Chapter 12 - The Catskills
"Don't come here."
"Where are you?"
"The old Ridgeway property."
"With Charles?"
"Not yet."
I closed my eyes.
"Why are you there?"
"Because he has the original vendor contracts."
"Then let investigators handle it."
"Clara, there are documents that prove what he did to Mercer."
"We already have enough."
"No. You have accounting evidence. These have signatures."
My stomach dropped.
"What did you sign?"
"A backdated board certification three years ago."
"Why?"
"My father said it was routine."
"You keep saying that."
"I know."
For once, he sounded disgusted with himself.
We stayed on the call while police moved toward the property.
Julian entered the abandoned hotel's old management office.
"Julian?"
Footsteps.
Charles's voice came through faintly.
"You always were weak."
The line stayed open.
Julian said, "I brought the ledger copy."
"No, you didn't."
A pause.
"Then why are you here?"
"To end this."
Charles laughed.
"You couldn't end a meeting without asking Clara how she felt."
I heard something hit the floor.
Then Julian grunted.
I stood.
Through the phone, Charles said, "You think confessing makes you noble? You forged her signature. You read her medical files. You married her because I told you to."
Julian answered, "I did all of that."
Silence.
Then, "And I'm going to testify to it."
Charles swore.
A loud crash.
The line disconnected.
He had escaped through a service tunnel beneath the hotel.
But the safe was open.
Inside were the original vendor contracts.
And a sealed envelope in my father's handwriting.
CLARA - DO NOT LET HARTWELL TURN MY SILENCE INTO YOURS.
I held the envelope in my hands.
It had been waiting fifteen years.
Then an officer approached.
"Ms. Bennett?"
"Yes?"
"We found something else in the safe."
He held up a marriage license.
Not mine.
May you like
Julian Hartwell and Sienna Mercer.
Dated three years earlier.
