Chapter 9 - The Blue Ledger
The boathouse smelled of damp wood, old rope, and the lake. Deputy Grant stood at the door while I and Wren searched the shelves. The blue ledger was tucked behind a rusted tackle box, wrapped in a plastic bag. Its pages held dates, amounts, and short notes in Robert's square handwriting.
There were also notes about the night he died. He had recorded the time he planned to meet Stacey at the dock and the reason: "She says she has proof Caleb signed the sale papers. Wants to explain alone."
Wren covered her mouth. "She lured him out there."
A folded page had been sewn into the ledger's back cover. It was a copy of a letter Robert had written but never sent to Caleb. He asked his son to stop the transfers, repay the money, and tell me the truth. The final line read: "You can still come back from this, but not if you keep making other people carry your shame."
Grant took the ledger into evidence. As we left the boathouse, a car pulled into the drive. Caleb stepped out, his face drawn and his hands empty.
"Mom, please," he said. "I need to explain."
Grant moved between us. "You can speak with investigators and your attorney. You can't approach your mother without permission."
Caleb looked past her at me. "Stacey said you were going to ruin us. She said there was no way out."
"There was a way out," I said. "Your father gave you one."
Caleb's eyes filled, but before he could answer, a second car stopped behind his.
May you like
Stacey got out holding a folder.
"Don't let him fool you," she said. "He was the one who pushed Robert first."
