Chapter 9 - The Evidence
The next forty-eight hours became a race.
We collected bank records.
Phone logs.
Security footage.
Encrypted messages.
Shell-company documents.
Every piece led back to Richard Vale.
And every trail eventually led to Grant.
But Grant still had one advantage.
He could claim he had been manipulated.
That changed when we found the recordings.
In one conversation, Grant clearly discussed obtaining custody of Ellie.
In another, he discussed making me look mentally unstable.
In a third, he mentioned Bluebird by name.
The strongest evidence came from Vanessa.
She had been recording Grant for months.
She knew he intended to abandon her once he gained access to the trust.
She had turned on him to protect herself.
When I met her, she looked nothing like the woman in the gold dress.
She looked frightened.
“I didn't know how far he would go,” she said.
“You helped him.”
“Yes.”
“You targeted my daughter.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She stared at the floor.
“Money.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
She looked at me.
“You wanted power.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
I handed her a folder.
“You can testify.”
“Will that protect me?”
“No.”
I answered honestly.
“But it may keep you out of prison.”
She agreed.
That night, Vanessa provided one final piece of evidence.
A calendar entry.
A meeting scheduled for the following week.
Grant.
Richard Vale.
My uncle.
The purpose was listed in two words.
Transfer control.
The location was the Kingsley boardroom.
I stared at the screen.
They were planning to take the company from inside.
And they believed I still had no idea.
May you like
That was their mistake.
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