Chapter 13 - The Night the House Went Quiet
Three days after the yacht incident, Adrian moved into Junie's bedroom.
Not permanently.
Just until she could sleep through the night without screaming.
He brought an old camping mattress and placed it beside her bed.
Junie watched him inflate it.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah?”
“You know you have a really big bed.”
“I do.”
“And this one's tiny.”
“Excellent observation.”
“You look like a hot dog.”
Adrian examined the narrow mattress.
“A luxury hot dog.”
Junie laughed.
It was the first full laugh he'd heard since the fall.
He treasured it.
That night, she asked him to read the same story three times.
On the fourth request, he pretended to fall asleep halfway through a sentence.
Junie poked his cheek.
“Daddy. That's cheating.”
“I was resting my eyes.”
“Your mouth was open.”
“Advanced resting.”
She giggled again.
Then, without warning, her face changed.
“Daddy?”
He sat up.
“What's wrong?”
“If I fall again, will you hear me?”
Adrian felt the air leave his chest.
He moved beside her.
“Junie, you're safe here.”
“But if I do?”
“I'll come.”
“Even if you're working?”
“Yes.”
“Even if Graham needs you?”
He swallowed.
“Even then.”
Junie watched him carefully.
“Even if Corinne tells you not to?”
Adrian's voice caught.
“Especially then.”
She nestled beneath the blankets.
“Okay.”
He remained beside her until she slept.
At midnight, his phone vibrated.
An email from Graham.
Adrian, we need to discuss the company's liquidity position. The situation is becoming urgent.
Adrian stared at the message.
He typed:
Do not contact me directly about financial authorizations. Communicate with Helen and the independent board committee.
Graham replied almost immediately.
You're making a serious mistake.
Adrian switched off his phone.
He was tired of warnings.
Across town, Graham sat alone in his office with an untouched glass of bourbon.
He was studying an internal report from the company's audit committee.
Helen had recommended suspending his access to treasury systems pending review.
The committee had agreed.
He could no longer move funds without additional authorization.
Graham called Nathan.
No answer.
He tried Corinne.
She picked up after the sixth ring.
“What?”
“We have a problem.”
“You keep saying that.”
“The company froze my access.”
“Good.”
Graham stared at the phone.
“Excuse me?”
“Maybe you should've stopped while you had the chance.”
“Corinne, you signed the paperwork.”
“I know.”
“You can't pretend you were some innocent bystander.”
“I don't.”
“Then you understand what happens if Adrian brings in forensic accountants.”
Corinne was silent.
Graham leaned forward.
“You lose everything.”
“I already lost everything.”
“Not your freedom.”
The line went quiet.
Then Corinne said, “Are you threatening me?”
“I'm reminding you that we're connected.”
“Funny. You didn't seem connected when I called you from the yacht.”
“You told me nobody saw.”
“Nobody saw the push. Mara saw what happened afterward.”
“Then we need to know what she told police.”
“No.”
Graham paused.
“No?”
“I'm not going anywhere near her.”
He smiled bitterly.
“Developing a conscience now?”
Corinne's voice hardened.
“Maybe I'm finally developing a brain.”
She ended the call.
Graham sat staring at his screen.
Then he opened an encrypted folder on his computer.
Inside was a video file labeled:
SECOND LIGHT — PREPARATION.
He played it.
The footage showed the yacht's bow two weeks earlier.
Corinne stood beside the loungers.
Nathan was near the exposed edge.
A man's voice spoke from behind the camera.
“From the inside doorway, Adrian won't see anything until he comes all the way out.”
Corinne glanced toward the lens.
“This is disgusting. Why are we even discussing it?”
The voice answered:
“Because we need to know where everyone will be.”
Nathan looked uncomfortable.
He pointed toward the edge.
“Can we stop pretending this is normal?”
The camera moved.
The image blurred.
Then the recording ended.
Graham leaned back.
He watched the video twice.
It was not proof that anyone had planned to harm Junie.
But it was proof that adults had studied the precise location before the party.
And Graham knew exactly why.
May you like
He opened a new email addressed to an unfamiliar contact.
We may need to accelerate the contingency.
