Chapter 10 - The Name They Chose

Evelyn called the detective assigned to the threats. The package was collected as evidence. A hospital security supervisor confirmed the wristband format was not theirs, but the message was enough to make my hands shake for hours.

I stopped sleeping with my phone beside my pillow. June changed her locks. Evelyn arranged temporary housing in a secure apartment while investigators traced the threats.

Adrian asked to know the address. I said no.

“I'm her father,” he reminded me.

“Then act like someone who can put her safety ahead of his need to be included.”

He flinched, but he accepted the boundary.

The forensic specialist found something odd in Mom's archive: invoices to a pediatric charity called Bright Steps, all approved by Raymond, but the corresponding checks had been cashed by a business registered under Celeste's maiden name.

“She didn't just know Nathan,” June said. “She was getting paid.”

We traced an address on a public corporate filing to a small office outside town. I didn't go there. Detective Marisol Chen did, with a warrant after obtaining additional evidence.

She called Evelyn that evening. The office had been emptied recently. In a trash bin, investigators found shredded papers and a visitor log with my name typed onto days I'd never been there.

Someone was constructing a trail that led straight to me.

At the same time, Celeste appeared on local television. She sat beside Raymond at a foundation holiday fundraiser, dressed in white, her expression carefully sorrowful.

“Sadly,” she told the reporter, “financial misconduct is being investigated. We hope the responsible parties step forward.”

Raymond clasped her hand. They looked like grieving saints.

Then a reporter asked about Adrian. Celeste smiled too quickly.

“Mr. Vale has been under great personal stress. I hope he gets the help he needs.”

Five minutes later, my phone rang from Adrian's number.

A male voice I'd never heard said, “Emma? He's not going to make your meeting.”

“Who is this?”

The man laughed softly. “Ask your mother. Oh, that's right. You can't.”

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In the background, I heard Adrian groan.

Then the call ended.