Chapter 16 - THE MAN WHO CONTROLLED THE WHOLE GAME|
Anthony Cross had been my father's attorney.
After my father's death, he became my adviser.
He handled legal disputes, negotiated settlements, and managed several business relationships.
I had trusted him more than almost anybody.
Now Claire's recording suggested he had been involved in her death.
Marco began investigating immediately.
We discovered that Cross had received payments from the Hart organization for nearly a decade.
He had also arranged the financial transfers that funded Margaret's hospital instructions.
But the worst discovery came from the estate's security archive.
Anthony had been inside the hospital on the night Claire died.
He had entered the maternity ward at 4:11 a.m.
Six minutes before the time listed on the death certificate.
I called him.
"Come to the estate."
He arrived forty minutes later.
He looked at the documents on my desk.
Then he smiled.
"Your wife always was a curious woman."
I stood.
"Did you know what was happening at the hospital?"
"Of course."
"Did you arrange the second medication order?"
Anthony removed his coat.
"I arranged several things."
I felt my hands tighten.
"Did you kill Claire?"
He laughed softly.
"Don't be dramatic."
"Answer me."
"Claire was going to expose the business. She believed she could destroy decades of agreements because she wanted to raise a child in a perfect world."
I moved toward him.
"She was my wife."
"She was a liability."
I struck him before I could stop myself.
Anthony fell against the desk.
Marco's men immediately restrained him.
Anthony wiped blood from his lip.
"You think killing me will fix anything?"
I stared at him.
"Tell me what happened."
He smiled.
"Your mother approved the first order. Vanessa's father approved the second. I made sure the records disappeared."
"Why?"
"Because Claire had evidence that could destroy all of us."
"Did the medication kill her?"
Anthony looked at me.
"It made sure she couldn't testify."
The room went silent.
For three years, I had believed Claire's death was a tragedy.
Now I knew somebody had deliberately interfered with her treatment.
I ordered Marco to call the authorities.
But before he could move, Anthony began laughing.
"You still don't understand."
He leaned forward.
"Your father knew about this."
I froze.
Anthony continued.
"He didn't want Claire dead. He wanted her frightened. But he left me instructions in case she became a problem."
I stared at him.
"My father was already dead."
Anthony smiled.
"Exactly."
May you like
Then he revealed the final secret.
"The orders were signed before your father died. Your family has been living inside his last arrangement for years."
