Chapter 17 - Charles's Eight Hundred Thousand
Charles asked everyone except Monica and me to leave.
When the door closed, he sat down across from me.
"Diane is telling the truth about the amount."
I felt tired more than surprised.
"Where did the money go?"
"To me."
"Why?"
He rubbed both hands over his face.
Twelve years earlier, before my father rescued Bennett Development, Charles had discovered Diane was moving company money through Victor. He wanted to confront them, but the company was already near collapse.
"David offered two-point-eight million," Charles said. "Two million went into the company. Eight hundred thousand went into a separate account under my control."
"A secret account."
"Yes."
"For what?"
"To document Diane and Victor without them knowing. Private audits. Investigators. Legal work."
"And did you?"
He slid a folder toward me.
Receipts. Reports. Copies of checks.
He had spent years gathering evidence.
Then stopped.
"Why?"
His eyes filled.
"Ryan found out. He was twenty-four. He begged me not to destroy his mother. He said he'd get her out of the company quietly."
"So you buried it."
"Yes."
There it was again.
Silence dressed up as love.
"My father died while you were protecting Ryan from the truth."
Charles flinched.
"I know."
"Did Dad know you stopped?"
"He found out the week he died. That's why he was furious with me."
I stood.
"I need to know something, Charles. Did you ever suspect Victor could hurt him?"
He took too long.
"I knew Victor was scared. I didn't think he'd go that far."
I turned away.
"Emily."
"Not now."
My phone rang.
Detective Lane.
His voice was tight.
"We got the engineering report on the guardrail."
I closed my eyes.
"Tell me."
"The bolts were removed before your father's car hit it."
My knees weakened.
Lane continued.
"And we found a work order signed by Victor Sloan authorizing the crew to leave that section unsecured overnight."
"So Victor killed my father?"
"We can prove he created the hazard. But there is something else."
May you like
"What?"
"Diane's signature is on the payment approval."
