Chapter 15 - What Robert Remembered
Robert's statement took almost three hours, with breaks for water and rest. He spoke slowly, sometimes repeating himself, but he remained determined.
He said he'd discovered foundation money funding private property deals. Thomas Bennett had been the contractor who noticed renovation costs that didn't match the buildings. Together they'd planned to report the discrepancies.
“Victor called me the night Thomas was hit,” Robert told Detective Jackson. “He said there had been a terrible accident and I should remember who my friends were.”
“Did he confess to causing it?”
“No. He was too careful for that.”
Robert described arguing with Patricia the next morning. She begged him not to involve police, insisting Victor would take the family down with him. Weeks later, Robert suffered his stroke. He had believed the medical event was natural, but afterward Patricia restricted his visitors and controlled his medication.
An independent doctor was now reviewing his treatment. Robert wanted investigators to examine whether anyone had interfered with it, while acknowledging that he didn't know the answer himself.
Adrian sat beside his father. “Why didn't you tell me?”
Robert gave him a sad look. “I tried. You said Mom would explain.”
Adrian remembered the call: his father sounding frightened, Adrian rushing into a meeting and promising to call later. He never had.
The remorse was sharper than anger. He could not undo that moment, but he could stop repeating it.
Meanwhile, police obtained Victor's financial messages through legal process. Some indicated that Vanessa's consulting fees were tied to gathering information about Nora. Others linked payments to efforts to obtain control of the Briar Lane property.
Vanessa stopped posting online when the original wedding video became public through a reporter who independently obtained it. The clip spread quickly, this time including the shove. Viewers who'd mocked Nora began deleting their comments.
Nora refused to watch the public reaction. “I don't need strangers to decide whether they believe my pain,” she said.
That night, Patricia arrived at the hospital and asked to see her.
The nurse said Nora could refuse. Nora looked at Adrian, then at the closed door.
“Let her in,” she said. “But keep the door open.”
Patricia entered without a handbag or her usual jewelry. Her voice shook as she spoke.
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“Victor has Ethan's daughter from his first relationship,” she said. “And if we don't give him the notebook, he says we'll never see her again.”
