Chapter 13 - The House of GlassGrant returned to his Aspen house for the first time without Sadie.
Detective Ortiz accompanied him.
Corinne’s things remained everywhere.
Perfume in the bathroom.
A silk scarf over a chair.
Shoes in the closet.
Photographs of their wedding lined the upstairs hallway.
Grant stopped beside one.
Corinne was laughing.
Grant had believed that laugh.
He picked up the frame.
Then put it facedown.
Ortiz watched.
“You don’t have to remove anything today.”
“I know.”
Grant walked into the study.
This was where Corinne had copied trust documents.
Investigators had found fingerprints and evidence of repeated access to the locked drawer.
Grant looked at the desk.
“My house was full of locks.”
Ortiz said nothing.
“Security system. Safes. Passwords.”
He laughed bitterly.
“None of it mattered because I gave the wrong people access.”
Ortiz leaned against the doorway.
“That happens.”
“I’m not looking for comfort.”
“Good. I wasn’t offering it.”
Grant looked at her.
She continued.
“People who manipulate families usually rely on one thing.”
“What?”
“Everyone being embarrassed afterward.”
Grant frowned.
“Embarrassed?”
“That they missed signs. That they trusted someone. That they defended them.”
Ortiz stepped into the room.
“That shame keeps victims and families quiet.”
Grant looked at the fallen wedding photograph.
“I defended her.”
“Yes.”
“So did Reid’s former employers for a while.”
“That doesn’t make it better.”
“No.”
Ortiz met his eyes.
“But understanding how you failed Sadie is useful. Hating yourself indefinitely is not.”
Grant did not answer.
Upstairs, investigators had discovered another hidden compartment inside Corinne’s dressing-room cabinetry.
It contained financial documents showing personal payments from C. Vale Holdings to a private intelligence contractor.
The contractor had researched Grant.
Sadie.
Mara.
Mercer Ridge board members.
Even Dana.
Corinne had purchased a map of Grant’s vulnerabilities before she married him.
One report contained a section titled:
GRANT MERCER — PSYCHOLOGICAL LEVERAGE
Grant read three lines and stopped.
Conflict avoidant with close relationships.
Strong guilt response connected to first wife’s death.
Highly motivated by preserving daughter’s image of family stability.
Grant handed it to Ortiz.
“She knew.”
“Yes.”
“She knew exactly what I would ignore.”
“Yes.”
Another report analyzed Sadie.
Attachment vulnerability following maternal loss.
Fear of disappointing father.
Strong aversion to heights.
Grant closed the folder.
“I’m done.”
Ortiz nodded.
They moved downstairs.
Then a forensic technician called from the mudroom.
“We found something.”
Inside the wall-mounted home-control panel was a removable storage card.
It contained old local system logs investigators had assumed were overwritten.
The night Reid delivered the blue duffel bag, the security system recorded a temporary administrator login.
User:
RCALDER-MRH
Reid had disabled cameras himself.
Not Corinne.
That put him directly inside the conspiracy.
By afternoon, prosecutors had enough to widen the warrant.
Meanwhile, Mercer Ridge’s board called an emergency meeting.
Grant attended remotely.
Several directors wanted him temporarily removed as CEO.
Not because they believed he was involved in Sadie’s attempted murder.
Because financial controls under his leadership had collapsed.
Grant listened without protest.
Director Helen Park spoke bluntly.
“Seventeen million dollars is missing. A fraudulent property transaction nearly happened. Our CFO is a fugitive. Your wife is accused of trying to murder a shareholder beneficiary.”
Grant stared at the screen.
“I know.”
“You cannot run this company while dealing with this.”
“I know.”
Helen paused.
“You’re not going to fight?”
“No.”
Several directors looked surprised.
Grant continued.
“For years I treated trust as a substitute for oversight. That happened in my marriage and my company.”
His voice tightened.
“My daughter paid the highest price.”
He formally requested a temporary leave as CEO.
The board approved it unanimously.
For the first time since he was twenty-nine, Grant Mercer had no company crisis he was allowed to fix.
He returned to the hotel.
Sadie was coloring.
“You’re early.”
“I’m taking time off work.”
“For how long?”
“As long as necessary.”
Sadie looked suspicious.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“Because police told you?”
“No.”
“Because your board fired you?”
Grant smiled despite himself.
“Technically, they did not fire me.”
Sadie laughed.
It was the first real laugh since the cliff.
Grant felt tears sting his eyes.
Sadie noticed.
“Why are you crying?”
“I missed that sound.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Dad.”
Then someone knocked.
A deputy opened the door cautiously.
Mara entered.
Her face was pale.
“They found Corinne.”
Grant stood.
“Where?”
“Colorado Springs.”
“Alive?”
“Yes.”
“And Reid?”
Mara shook her head.
“No.”
Grant looked at Sadie.
Sadie had gone completely still.
Mara continued.
“Corinne surrendered.”
Grant frowned.
“She walked into a police station twenty minutes ago.”
“Why now?”
May you like
Mara looked at him.
“Because she says Reid is coming after you next.”
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