Chapter 19 - Raymond Comes Home
Raymond returned to his house twelve days after his funeral.
Nothing had moved.
That disturbed him.
His coffee cup remained beside the sink.
A jacket hung over a chair.
Mail sat neatly stacked by the housekeeper.
He walked through rooms prepared for a man who had supposedly died.
On the mantel stood a photograph of himself and Emma at the beach.
She was four.
She had drawn a purple line on his cheek to match his scar.
He sat down.
For the first time since the warehouse, Raymond cried.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
He simply bent forward until his face was in his hands.
Later Nicole arrived.
“I thought you resigned.”
“I did.”
“Then why are you here?”
“This is my house.”
“I meant emotionally.”
Raymond almost smiled.
“Still working on that.”
Nicole sat opposite him.
For several minutes neither spoke.
Finally she said, “Gregory will probably be charged.”
“Bell told you?”
“No. Margaret thinks it’s coming.”
Raymond nodded.
“Colin?”
“Cooperating.”
“Of course.”
“He says Gregory knew.”
“Do you believe him?”
Nicole thought.
“I believe Gregory knew enough.”
Raymond studied her.
“That isn’t the same as knowing everything.”
“No.”
“You still love him.”
Nicole’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Raymond looked surprised.
“I’m divorcing him.”
“I know.”
“You can love someone and still understand that being near them is dangerous.”
Raymond looked toward the photograph.
“I wish Dad had known that.”
Nicole followed his gaze.
“No.”
“What?”
“I wish we would stop making Dad responsible for choices we made as adults.”
Raymond nodded slowly.
“Fair.”
She handed him an envelope.
“What’s this?”
“Copies of the trust documents.”
“Why?”
“Margaret wants both of us to submit proposals for restructuring.”
“I resigned.”
“You still own shares.”
“So do you.”
“Yes.”
“What do you want?”
Nicole looked around the expensive room.
“I think we should sell Alder Ridge.”
Raymond frowned automatically.
Nicole laughed.
“There he is.”
“It’s the last major parcel Dad bought.”
“And?”
“It matters.”
“To whom?”
Raymond had no answer.
Nicole continued.
“Sell it at market value. Repay anything Northstar improperly took. Fund Elias’s family legal costs. Restore employee retirement reserves.”
“Clara won’t take our money.”
“Then create something she doesn’t have to accept.”
“Like?”
“A public ethics and whistleblower fund independent of Archer.”
Raymond smiled faintly.
“Very corporate apology.”
“It’s better than naming a conference room after him.”
“True.”
He looked at the papers.
“What about the rest?”
“Independent board. No family member as CEO for at least five years.”
Raymond stared.
“You’re serious.”
“Yes.”
“Dad would hate it.”
“I know.”
That made both of them smile.
Then Emma arrived with Margaret.
She ran toward Raymond.
“Uncle Raymond!”
He knelt.
She stopped inches away.
Her expression suddenly uncertain.
Raymond understood.
At the funeral adults had told her the man in the casket was Raymond.
Now here was Raymond alive.
Reality had become negotiable.
He touched the scar on his cheek.
“Same one.”
Emma smiled.
Then she hugged him.
Raymond closed his eyes.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“For what?”
“For giving you my cufflink.”
“I like it.”
“I shouldn’t have made you keep a grown-up secret.”
Emma thought.
“But it proved I was right.”
“Yes.”
Raymond pulled back.
“You didn’t need proof to deserve being listened to.”
Emma looked toward Nicole.
Nicole swallowed.
“No, she didn’t.”
Emma climbed onto the sofa.
“Is Daddy coming?”
The room changed.
Nicole sat beside her.
“Not today.”
“Tomorrow?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does Daddy still live with us?”
Nicole chose every word.
“Daddy and I are going to live in different houses.”
Emma stared.
“Because of Uncle Raymond?”
“No.”
“Because I told?”
Nicole’s heart broke.
“No.”
She took Emma’s hands.
“None of this happened because you told the truth. It was already happening. You just helped us see it.”
Emma looked unconvinced.
Raymond spoke.
“Your truth didn’t break the family.”
She looked at him.
“Secrets did.”
Emma considered that.
Then asked the most six-year-old question possible.
“Can I still have two birthday cakes?”
Nicole laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
Emma smiled.
“Then maybe divorce is okay.”
Raymond laughed too.
For several minutes the house sounded almost normal.
Then Nicole’s phone rang.
Margaret.
Gregory Hart had just been taken into federal custody.
Charges included wire fraud, identity misuse, obstruction and conspiracy related to the warehouse attack.
Attempted murder charges had not yet been filed.
But Gregory’s freedom was over.
May you like
And Nicole knew Emma would soon ask the one question she was least prepared to answer.
Did Daddy try to kill Uncle Raymond?
