Chapter 7 - Samuel’s Last Appointment
Detective Ortiz rejected Daniel’s first assumption.
“A canceled appointment followed by a death is suspicious,” she said, “but suspicious isn’t evidence of homicide.”
Daniel sat across from her the next morning.
“What was my father’s official cause of death?”
“Cardiac arrest associated with severe coronary artery disease. No autopsy was requested because his physician documented a long cardiac history.”
Daniel remembered Samuel refusing bypass surgery twice.
“There was nothing unusual at the scene?”
“Not according to the report.”
Daniel felt foolish and relieved simultaneously.
Ortiz continued.
“Don’t turn financial crimes into murder because it makes the story simpler.”
“Nothing about this is simple.”
“No. Which is exactly why we stay with evidence.”
She pushed a photograph across the table.
It showed a waterproof hard drive recovered from the pool.
“Forensics found archived security video.”
“From where?”
“Hale Land headquarters.”
Daniel frowned.
The company routinely deleted security footage after ninety days.
“How old?”
“Eighteen months.”
Daniel’s pulse quickened.
“The week Dad died?”
Ortiz nodded.
“Some files are corrupted. We recovered one clip.”
She turned a laptop toward him.
Samuel appeared on-screen inside his office.
October eighteenth.
8:43 p.m.
His father looked older than Daniel remembered—shoulders curved, face gray with exhaustion.
Victor stood near the desk.
No audio.
Samuel pointed toward the door.
Victor did not leave.
Samuel struck the desk with his palm.
Victor stepped closer.
The recording ended.
“That’s it?”
“So far.”
“Where did the drive come from?”
“The bag.”
“No, originally.”
“We’re working on that.”
Daniel watched the silent argument again.
His father appeared furious.
Victor appeared calm.
Always calm.
“Why would Victor preserve footage that made him look suspicious?”
“Maybe he didn’t.”
Daniel turned.
Ortiz continued.
“Whoever copied this drive may have been collecting evidence against him.”
Rebecca.
Samuel.
Or someone else.
At home that afternoon, Daniel finally allowed Eleanor to see Lily.
He remained in the room.
Eleanor knelt beside the child’s play table.
Lily was drawing with purple crayons.
“Grandma missed you.”
Lily did not answer.
Eleanor touched the edge of the paper.
“That’s pretty.”
Lily moved the drawing away.
The tiny gesture devastated Daniel more than anger would have.
Eleanor noticed too.
“What’s wrong, sweetheart?”
Lily looked toward Daniel.
He nodded gently.
“You can say anything you want.”
Lily stared at Eleanor.
Then she whispered, “Uncle Vic bad.”
Eleanor’s face tightened.
“Yes,” she said quietly. “What Uncle Victor did was very bad.”
Lily considered this.
Then she said, “Grandma blue book.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
Eleanor went perfectly still.
“What did you say?” Daniel asked.
Lily pointed toward the hallway.
“Grandma say blue book.”
Eleanor stood.
“She’s three. She could mean anything.”
Daniel watched his mother.
“When did you talk about the blue ledger in this house?”
“I didn’t.”
Lily returned to coloring.
“Grandma and Uncle Vic,” she said.
Eleanor turned pale.
Daniel walked toward her.
“You were here.”
“No.”
“You were here before Victor locked Lily outside.”
“I was not here when that happened.”
“That isn’t what I said.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled with something Daniel rarely saw in them.
Fear.
“I came by in the morning.”
Rebecca entered from the hallway.
Daniel looked at his mother.
May you like
“Why?”
Eleanor whispered, “Because I believed Rebecca had hidden something here that could destroy all of us.”
