Chapter 14 - THE LETTER HARRIET KEPT
Harriet admitted she had taken a letter from Elena’s desk after the explosion. Graham had ordered her to destroy it. She had hidden it in a cookbook instead.
Investigators retrieved the letter from her apartment. Leo read a copy with Dana beside him.
Elena wrote about Lily first. She wanted Leo to know that their daughter had begun drawing people with enormous hands because, Lily said, big hands could catch anyone who fell.
Then Elena wrote about the records. She knew Graham was using the company. She suspected someone in Leo’s circle had made it easy, but she had not found proof that Mateo was helping him. She planned to meet Leo the following morning and tell him everything.
At the bottom she had added one line:
“Please believe that I tried to come home.”
Leo read it twice.
For two years, he had wondered whether Elena had sensed danger that morning. Now he knew she had been trying to get back to him.
The investigation continued. Harriet’s account led detectives to payments connected to the driver Elena had seen. The records gave them a path to follow, though Leo knew they could not answer every question in a day.
Victoria’s attorney contacted Dana. Victoria was willing to give a statement about Graham’s plans and the afternoon in the cellar. She also wanted the photographs of her own meetings with Graham released to her lawyer.
“Let her lawyer handle it,” Leo said. “I want Lily kept out of their arguments.”
That evening, he knocked on Lily’s bedroom door. Beatrice was sitting on the floor while Lily arranged toy animals around Mr. Hops.
“Do you want me to read tonight?” Leo asked.
Lily handed him the book. He sat down on the floor beside them and began.
When he reached the last page, Lily leaned against his arm.
“Can Bee stay tomorrow?” she asked.
Beatrice looked at Leo. They had spoken about her recovery, but not what came after.
“If Bee wants to,” he said.
Beatrice touched Lily’s hair. “I’d like that.”
May you like
Then Lily looked up at Leo with a question he could not answer as easily.
“Daddy, why didn’t you know I was scared of Victoria?”
