Chapter 6 - What Ronald Knew
Ronald sat across from Lena Brooks in a county office.
His attorney had advised him to say very little.
Ronald ignored him.
“Mitchell isn’t doing this because he cares about those kids.”
Lena kept her voice neutral.
“And you did?”
Ronald’s face hardened.
“I fed them.”
“You also forced them to sell products door to door and punished them when they returned without enough cash.”
“That is not what happened.”
“Aubrey has described it.”
“She lies when she’s scared.”
“Why would she be scared?”
Ronald looked away.
Lena waited.
People often hated silence more than questions.
Finally Ronald said:
“Mitchell knew about the trust.”
Lena wrote.
“What trust?”
“Claire’s.”
“The Monroe Children’s Trust?”
Ronald looked surprised.
“So you know.”
“We know it exists.”
Ronald laughed bitterly.
“Then you know why Mitchell suddenly became Father of the Year.”
“How much is in it?”
Ronald did not answer.
Lena already knew.
Approximately $4.64 million held by Granite Commonwealth Trust Company for Aubrey and Dylan.
Most came from Claire’s life insurance, her design-firm sale proceeds and investments she inherited from her mother.
The money belonged to the children.
Neither parent could simply withdraw it.
But a legal guardian could request distributions for housing, education, medical needs and care.
Ronald had made such requests after Claire died.
That was another reason Lena was there.
The trustee recently froze his reimbursement requests.
“Your expense submissions are under review,” Lena said.
Ronald’s jaw tightened.
“Because Mitchell complained.”
“Were the claims accurate?”
“I spent money on those kids.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Ronald leaned forward.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“Mitchell and Claire were married twelve years.”
“I know.”
“She filed for divorce because money kept disappearing from her company.”
“How much?”
“Hundreds of thousands.”
“Do you have evidence?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know?”
“Claire told me.”
Lena stopped writing.
“When?”
“Before we married.”
Ronald’s voice became quieter.
“She was terrified Mitchell would get custody.”
“Why?”
“He controlled everything. Accounts. Cards. Her email for a while.”
Ronald laughed without humor.
“And then she married me.”
“Why do you say it like that?”
“Because apparently Claire had terrible taste in men.”
For the first time, Ronald sounded ashamed.
It did not absolve him.
Lena did not offer relief.
“Did Claire leave records?”
Ronald’s eyes shifted.
Lena noticed.
“What records?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mr. Hayes.”
Ronald rubbed both hands over his face.
“There was a notebook.”
“What color?”
He looked at her sharply.
“Blue.”
Lena sat straighter.
“What was in it?”
“Payments. Dates. Checks. Things Mitchell moved out of Claire’s business.”
“Did you see it?”
“Once.”
“Where is it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Mitchell know it existed?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Because I told him.”
Lena’s expression changed.
“Why?”
Ronald looked toward the window.
“Because I needed money.”
There it was.
Not redemption.
Another betrayal.
“You blackmailed him?”
Ronald said nothing.
“How much?”
“Not enough.”
Lena stared.
“You knew a man Claire feared had possibly stolen hundreds of thousands from her, and instead of reporting it, you demanded money.”
Ronald looked back.
“He paid.”
“How much?”
“Seventy-five thousand over two years.”
“Where did it go?”
Ronald smiled bitterly.
“Debt.”
“Gambling?”
His face answered.
Lena closed her notebook.
“And when Mitchell stopped paying?”
Ronald’s eyes hardened.
“I found other ways to get cash.”
“The children.”
He said nothing.
Lena’s voice became colder.
“You forced an eleven-year-old and a seven-year-old to bring home money because your blackmail payments stopped.”
Ronald exploded.
“You think Mitchell is better?”
“No.”
The answer stopped him.
“I think Aubrey and Dylan were surrounded by adults who kept treating their existence like a financial opportunity.”
Ronald looked away.
Lena stood.
Before leaving she asked:
“Did Claire ever say where she put the notebook?”
Ronald hesitated.
“She said Rachel would know what to do if anything happened.”
Lena stopped.
That matched Aubrey’s behavior during Rachel’s visit.
“Anything else?”
Ronald thought.
“Claire had a safe-deposit box.”
Lena’s pulse quickened.
“Which bank?”
Ronald smiled.
“I never found out.”
That evening Lena called Rachel.
“We need to talk.”
Rachel listened as Lena described the blue notebook.
Then went silent.
“You know something,” Lena said.
Rachel whispered:
“My sister gave me instructions before she died.”
“What instructions?”
“To never open the box unless one of the children came to me first.”
Lena frowned.
“Why?”
“Claire was afraid that if I moved too soon, Mitchell would accuse me of stealing documents in their custody fight.”
“Do you have access?”
Rachel looked at a small envelope she had kept for three years.
Inside was a note naming a bank.
“No.”
May you like
She swallowed.
“But Aubrey does.”
