Chapter 6 - HER FATHER WASN’T THE MAN SHE REMEMBEREDCharles Mercer had been a hero in Evelyn’s memory.
Generous.
Brilliant.
Protective.
The kind of father who canceled board meetings to attend school plays.
The man who taught her to drive and pretended not to notice when she dented his vintage Mercedes.
The man who burned Sunday pancakes because he refused to follow recipes.
But Victor did not immediately deny Garrett’s accusation.
That frightened her.
“Was my father blackmailing people?”
Victor sat.
“He collected leverage.”
“That’s a beautiful way to avoid the word.”
“Sometimes he used it.”
“For money?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“To force outcomes.”
“That’s blackmail.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn stared at him.
“Give me an example.”
“Richard Blackwood was attempting to acquire a regional bank through shell corporations. Your father discovered Richard was bribing regulators.”
“And?”
“Charles told him to abandon the acquisition or he’d release the evidence.”
“That sounds like stopping a crime.”
“Another time he found proof a senator was having an affair.”
Evelyn frowned.
“What did he want?”
“A zoning vote.”
Her stomach dropped.
“So Garrett was right.”
“Partially.”
“My father was corrupt.”
Victor looked at her.
“Your father was complicated.”
“No. Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Don’t turn something ugly into something noble because you loved him.”
Victor accepted the criticism.
“Fair.”
Evelyn looked toward the twins’ room.
“What’s in the archive now?”
“Nobody knows.”
“Then why is everyone willing to destroy my family for it?”
“Because information doesn’t lose value when the people involved become more powerful.”
Evelyn thought about senators.
Bankers.
CEOs.
People who might now hold positions far beyond what they had eight years earlier.
“And the trust gives me access.”
“Likely.”
“Likely?”
“Your father separated knowledge. Samuel handled the trust structure. I handled security. Martin Keene handled portions of the estate.”
“Why?”
“So nobody could betray him completely.”
“But Martin betrayed him anyway.”
Victor nodded.
Evelyn’s phone vibrated.
A hospital security alert.
Visitor request.
Dr. Laura Bennett.
Her psychiatrist.
Evelyn’s skin crawled.
“Why is she here?”
Samuel entered seconds later.
“She signed a petition supporting Garrett.”
Evelyn looked toward the door.
“Let her in.”
Victor frowned.
“Bad idea.”
“I want to hear her lie.”
Laura entered five minutes later.
Perfectly composed.
Mid-forties.
Soft voice.
The same soothing expression Evelyn had trusted for months.
“Evelyn.”
“Sit.”
Laura did.
“I’m concerned about you.”
“Because Garrett called?”
“He described alarming behavior.”
“Did he tell you he locked me inside while I was in labor?”
Laura hesitated.
“He said there was a misunderstanding.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Of course.”
Laura folded her hands.
“You’ve been struggling with anxiety for months.”
“I was pregnant with twins while living with people who were apparently trying to steal my inheritance.”
Laura’s expression shifted.
Tiny.
But visible.
Evelyn saw it.
“You knew.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“The trust.”
“No.”
“Garrett told you?”
“No.”
Evelyn leaned forward.
“How much has Blackwood Capital donated to your clinic?”
Laura stopped breathing for half a second.
Samuel immediately looked interested.
“Excellent question.”
Laura stood.
“This conversation is becoming hostile.”
“No,” Evelyn said. “It’s becoming honest.”
Laura picked up her bag.
“I recommend an independent evaluation.”
“By another doctor Garrett pays?”
Laura’s face flushed.
“I’ve never accepted money from your husband.”
Samuel spoke.
“Blackwood Foundation transferred $600,000 to Bennett Wellness last year.”
Laura looked at him sharply.
“How did you—”
Samuel smiled.
“Public records are wonderful.”
Laura turned toward the door.
Evelyn called after her.
“Did Garrett tell you what he needed you to write about me?”
Laura stopped.
For several seconds, she didn’t move.
Then she said quietly:
“You should ask your husband why he was preparing guardianship paperwork six months before you became pregnant.”
Evelyn froze.
Laura walked out.
Victor followed but returned two minutes later.
“She’s gone.”
Evelyn stared at the closed door.
“Six months before I was pregnant.”
Samuel opened Garrett’s court filing again.
The earliest document was dated almost two years before.
Evelyn remembered that period.
Garrett had suddenly become obsessed with having children.
He had talked about family constantly.
He encouraged her to stop birth control.
Bought books.
Decorated a nursery before they had even started trying.
She had thought it was love.
Now she understood.
The trust activated when she became a mother.
Garrett hadn’t wanted children because he dreamed of being a father.
He had needed her pregnant.
And then Victor said:
“There’s one more thing.”
Evelyn looked at him.
“When Garrett met you at your father’s memorial, he already knew the exact wording of the trust provision.”
“How?”
Victor’s answer was simple.
“Someone inside your father’s legal team gave it to him.”
Evelyn stared toward the hallway Laura had just disappeared down.
“Martin Keene?”
Victor nodded.
And then Samuel’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed.
“What?”
Evelyn asked.
May you like
Samuel ended the call.
“Martin Keene was found dead twenty minutes ago.”
Related Stories
