Chapter 5 - Good Boys Keep SecretsMelanie sat with both hands wrapped around a paper cup.
She had been crying for nearly an hour.
Jonathan stood outside the sitting room while Detective Bennett questioned her.
He could hear most of it through the partially open door.
“When did Mrs. Hale send the message?”
“Ten fifteen.”
“And what did you do?”
“I sent the gardener and two cleaners home early.”
“Why?”
“She said there was a private family meeting.”
“Did you think that was unusual?”
“No. Mrs. Hale has done that before.”
“Where was Oliver?”
“Upstairs in the playroom.”
“Who was with him?”
“No one. He was watching a movie.”
Jonathan closed his eyes.
He hated hearing that sentence now.
No one.
Oliver had been alone.
Bennett asked, “When did you last see him before Mr. Hale found him?”
Melanie stared at the cup.
“A little after ten thirty.”
“Where?”
“Hallway.”
“Was he alone?”
Melanie hesitated.
Jonathan leaned closer.
“Ms. Grant?”
“No.”
“Who was with him?”
“Lucas.”
Jonathan’s eyes opened.
Inside, Melanie continued.
“Mr. Lucas was walking with him toward the stairs.”
“What were they doing?”
“Oliver was smiling.”
Jonathan’s confusion deepened.
“He was smiling?”
“Yes. Lucas told him there was some kind of surprise.”
The word hit Jonathan immediately.
Oliver had told Dana the same thing.
A surprise.
Bennett asked, “Did Lucas see you?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He said they were playing a game.”
Jonathan stepped into the room.
“What game?”
Melanie looked at him.
“I don’t know.”
Bennett held up a hand.
“Jonathan.”
“Sorry.”
He backed away.
Melanie whispered, “I should have asked.”
Jonathan’s anger faltered.
She looked devastated.
“I should have stopped him.”
“Why would you?” Bennett asked. “Lucas is Oliver’s uncle.”
Melanie nodded, but tears slipped down her face.
“That’s why I didn’t.”
Bennett changed subjects.
“The black fiber from the cabinet may be consistent with your uniform.”
Melanie froze.
Jonathan watched her face.
Fear.
Real fear.
“I never put Oliver in there.”
“Did you enter the kitchen?”
“Of course. I work there.”
“Today?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Maybe ten twenty. I made coffee for Mrs. Hale.”
That explained the fiber.
Maybe.
Or it gave her a convenient explanation.
Bennett asked, “Where were you between ten forty and eleven?”
“Laundry room.”
“Anyone see you?”
“No.”
Jonathan’s stomach sank.
Everybody had a gap.
Everybody had a motive someone else could manufacture.
After the interview, Melanie caught Jonathan’s sleeve.
“Mr. Hale.”
He stopped.
“I love that boy.”
Jonathan looked at her.
“Then help me understand what happened.”
Her lips trembled.
“I don’t know everything.”
“But you know something.”
Melanie glanced toward the hallway.
Beatrice’s voice could be heard speaking firmly to another detective.
Melanie lowered hers.
“Your mother has been frightened for weeks.”
“Of what?”
“Money.”
Jonathan remembered Rachel’s documents.
“She told you?”
“No. But I heard arguments.”
“With Lucas?”
Melanie nodded.
“Two nights ago.”
“What did they say?”
“I only heard part.”
“Tell me.”
Melanie took a breath.
“Mrs. Hale said, ‘If Jonathan doesn’t sign, everything Charles built will be auctioned one property at a time.’”
Charles.
Jonathan’s late father.
The company had been Charles Hale’s life.
Beatrice treated preserving it as a sacred duty.
“What did Lucas say?”
“He said, ‘Then tell him what Claire did.’”
Jonathan’s heartbeat slowed.
“What Claire did?”
Melanie nodded.
“And your mother told him to shut up.”
Jonathan stared at her.
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know.”
But someone did.
Beatrice.
Possibly Lucas.
Perhaps Rachel.
Jonathan found his mother in the library.
She sat beside the fireplace although no fire was burning.
“Tell me what Claire did.”
Beatrice looked up.
“So Melanie has decided to become useful.”
“Answer me.”
“You’re upset.”
“My child was trapped in a cabinet.”
“And I am horrified.”
“Then stop speaking like this is a board meeting.”
Beatrice stood.
“Your wife was not perfect, Jonathan.”
“Neither are you.”
“She hid things.”
“What things?”
“Information that belonged to this family.”
Jonathan stepped closer.
“What information?”
Beatrice smiled without warmth.
“Ask Rachel Kim why Claire changed the trust.”
Jonathan’s anger disappeared.
Beatrice noticed.
“So you already know.”
“Why did Claire remove you?”
His mother’s face hardened.
“Because Claire never understood loyalty.”
“Did she discover the loans?”
A tiny pause.
Enough.
Jonathan whispered, “You knew.”
Beatrice looked away.
“Your father left me a company with obligations.”
“You borrowed eighteen million dollars without board approval.”
“I protected Charles’s legacy.”
“You risked Oliver’s house.”
“I tried to save this family.”
Jonathan stared at her.
“Did saving this family include putting my son in a cabinet?”
Beatrice turned back slowly.
“No.”
He searched her face.
She did not blink.
Then she said something that made his blood run cold.
“If you think I’m capable of that, Jonathan, you’ve forgotten who taught Oliver that good boys keep family secrets.”
Jonathan frowned.
“You taught him that.”
Beatrice shook her head.
“Not recently.”
May you like
She looked toward the hallway.
“Lucas did.”
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