June Alvarez had a daughter named Elena.<\/p>\n
She was twenty-four and worked as a physical therapist.<\/p>\n
I had met her once at Northstar's summer picnic.<\/p>\n
She was quiet, with her mother's dark eyes.<\/p>\n
When Detective Ortiz told me about the message June had left, I pictured Elena listening to her mother's voice for the last time.<\/p>\n
It made my chest ache.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did June discover?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Ortiz sat beside my hospital bed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're still tracing the transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
She explained that June had noticed reimbursement entries tied to vendors that weren't performing work for Northstar.<\/p>\n
At first, the charges looked small.<\/p>\n
Equipment rentals.<\/p>\n
Maintenance supplies.<\/p>\n
Consulting fees.<\/p>\n
Then June followed the payments.<\/p>\n
Several vendors led to a holding company associated with Brooke's brother.<\/p>\n
From there, money moved into accounts connected to a planned acquisition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat acquisition?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo private helicopter maintenance facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cNorthstar was considering maintenance expansion.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant appears to have been pursuing it without your approval.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered arguing with him about capital expenditures.<\/p>\n
He wanted to acquire two struggling facilities.<\/p>\n
I believed their debt and maintenance liabilities made them poor investments.<\/p>\n
He insisted we would lose opportunities if we moved too slowly.<\/p>\n
I refused.<\/p>\n
The proposal disappeared from board discussions.<\/p>\n
Apparently, Grant had never abandoned it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much money?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to give investigators serious questions about diversion of company funds. We aren't treating every transfer as criminal until we establish its purpose and authority.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid June know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe appears to have found part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz opened her notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cJune told Elena she was meeting Grant at the cabin because he'd offered to explain the expenses and return missing documentation.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she go alone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe apparently believed she was attending a routine financial discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
June was a careful woman.<\/p>\n
She trusted processes.<\/p>\n
She trusted written records.<\/p>\n
And she had trusted the company's CFO.<\/p>\n
Ortiz continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer car was found yesterday in a storage building rented through one of those vendors.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho moved it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe're working on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
She didn't tell me more.<\/p>\n
But her tone made clear that the investigation was moving quickly.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you looking for Brooke?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Brooke had stood beside Grant outside the cabin.<\/p>\n
She'd known about the fire.<\/p>\n
She'd asked whether I would wake.<\/p>\n
And she'd climbed into the SUV.<\/p>\n
I couldn't stop hearing her voice.<\/p>\n
You promised she wouldn't suffer.<\/p>\n
Ortiz's phone vibrated.<\/p>\n
She checked the screen, then stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to step outside.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHas something happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lead on the vehicle used after the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
She left.<\/p>\n
Samuel remained with me.<\/p>\n
For several minutes, we said nothing.<\/p>\n
Then he spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother once told me that the worst thing about betrayal was how it borrowed your own trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLong before you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was she talking about?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer father.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
My grandfather, Charles Hartwell, had died when I was fourteen.<\/p>\n
He'd been a major investor in regional aviation.<\/p>\n
He was also a difficult man.<\/p>\n
My mother rarely discussed him.<\/p>\n
Samuel leaned back.<\/p>\n
\u201cCharles wanted Evelyn to marry someone from his business circle. He thought she should stop flying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. Richard came later. Charles wanted her to marry a man named Andrew Calloway.\u201d<\/p>\n
I'd heard the name once or twice.<\/p>\n
An investor.<\/p>\n
Older than my mother.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe refused,\u201d Samuel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe refused very loudly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then his expression sobered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen she became pregnant, Charles threatened to cut off her financing. He also said he'd use everything he could to keep me away from the child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thought I was unsuitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you worked rescue missions?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I didn't have money or family connections.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo Mother told you the baby died?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe Charles pressured her. But I don't know exactly what she was told or threatened with.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she ever explain?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt anger rise.<\/p>\n
Not only at Charles.<\/p>\n
At Evelyn.<\/p>\n
At Samuel.<\/p>\n
At all the adults who had made decisions about my existence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou could have kept trying.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI should have.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn't defend himself.<\/p>\n
That made it harder to stay angry.<\/p>\n
\u201cRichard loved me,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't deserve to be treated like a substitute.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm not asking you to treat him that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know what you want.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel thought for a moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'd like to know whether you take sugar in your coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned back.<\/p>\n
He gave a small shrug.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd what kind of music you listen to. Whether you liked flying as a child. Things fathers usually get to learn slowly.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't drink coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAll right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate flying commercially.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother would have enjoyed that.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a moment, I smiled.<\/p>\n
Then the door opened.<\/p>\n
Helen Mercer entered carrying a leather briefcase.<\/p>\n
She looked tired.<\/p>\n
Her hair had come loose from its usual neat arrangement.<\/p>\n
She set the briefcase on the table.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have good news about the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
I straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur and the independent directors have suspended Grant from financial authority pending investigation. They also froze approval of extraordinary transactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd the proxy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFormally challenged. Nobody can rely on it while the authenticity dispute is being resolved.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Brooke access the systems?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer access has been suspended.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon't thank me yet. We need to deal with what they attempted.\u201d<\/p>\n
She opened her briefcase.<\/p>\n
Inside were copies of the disputed documents.<\/p>\n
The scanned proxy displayed my name.<\/p>\n
My supposed signature looked convincing at first glance.<\/p>\n
But the shape of the final letter was wrong.<\/p>\n
I always finished my surname with a tight upward stroke.<\/p>\n
This signature curved downward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not mine,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She showed me another page.<\/p>\n
A proposed amendment to my estate plan.<\/p>\n
It would have appointed Grant to manage certain assets and exercise broad discretion over their disposition.<\/p>\n
Again, my signature appeared.<\/p>\n
Again, it wasn't mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho prepared these?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn attorney Grant consulted without informing Northstar's regular counsel. The attorney says he received instructions and signed scans from Grant's office but never witnessed you execute them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the pages.<\/p>\n
My husband had forged a future without me in it.<\/p>\n
Helen continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother's existing trust is still in force. Even if you'd died, Grant couldn't simply inherit sixty-eight percent of Northstar. The transfer restrictions and trust provisions matter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he didn't understand the company?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe understood enough to cause damage. He appears to have believed the board would accept his documents before anyone challenged them.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the false signature again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen he planned to use the insurance money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat seems to have been his intended next move. But payment required a verified covered death and other conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty million dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cA great deal of money to someone who'd lost access to easier financing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke?\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't yet know how far she was involved financially.\u201d<\/p>\n
I remembered Brooke wearing my necklace.<\/p>\n
I remembered her hand on Grant's arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew about the fire.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen's expression was grave.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen she'll have to answer for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Later that afternoon, Detective Ortiz returned.<\/p>\n
She had news.<\/p>\n
Brooke's SUV had been found at a motel outside the county.<\/p>\n
Grant had been stopped while driving toward the state line.<\/p>\n
Both were being questioned.<\/p>\n
I sat very still.<\/p>\n
\u201cAre they under arrest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant has been arrested on charges connected to the arson and attempted killing. Additional charges may follow as the evidence develops.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Brooke?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has retained counsel. Her legal position is still being assessed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about June?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz's expression softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer death is central to the investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt no relief.<\/p>\n
Not the relief I'd imagined.<\/p>\n
Grant was in custody.<\/p>\n
But June was still dead.<\/p>\n
My son had nearly died.<\/p>\n
And my marriage had ended inside a burning building.<\/p>\n
Ortiz continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe recovered additional evidence from the motel room. Among other things, there were financial records and notes about the insurance policy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNotes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrant also had copies of the funeral program and the emergency board agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took them with him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe apparently intended to continue managing the corporate situation through lawyers.\u201d<\/p>\n
The absurdity of it struck me.<\/p>\n
He had tried to murder me.<\/p>\n
He had prepared a memorial service.<\/p>\n
And even while fleeing, he worried about paperwork.<\/p>\n
Ortiz placed her notebook on her lap.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something else you should know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cBrooke has indicated, through her attorney, that she may provide information about the planning.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can't know her motives yet.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she admit knowing?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHer lawyer has acknowledged she was aware of a plan involving the cabin. The exact extent of her participation remains under investigation.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Samuel.<\/p>\n
His face was unreadable.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan she identify who killed June?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's one of the questions investigators are pursuing.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wanted to ask a hundred things.<\/p>\n
Instead, I asked one.<\/p>\n
\u201cWill I have to see Grant again?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ortiz answered carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cPossibly in legal proceedings. There are ways to minimize unnecessary contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded.<\/p>\n
A nurse entered to check my blood pressure.<\/p>\n
It was elevated.<\/p>\n
My obstetrician came shortly afterward.<\/p>\n
She reviewed Noah's monitoring results and ordered additional rest.<\/p>\n
I apologized for not being a cooperative patient.<\/p>\n
She gave me a tired smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour job is to keep breathing and let us help you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lay back.<\/p>\n
For the first time in days, there was no urgent call to make.<\/p>\n
No livestream to watch.<\/p>\n
No board meeting to stop.<\/p>\n
The silence should have comforted me.<\/p>\n
Instead, it left room for grief.<\/p>\n
I cried for June.<\/p>\n
For my mother.<\/p>\n
For the man I had married.<\/p>\n
Not because I wanted him back.<\/p>\n
Because I could remember loving him.<\/p>\n
And that memory now frightened me.<\/p>\n
Samuel sat beside the bed until evening.<\/p>\n
When I finally stopped crying, he handed me a glass of water.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Mother ever tell you why she kept my existence from you?\u201d<\/p>\n
He shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how will we ever know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel considered that.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe kept letters. Journals. Boxes of old flight records. Evelyn saved everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled despite myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPerhaps there's something she left behind.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
The cabin was gone.<\/p>\n
But Mother's office at Northstar still existed.<\/p>\n
So did her files.<\/p>\n
Her journals.<\/p>\n
Her locked cabinets.<\/p>\n
And the blue storage box she had asked me never to throw away.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Helen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere's something in my mother's office we need to find.\u201d<\/p>\n
Helen looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA box marked PERSONAL FLIGHT RECORDS.\u201d<\/p>\n
Samuel straightened.<\/p>\n
I remembered Evelyn placing it in the cabinet years before she died.<\/p>\n
She'd looked at me strangely.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeday,\u201d she said, \u201cyou might need to understand why I made some of my choices.\u201d<\/p>\n
At the time, I'd assumed she meant business decisions.<\/p>\n
Now I wasn't so sure.<\/p>\n
END PART 4<\/p>\n