Chapter 6 - THE DETECTIVE’S SECRET
Rachel slapped him.
The sound cracked across the ballroom.
Grant didn’t move.
Rachel’s hand trembled at her side.
“You looked me in the eye.”
“I know.”
“You came to my house.”
“I know.”
“You sat across from my daughter and told her Daddy had an accident.”
Grant lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
“Why?”
“Because I thought I was protecting you.”
Rachel laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“From whom?”
Grant looked at Victor.
Victor’s attorney immediately intervened.
“My client is leaving.”
“No,” Grant said.
The attorney stopped.
Grant reached inside his coat and produced a document.
“We have a warrant.”
Victor’s face tightened.
“For what?”
“Financial records, electronic devices and your Manhattan office.”
“You have no probable cause.”
“We do now.”
Grant looked toward the giant screen, where the image of Victor slipping the brooch into Emily’s pocket remained frozen.
“And apparently tonight keeps getting better.”
Victor said nothing.
Rachel turned back to Grant.
“Tell me what happened two years ago.”
Grant exhaled.
“Daniel called me three days before his death.”
Rachel stared.
“You knew him?”
“College.”
Victor looked sharply at Grant.
That detail surprised him.
Grant continued.
“Daniel believed someone was stealing from the foundation.”
“Victor.”
“He didn’t give me a name initially.”
“But later?”
Grant nodded.
“The night he died, Daniel called me at 10:52.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he had proof.”
Rachel’s throat tightened.
“What kind?”
“Bank records.”
Thomas whispered,
“The Ellison account.”
Grant nodded.
“He told me he was meeting someone at the Hamptons house.”
“Victor.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you stop him?”
“I tried.”
Grant’s voice tightened.
“I was forty minutes away.”
Rachel stared at him.
“When you arrived?”
“Daniel was already in the water.”
Emily pressed closer to Rachel.
Rachel covered her daughter’s ears gently and looked at Thomas.
“Can you take her?”
Emily resisted.
“No.”
Rachel crouched.
“Sweetheart.”
“I want to stay with you.”
“I know.”
Emily’s chin trembled.
“But there are things you shouldn’t have to hear.”
Emily looked toward Victor.
Then whispered,
“Did Uncle Victor hurt Daddy?”
Rachel couldn’t answer.
Thomas knelt beside her.
“Come with me, Em.”
Emily hesitated.
Rachel kissed her forehead.
“I’m not leaving the hotel.”
Emily finally nodded.
Thomas led her toward a private lounge.
Rachel stood.
“Continue.”
Grant did.
“Victor was gone when I reached the dock.”
“What about Thomas?”
“He had left earlier.”
Thomas called from several feet away.
“Daniel told me to go.”
Grant nodded.
“We found Daniel’s phone damaged near the water.”
“And his ring?”
“Missing.”
Rachel looked at Victor’s fist.
Grant continued.
“There was another problem.”
“What?”
“The security system at the Hamptons property had been manually disabled.”
Rachel felt sick.
“By whom?”
“We couldn’t prove it.”
“But you suspected Victor.”
“Yes.”
“Then why close the case?”
Grant looked ashamed.
“Because the next morning, my captain called me into his office.”
“And?”
“He showed me photographs of my son.”
Rachel frowned.
“What?”
“My son was seventeen.”
Grant swallowed.
“The photographs showed him buying pills.”
Rachel understood immediately.
“Blackmail.”
Grant nodded.
“Someone knew.”
“Victor?”
“I couldn’t prove it.”
Victor finally spoke.
“This is fantasy.”
Grant looked at him.
“Maybe.”
Then he removed a small evidence bag from his pocket.
Inside was a corroded silver object.
Rachel stared.
It was a cuff link.
An oak tree engraved on its face.
Grant said quietly,
“We found this beneath the dock three weeks ago.”
May you like
Victor looked at his own sleeve.
And for the first time, he seemed genuinely afraid.
