Chapter 11 - THE GRANDFATHER
My father had been prescribed the same medication after a surgical procedure.
The prescription was stronger than Rachel’s.
He kept it in a locked drawer in his study.
After the first poisoning, he discovered several pills were missing.
He did not report it.
He believed Rachel had taken them.
Instead of protecting Emma, he protected the family’s reputation.
He threw away the bottle and created a story about finding Rachel’s medication.
Dad feared police would search his house, uncover financial records, and examine Grandma Evelyn’s trust.
He had been withdrawing money from Emma’s account.
At first, the payments were labeled management fees.
Later, they became loans to family businesses.
More than eight hundred thousand dollars was missing.
My father needed control of the trust to remain secret.
A custody investigation would expose him.
Rachel knew about the missing money.
She used it to blackmail him.
If he helped her gain guardianship, she promised not to report the theft.
My mother insisted Dad had never agreed.
I no longer believed anything she said without evidence.
Detective Hayes obtained a search warrant for my parents’ home.
Investigators found shredded trust statements in the fireplace.
They also discovered a hidden camera aimed at the room where Emma slept during overnight visits.
The memory card showed Rachel entering the bedroom on two separate nights.
In one recording, she placed something inside Emma’s cup.
In the other, she sat beside Emma’s bed and whispered while Emma slept.
“You belong with me.”
“I’m going to fix everything.”
Rachel’s face appeared calm.
Almost loving.
That frightened me more than anger would have.
My father was arrested for financial crimes and evidence destruction.
He denied helping Rachel poison Emma.
My mother was investigated for obstruction.
David finally admitted that Rachel had been talking about taking Emma for months.
He claimed he assumed it was emotional fantasy.
Then Detective Hayes showed him bank transfers.
Rachel had paid him seventy-five thousand dollars from an account funded by my father.
The payment occurred three days before the birthday party.
“What was the money for?” I asked.
David looked at the table.
“To leave town after she got custody.”
“Where?”
He swallowed.
“Canada.”
“And what was supposed to happen to Mark and me?”
May you like
David’s eyes moved toward the floor.
“I was told you would be arrested.”
