Chapter 12 - THE TRUSTEE'S SECRET|
I waited until Nathaniel's car disappeared before turning to Arthur.
“Why did he say that?”
Arthur removed his glasses.
“Because he wants you to doubt me.”
“Did you know my grandfather was dying?”
“Yes.”
The answer landed like a slap.
“When?”
“Eleven months before his death.”
“And you didn't tell me?”
“Your grandfather asked me not to.”
I stood.
“You let me believe he had died without telling me he was frightened.”
Arthur's expression tightened.
“I was following his instructions.”
“He was my grandfather.”
“I know.”
“Then you should have told me.”
Arthur looked down at the ledger.
“There is something else. Samuel asked me to investigate a series of suspicious payments before he died. I discovered that someone had been using a company account to pay for medical services and private security.”
“Whose medical services?”
“Your grandfather's.”
I stared at him.
“He was being watched?”
“I believe so.”
Arthur explained that the payments had been authorized through a private Ashford subsidiary. The company had paid for a security consultant who monitored Samuel's movements and reported his meetings.
The consultant's name was Daniel Mercer.
I searched the name.
A retired investigator living outside Chicago appeared in the records.
“Can we find him?”
Arthur nodded.
“We can try.”
Before we left the archive, I found another envelope inside the ledger's back cover. This one contained a short note in my grandfather's handwriting.
Arthur, if you failed to tell Evelyn the truth, it was because I asked you to. But when the time comes, do not protect my memory at the expense of her future.
I looked at Arthur.
“He knew I would be angry.”
“Yes.”
“And he knew you would keep the secret.”
Arthur's eyes were wet.
“He trusted me with the hardest decision of his life.”
I wanted to remain angry. I was angry.
But I also understood that my grandfather had been trying to protect me from a family that viewed people as assets.
My phone rang.
It was Vanessa.
“Evelyn, I need you to listen carefully.”
“What happened?”
“Nathaniel knows about the ledger. He has been moving company records out of the headquarters.”
“Where?”
“I don't know. But I found a list of storage facilities in his office.”
“Why are you still there?”
“Because I need to know whether he is planning to abandon me.”
Her voice broke.
May you like
Then she whispered:
“Evelyn, I think Nathaniel has known about the trust for much longer than he admitted.”
