Chapter 17 - A Daughter's Statement
A child advocacy specialist helped Maya prepare a statement for investigators. She was not asked to perform, repeat a script, or decide what should happen to Victoria. She was asked what she remembered, what she heard, and what made her afraid.
Maya described the locked room, the comments about Eleanor, the threats that Richard would stop loving her if she told anyone, and the night Victoria tried to take the key. When she grew tired, the interview stopped. The specialist reminded her that she could correct herself later if she remembered something differently.
Richard waited in the next room, fighting the urge to go in and answer for her. He understood now that protecting Maya did not mean taking over her voice. It meant making sure she could use it without being punished.
Afterward, Maya asked if she had done something bad by recording Victoria.
“No,” Richard said. “You were trying to get someone to listen. The adults should have made it safe for you to speak without needing proof.”
The investigators recovered the tablet, the original trust documents, and the financial records from Peter's office. They found invoices for services never delivered, emails about moving money through Northstar, and drafts of the guardianship form. The evidence supported charges related to fraud, forgery, and misuse of charitable funds. It did not establish that Peter caused Eleanor's death, and the authorities made that distinction clear.
The hospital completed its review of the missing page. It found no evidence that Eleanor's medical care had been deliberately altered. The page showed that Peter had tried to position himself as a financial representative while she was hospitalized, but it did not change the medical finding.
Richard felt relief and grief at the same time. He had wanted one simple villain to explain every loss. The truth was more complicated: people had exploited a tragedy, hidden money, and hurt a child. Eleanor's death remained a medical tragedy, not a proven murder.
That evening, Maya asked to sleep with her bedroom door open. Richard agreed. Grace sat nearby until Maya fell asleep.
“Daddy, if I have a bad dream, will you come?” Maya whispered.
May you like
“Every time,” he said.
For the first time, she believed him enough to let go of his hand.
