Chapter 18 - The Cost of Silence
The investigators pursued the financial records and the new statement about the fire. I gave them everything I had, then tried to go back to running the company. That turned out to be harder than storming into a dining room and demanding answers.
Materials suppliers wanted reassurance. Employees needed paychecks. Mara needed help with algebra and someone to listen when she missed her mother despite everything. Dad needed physical therapy, privacy, and the freedom to make decisions that sometimes worried me.
One morning, I caught myself saying, "Dad, you shouldn't go to the shop alone."
He held up his keys to the accessible van he'd arranged through a service.
"I know you mean well," he said. "But don't replace Simone's rules with yours. Ask me what support I need."
I sat beside him.
"What support do you need?"
"Somebody to help carry the lumber samples. And a decent cup of coffee."
We went together.
At the shop, Frank said archived records showed an unexplained payment tied to the old fire claim. Investigators had reopened a limited review, but no one had proved Nolan started the fire. We stopped pretending every question would have a neat answer.
The current fraud case was clearer. The bank linked account activity to Simone and Nolan's devices, the lender suspended enforcement of my disputed guarantee, and certified records showed Dad's land had never been lawfully sold.
Tessa negotiated payment plans with two suppliers. Malik persuaded a client to give us another chance after seeing the repairs we'd done on his father's house.
"You know what the guys are asking about?" he told me.
"The money?"
"Walter. They want him to come to Friday lunch."
Dad laughed when I invited him. Then he looked suddenly serious.
"Would they mind if I sat at the head of the table?"
"They'd fight for the honor of pulling out your chair."
May you like
That evening, Leah called to say Nolan had asked through counsel about cooperating with investigators. His attorney had offered documents that could help trace the diverted funds.
"There's a catch," Leah said. "He wants to blame every decision on Simone. And she's prepared to blame him."
