Chapter 13 - What Grace Knew

Grace's recording began with a long breath.

“Dad, I'm sorry I stayed away. I thought distance would keep you safe. I was wrong.”

Benjamin lowered himself into a chair.

Grace explained that the foundation's money had been used to cover construction debts and secret investments. Ethan had falsified records to hide losses, then taken out additional loans against property he didn't legally own. Victor recruited accountants, drivers, and security contractors to move records and intimidate people who asked questions.

“But the biggest lie isn't about money,” Grace said. “It's about the night Richard died.”

A pause. Static.

“Victor told Ethan he'd taken care of the problem. I found a hospital-access report that showed an unauthorized visitor entering Richard's room. I don't know what that person did. I do know somebody altered the visitor log afterward.”

Ruth sat forward. “We need that report.”

Grace's voice continued. “The original is stored with the rest of the files under a music label. Dad will know where.”

The recording ended.

Benjamin remembered Evelyn's old record collection. She had organized important household papers behind album sleeves because she never trusted ordinary filing cabinets. When Grace inherited the collection, she'd taken it to a storage unit near Portland.

“There's a storage place on Hawthorne,” Benjamin said. “I paid the bill for her last Christmas.”

Agents located the unit and requested lawful access. Inside, stacked behind boxes of records, were three hard drives wrapped in a yellow baby blanket Benjamin recognized from Grace's childhood.

The original hospital-access report was there, along with footage from a hallway camera. Investigators could establish that Victor had visited the hospital. The footage did not show harm or prove he caused Richard's death.

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Then Malcolm opened a different file. It was a recent spreadsheet listing people Victor intended to pressure. Naomi Brooks. Caleb Brooks. Lila Chen. Malcolm Reed.

And at the very top, in red capital letters, was BENJAMIN CARTER—REMOVE PERMANENTLY.