Chapter 12 - MONIQUE CALLED BACK SCREAMINGWarren called again.
No answer.
Police traced the international number.
Not Cayman.
Miami.
Monique had never left the country.
The charter flight was a decoy.
Pike boarded.
Monique did not.
She had used a second vehicle.
Why?
Because she was running from Vale too.
Within an hour, Miami police found the hotel.
Room empty.
One broken lamp.
Blood on a towel.
Not enough to determine what happened.
Monique’s handbag remained.
Phone gone.
Passport gone.
Then security footage showed a man entering the hotel twenty minutes before her call to Warren.
Baseball cap.
Glasses.
Gray hair.
Warren recognized him anyway.
Gregory Vale.
He had returned from the Caymans secretly.
Or never been there when they thought.
He exited nine minutes later.
Alone.
Monique did not appear again.
Warren felt no sympathy for her.
Then hated himself slightly for that.
She had harmed Elliot.
But being guilty did not mean she deserved whatever Vale might do.
Federal agents upgraded the case.
Vale became central.
They recovered Monique’s laptop.
One unsent document was open.
Statement of Cooperation.
She had been preparing to turn against Vale.
Warren read it.
Monique admitted accessing Elliot’s trust.
Helping create voting strategies.
Introducing Pike.
Pressuring Warren to sign guardianship papers.
She also admitted falsifying some reports of Elliot’s behavior.
Then came the bathroom.
I used cold water as punishment. I locked Elliot in the basement. I threatened him with residential placement. No one instructed me to do those things. Those were my decisions.
Warren stopped.
At least she wasn’t blaming Vale for everything.
The statement continued.
I believed frightening Elliot would make him easier to control. I understand how monstrous that sounds.
Warren looked toward his son.
Yes.
It did.
Then:
I did not harm Amelia Carter.
I did not drug Warren Carter.
Gregory Vale ordered Leonard Pike to build medical documentation on both Amelia and Warren.
Vale is acting on instructions from someone at Meridian.
Name blank.
Monique had not finished.
But she left a clue.
The person uses the initials E.L. in archived communications.
Robert frowned.
“E.L.?”
Warren looked at him.
“Anyone at Landon?”
“No.”
“Meridian?”
Daniel searched corporate records.
Executives.
Board.
Advisers.
No obvious E.L.
Then June called.
“I know those initials.”
Everyone turned toward speaker.
“Who?”
“Edward Landon.”
Robert went still.
Warren frowned.
“Your father?”
Robert whispered:
“He died eight years ago.”
Amelia’s father.
Founder of Landon Medical.
The man who created Elliot’s trust.
The man whose wishes supposedly protected the pediatric-genomics division.
June’s voice became tense.
“Edward used E.L. on every private memo.”
Warren stared.
“But he’s dead.”
June replied:
“I saw the body.”
For once, a body.
So why were his initials appearing in communications years later?
Robert thought.
“Could be someone using his identity.”
“Who had access to his archives?”
Robert’s face changed.
“His executive secretary.”
“Name?”
“Elaine Landon.”
Warren frowned.
“Landon?”
“Dad’s second wife.”
Warren had barely known her.
Amelia hated her.
June despised her.
Elaine moved to California after Edward died.
Warren hadn’t seen her in years.
Daniel searched.
Elaine was alive.
Seventy-one.
Serving on the advisory council of—
Meridian Health Partners.
Everyone went silent.
Robert whispered:
“My stepmother.”
June’s voice hardened.
“I told Edward not to marry her.”
Warren ignored that.
“Did Elaine know about Elliot’s trust?”
Robert nodded.
“She helped Dad draft the original family-share structure.”
“Did she know about the veto?”
“Yes.”
There it was.
Vale worked for Meridian.
Meridian wanted the genetic database.
Elaine knew the trust.
She could have directed Vale toward Elliot.
Amelia’s investigation.
Henry Carter’s reversal.
Monique’s assignment.
Everything suddenly had a possible architect.
Then Warren’s phone rang.
Monique again.
He answered immediately.
At first, only breathing.
Then a whisper.
“Warren…”
“Where are you?”
“I got away.”
“From Vale?”
“Yes.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m okay.”
“Where?”
“I can’t say yet.”
“Then tell police.”
“I will.”
A pause.
“I need to tell you something first.”
Warren looked at Robert.
“What?”
“Elaine Landon recruited me.”
Robert closed his eyes.
Warren’s voice became cold.
“When?”
“Six years ago.”
“Before Amelia died.”
“Yes.”
“What did she want?”
“To monitor the trust.”
“And?”
“To get close to you if Amelia became unable to control Elliot’s shares.”
Warren stopped breathing.
Monique continued.
“I was supposed to become useful.”
“Useful?”
“A consultant. A friend. Anything.”
“But you became my wife.”
Silence.
“Was that planned?”
“Not at first.”
Warren laughed bitterly.
“At first.”
“I did love you.”
“Don’t.”
“I did.”
“You terrorized my son.”
“I know.”
“And you’re telling me love?”
“I’m telling you because it makes what I did worse.”
That silenced him.
Then Monique said:
“Elaine knows Irene recorded me.”
Warren looked toward the hallway.
“How?”
“Vale told her.”
His blood turned cold.
“What does that mean?”
“She’s going to remove witnesses.”
“Where is Elaine?”
“I don’t know.”
A sound.
Monique gasped.
Then whispered urgently:
“Get Irene out of the house.”
The line went dead.
Warren turned.
“Irene!”
No answer.
He ran toward the kitchen.
Empty.
Back door open.
May you like
Her phone lay on the floor.
And outside, tire marks cut across the gravel.
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