Chapter 16 - The Father Who Signed

Richard Caldwell arrived at the detective's office on Friday morning with a legal pad full of dates. He was sixty-eight, gray-haired, and looked like an older version of Ethan with all the confidence scraped away.

"I haven't had a real conversation with my son in twelve years," he said. "When he contacted me about this development, I thought he was offering a way back."

Richard worked on Westbridge's finance committee. He had approved an advance for the property acquisition after seeing a signed contract and what appeared to be valid authorization from me.

"So you paid them," I said.

"I approved money for the project. I didn't know about the forged documents."

"You didn't ask to speak with the owner?"

He swallowed. "No. I should have."

Ethan had described me as ill, unreasonable, and too attached to a house that was sinking his business. Richard had accepted it because Margaret supplied documents and because Ethan used words like reconciliation and second chance.

"Sometimes," Richard said, "you want someone to have changed so badly you stop looking at what they're doing."

I recognized the feeling. It made me angrier, not kinder.

Ortiz asked about Margaret's phone calls.

Richard set down a printout.

"The day Leah was hurt, Margaret called our project administrator. She said the owner was unavailable and asked whether the deal could close under the contingency she'd requested."

"What did the administrator say?" Ortiz asked.

"That any death or incapacity would require proper legal documentation, and nothing could close while the authority was disputed."

Richard ran a hand over his face.

"Margaret said she'd find another way."

He had brought the call log, finance approvals, and the full email trail under arrangements with company counsel and investigators.

Tessa thanked him for preserving the records.

I did not.

"If you wanted your son back," I told him, "you should have called him. Not paid him."

He bowed his head.

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Outside, Ortiz took a call and moved away from the group. When she returned, she told us an arrest warrant had been issued for Ethan on assault-related charges.

Then she added, "We also have a problem. We sent deputies to his known addresses. He's gone."