Chapter 10 - The Friend Who Kept the Worst Secret
Richard refused to believe it.
Not Margaret.
Not the woman who had stood beside Elizabeth through illness.
Not the attorney who had protected Lily during the wedding.
Not the person who had spent the previous night helping the police uncover Leonard's conspiracy.
"Play it again," he said.
Monroe didn't argue.
She pressed the button.
Elizabeth's voice filled the interview room.
"Margaret said someone at the warehouse wants to help."
A brief pause.
"I don't know if I should go."
Another voice spoke faintly.
Nora's.
"Elizabeth, please call Richard."
Elizabeth answered, "I tried."
Richard closed his eyes.
The recording continued.
"Margaret said the evidence will disappear by morning."
Then the sound of a car door closing.
The recording ended.
Richard stared at the table.
Margaret had arranged the meeting.
But that didn't necessarily mean she knew it was a trap.
Monroe turned off the device.
"Mr. Whitmore, we are not concluding that Margaret conspired to harm your wife."
Richard nodded slowly.
"We need to ask her questions."
"Have you contacted her?"
"She's on her way."
Margaret arrived twenty minutes later.
She looked exhausted.
Her usually perfect hair had come loose around her face.
When Monroe explained the recording, Margaret closed her eyes.
"I knew this day would come."
Richard felt his chest tighten.
"What did you do?"
Margaret opened her handbag.
She removed a yellowed envelope.
"I've been carrying this since Elizabeth died."
Richard stared.
"What is it?"
"My resignation letter."
He frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I believed I had failed her."
Margaret sat down.
"Elizabeth called me that evening and said she had found additional financial records."
"Why did you send her to the warehouse?"
"I didn't know it was a warehouse."
Richard stared.
"Explain."
"An anonymous source contacted my office."
"Who?"
"The message came through a secure channel."
"What did it say?"
"That Leonard's hidden accounts could be recovered from a storage unit."
Richard shook his head.
"And you sent my wife there alone?"
Margaret's eyes filled.
"No."
She leaned forward.
"I told her not to go without me."
"Then why did she?"
"Because she believed Lily was in danger."
Richard sat back.
Margaret continued.
"When Elizabeth called again, she said someone had sent her a photograph of Lily."
Richard nodded.
"Nora told the police."
"I begged Elizabeth to stay where she was."
"Did you go after her?"
"Yes."
Margaret's voice broke.
"I drove toward the address."
"What happened?"
"Police had already blocked the road when I arrived."
Richard froze.
"Police?"
Margaret nodded.
"They said there had been a traffic incident."
"What traffic incident?"
"I couldn't see."
She wiped her eyes.
"They wouldn't let me through."
Richard looked at Monroe.
"Is there a record of that?"
"We're checking."
Margaret continued.
"Then Leonard called me."
Richard stiffened.
"What did he say?"
"He said Elizabeth had suffered a sudden medical collapse."
"And you believed him?"
"No."
Margaret looked directly at Richard.
"I knew something was wrong."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
She swallowed.
"Because when I reached the hospital, you were sitting beside her body."
Richard's eyes filled.
"And Leonard was standing behind you."
Margaret began crying.
"He had already told everyone what happened."
"That didn't stop you from telling me."
"No."
She shook her head.
"It didn't."
Richard stared.
Margaret lowered her head.
"I was afraid."
"Of Leonard?"
"Of what he might do."
She looked up.
"He showed me a photograph of my son leaving his college dormitory."
Richard went cold.
"Your son?"
"He told me accidents happened."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Margaret wiped her face.
"I told myself I would find evidence before I spoke."
Richard stared at her.
"Two years?"
Her expression crumpled.
"I know."
He looked away.
"Elizabeth trusted you."
"Yes."
"And you let me bury her without knowing the truth."
Margaret closed her eyes.
"Yes."
Richard's voice cracked.
"You let Lily believe her mother died because her body stopped working."
Tears streamed down Margaret's face.
"I know."
Richard stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, people were moving through an ordinary afternoon.
Cars passed.
A delivery driver carried packages into a building.
The world had continued turning while his family lived inside a lie.
Margaret spoke behind him.
"I saved everything I could."
Richard didn't turn.
"What?"
"Messages."
"Records."
"Copies of the foundation accounts."
She slid a folder across the table.
"And one more thing."
Monroe opened it.
Inside was a printout of a wire transfer.
The sender was a private holding company associated with Leonard Price.
The recipient was Dr. Harold Benton.
The amount was $750,000.
The payment date was five days after Elizabeth died.
Monroe examined the record.
"Where did you obtain this?"
"From an archived foundation audit."
Margaret wiped her cheeks.
"I kept it because it didn't belong to any legitimate foundation expense."
Richard turned.
"Why didn't you give it to the police?"
"I didn't know who to trust."
He looked at her.
"And now?"
Margaret met his gaze.
"Now I'm done being afraid."
Monroe closed the folder.
"That information is important, but we'll need the original banking records."
She paused.
"There's something else I need to tell you."
Richard frowned.
"What?"
"Leonard has requested an attorney."
"Good."
"He also offered to cooperate."
Margaret looked surprised.
"Cooperate?"
Monroe nodded.
"Conditionally."
Richard's expression hardened.
"What does he want?"
"Protection."
"From whom?"
The detective hesitated.
"That's the interesting part."
She opened another file.
"Leonard says someone else has been controlling the operation for the past six months."
Richard stared.
"Who?"
Monroe looked toward the closed door.
"He wouldn't give us a name."
"What did he say?"
"That we should ask the man in the fedora why he was smiling."
Richard slowly turned toward Adrian.
Adrian stood motionless.
Margaret looked between them.
"Adrian?"
He didn't answer.
Richard's voice became cold.
"What haven't you told us?"
May you like
Adrian took a breath.
"More than you want to hear."
