Chapter 18 - The Names on the Card
Nia spent four more days in the hospital.
Her blood slowly learned how to clot again.
That was how Dr. Hale explained it, because he had figured out by then that she hated medical language.
“Your body knows what to do,” he told her. “We’re just giving it what it needs.”
She smiled.
“Finally, a doctor who speaks English.”
He laughed.
I cried.
I cried at stupid things now.
Coffee.
Sunlight.
Nia complaining about hospital pudding.
Detective Ortiz visited twice a day.
The encrypted folder on Andre’s card was finally opened by federal investigators.
There were thirty-eight names.
Thirty-eight trusts.
Thirty-eight families.
Some had lost money.
Some had lost parents.
Three cases involved suspicious deaths.
Andre had been building a map of Martin’s entire operation.
He died before he could finish it.
But he finished enough.
Federal agents arrested two former Rowe Capital employees and a county clerk.
Owen agreed to cooperate in exchange for prosecutors considering his testimony.
Marissa admitted helping Caleb hide financial records but denied knowing about the poisoning.
Caleb admitted everything he knew.
Not enough to make him innocent.
Enough to make the truth worse.
He had married me under false pretenses.
He had let Martin use him.
He had handed my daughter pills without knowing what was in them.
He had stolen money, lied, forged business forms, and stayed silent because he was afraid of losing the life he had built on a lie.
He asked to see Nia.
She said no.
He asked to see me.
I said yes.
Once.
He sat behind glass again.
“I don’t expect forgiveness.”
“Good.”
“I loved you.”
“You loved what you had.”
He flinched.
I leaned closer.
“Love tells the truth before someone gets poisoned.”
He looked down.
After a long silence, he said, “You’re right.”
I stood.
That should have been the end.
Then he looked up.
“There’s one thing you still don’t know.”
I stopped.
“What?”
“The morning Andre died, he called someone.”
“Who?”
“Martin thought it was the police.”
“And?”
Caleb shook his head.
“It wasn’t.”
“Then who?”
May you like
He looked through the glass.
“You.”
