why?”
“Settlement obligation.”
“Authorized by Mom.”
“Yes.”
“Did she agree to it?”
“Yes.”
“Did she understand what it was?”
“Meredith.”
“Did she?”
Robert hesitated.
“She was told it was necessary.”
“That is a terrible answer.”
“It is the truth.”
“Necessary for what?”
“To prevent criminal referrals.”
The kitchen seemed to lose all sound.
Meredith stared at nothing.
Daniel slowly set down the pen.
“Criminal referrals against whom?”
Robert’s silence stretched so long that Meredith already knew.
Finally he said, “Against all of us.”
“All of you meaning you, Mom, Vale, and Rourke?”
“Yes.”
“What did the lender think happened?”
“They believed tenant commitments had been fabricated.”
“Had they?”
“Some were overstated.”
“Fabricated?”
“Some signatures were not properly authorized.”
Meredith shut her eyes.
“Who did that?”
“I don’t know.”
“That is impossible.”
“It was never proven.”
“Who was suspected?”
Robert said nothing.
Meredith’s hand began to shake.
“Mom?”
“She handled the documents.”
“That does not mean she created them.”
“No.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
The speed of his answer bothered her.
“Did Vale?”
“He denied it.”
“Rourke?”
“He blamed your mother.”
“And you?”
Silence.
Meredith whispered, “Who did you blame?”
“I tried to keep everyone out of prison.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It was twenty-eight years ago.”
“And someone is texting me about it tonight.”
Robert exhaled hard.
“You need to stop responding to that number.”
“I haven’t responded.”
“Good.”
His relief was immediate.
Meredith noticed.
“Why good?”
“Because you have no idea who it is.”
“Neither do you.”
Another pause.
Then Robert said, “I might.”
Daniel leaned forward.
Meredith’s heartbeat quickened.
“Who?”
“Martin Rourke had a daughter.”
“Had?”
“Has.”
“What’s her name?”
“Claire.”
“How old?”
“Late forties now.”
“Why would she contact me?”
“I don’t know.”
“Try.”
Robert sounded tired enough to collapse.
“Because Martin spent the rest of his life saying we destroyed him.”
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Did Mom?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
“The project failed.”
Meredith nearly shouted.
“Stop hiding behind the project.”
Robert did not answer.
Daniel touched her wrist.
Not to silence her.
To steady her.
She breathed once.
“What happened to Martin?”
“He went bankrupt.”
“And then?”
“His marriage ended.”
“That doesn’t answer where he is now.”
“He died.”
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
Meredith looked at Daniel.
“Did Mom go to the funeral?”
Robert said nothing.
Her skin prickled.
“Dad.”
“Yes.”
Meredith closed her eyes.
“Did you?”
“No.”
“Why did she?”
“I didn’t know she had until later.”
“How?”
“I found the program in her coat.”
The kitchen light suddenly felt too bright.
Meredith turned it off.
Only the stove clock and the street lamps remained.
“What else didn’t you know about?”
Robert’s voice became guarded.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No.”
“Mom didn’t start planning this yesterday.”
“I understand that.”
“Do you?”
“Meredith.”
“She moved nearly three million dollars, took her passport, prepared to leave after the wedding, and somehow a stranger knows enough about your business in 1998 to text me exact dates and transfers.”
Robert said nothing.
Meredith heard something else in the silence now.
Not only fear.
Recognition.
“What are you not telling me?”
“I have told you enough for tonight.”
“That is not your decision.”
“I’m still your father.”
“And I’m still the person you called when your wife disappeared.”
The words stopped him.
Meredith hated the small satisfaction she felt.
After several seconds, Robert spoke.
“There was a letter.”
Daniel’s head lifted.
“What letter?”
“It came about six months ago.”
“To whom?”
“Your mother.”
“From?”
“I don’t know.”
“You opened it?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know about it?”
“She left it on the desk.”
“What did it say?”
“I only saw part.”
“Dad.”
“It mentioned Providence and a reconciliation of accounts.”
Meredith felt cold again.
“Exact words?”
“Yes.”
“What did Mom say?”
“That it was junk.”
“And you believed her?”
“No.”
“What did you do?”
“I checked the business accounts.”
“And?”
“Nothing was missing.”
Meredith stared at the international number on her screen.
“You checked the wrong accounts.”
Robert made no sound.
Daniel folded his arms.
“Ask whether she changed attorneys,” he said quietly.
Meredith repeated the question.
Robert hesitated.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Four months ago.”
“Did she tell you why?”
“Estate planning.”
“Did you meet the attorney?”
“No.”
“Name?”
“Lydia Chen.”
Daniel wrote it down.
Meredith continued.
“Did Mom change beneficiaries?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did she move other assets?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did she rent property?”
“I don’t know.”
“Buy plane tickets?”
“I don’t know.”
His frustration rose with each answer.
Finally Robert snapped, “I didn’t monitor her every movement.”
“No.”
Meredith looked at Daniel.
“But someone did enough planning to make sure you wouldn’t notice.”
Robert went silent.
For the first time that night, Meredith felt something like pity for him.
Not absolution.
Not trust.
Just pity.
“Call your lawyer at seven,” she said.
“Then ask for complete records from every account Mom could access.”
“All right.”
“Do not move anything yourself.”
“I’m not an idiot.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Meredith leaned back against the counter.
“I’m trying.”
The answer seemed to surprise both of them.
Robert exhaled.
“I’ll call you in the morning.”
“Good.”
She ended the call.
Daniel looked toward the window.
“Still no investigators?”
Meredith considered it.
“No one follows her.”
“Fine.”
“But Marcus can identify whether that number is obviously spoofed, public, or associated with anything lawful to check.”
Daniel nodded.
“That’s a reasonable boundary.”
“I hate when you say that.”
“I know.”
She handed him the phone.
As Daniel sent the number to Marcus, another message appeared before he could lock the screen.
This one contained a photograph.
Meredith took the phone back.
May you like
The image showed Elaine sitting alone at an airport gate beneath a departure board.
Her hair was pulled into a low ponytail, and she wore jeans Meredith had never seen.
