Chapter 11 - The Last Threat
Richard Vale tried to escape.
Security stopped him.
My uncle shouted that he was innocent.
Grant said nothing.
He simply stared at me.
Then he smiled.
The smile frightened me more than his anger ever had.
“You still don't understand.”
I remained still.
“Understand what?”
“Bluebird isn't what you think.”
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Don't listen to him.”
Grant laughed.
“Ask her about your mother.”
My heart stopped.
“What about my mother?”
Evelyn's face changed.
Grant looked at me.
“She was part of the original trust.”
I turned toward Evelyn.
“Is that true?”
She nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because your father changed the trust after her death.”
“Why?”
Evelyn looked toward the window.
“Because your mother discovered something.”
“What?”
“She discovered that someone inside the family had been diverting assets.”
I looked at Grant.
“Who?”
He leaned closer.
“Your uncle.”
My uncle shouted,
“Lies.”
But Richard Vale's face had gone gray.
That was enough.
My father's death suddenly looked different.
The family history looked different.
Even my mother's death looked different.
I had spent years believing she had died in a tragic accident.
Now I wondered whether it had been an accident at all.
I turned toward Evelyn.
“Tell me the truth.”
She whispered,
“Your mother was investigating Richard Vale.”
“And?”
“She died before she could expose him.”
The room became silent.
I looked at Grant.
His smile had disappeared.
May you like
For the first time, he looked like a man who realized he had opened a door he could no longer close.
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