Chapter 4 - The Letter Nora Hid
In his office, Elena sat on the edge of a leather chair as if she expected to be told to leave at any second. Theo refused to sit anywhere but beside her.
Adrian stood by the window, staring at the city lights. "Why didn't you go to the press?"
"I did. Three reporters called me a liar before I finished the first sentence. Celeste's lawyer sent a letter saying I would be sued if I repeated the accusation. I had no money, no references, and a record that made employers nervous. I took whatever work I could get."
"You could have contacted me directly."
Elena gave him a tired look. "I sent eleven letters. I called your office until your assistant told me you would have me arrested if I tried again."
Adrian felt shame settle heavily in his chest. He had spent years telling himself that he had made the only decision a grieving father could make. He had never asked who had benefited from that decision.
Elena reached into her bag and removed a small envelope sealed with blue wax.
"This was in the pocket of Nora's old coat. I found it after the fire, before Celeste's people took everything from the house. I was afraid to open it until I knew what it was."
Adrian recognized Nora's handwriting immediately. His fingers trembled as he broke the seal.
Adrian, if you're reading this, something has gone wrong. Celeste has been moving money from the foundation accounts and using my name to approve payments. I confronted her. She said I had no idea how much of this family depended on her. I don't know what she means, but I'm scared. If anything happens to me, trust Elena. She saw what I saw.
"Why didn't you give this to the police?" he asked, then heard how cruel the question sounded.
"I tried. Celeste said it was a forgery. The officer who took my statement handed it back to her lawyer. After that, I stopped believing anyone would listen."
Theo pressed his cheek against Elena's arm. "Mom said you were the safest person in the house."
Mason reported, "We found a fragment of the library backup. It's encrypted, but the timestamp is from the night of the fire. Someone accessed it remotely six minutes ago."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Can we trace the connection?"
"I'm trying. It came through a secure account belonging to the Vale Foundation."
Elena looked at the note again. "Celeste still has access."
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Mason nodded. "And she just requested a private meeting with the board for tomorrow morning."
She was getting ready to strike first.
