Chapter 9: The Ledger That Could Destroy Us All
Dad stared at Renee.
"All three of us?""
She looked down.
I stepped into the room.
"Who is the third person?""
Renee didn't answer.
Dad moved closer.
"Renee, answer her.""
She held the black notebook against her chest.
"Mark.""
Dad's jaw tightened.
"Mark?""
"Your brother knew about the company transfers.""
Dad shook his head.
"How?""
"Victor paid him to sign documents. He said it was temporary. He said the company needed to move money between accounts.""
I remembered Uncle Mark's voice on the phone.
I thought I was helping.
I looked at Renee.
"Did he know the money was stolen?""
She shook her head.
"Not at first.""
"And later?""
She didn't answer.
Dad took a slow breath.
"Where is the ledger?""
"I don't know.""
"You were searching for it.""
"Because Victor said it might still be here.""
"Why does he want it?""
Renee looked at him.
"Because it contains everything.""
She opened the notebook.
Inside were handwritten account numbers, dates, and amounts.
Some entries were marked with initials.
V.H.
R.C.
M.C.
And D.C.
I recognized the first three names.
Victor Hale.
Renee Carter.
Mark Carter.
But the final initials were my father's.
Dad took the notebook.
"What is this?""
Renee's voice trembled.
"Victor said he needed a record of all the transactions.""
"You wrote this?""
"Some of it.""
Dad looked up.
"You kept records of the money you stole?""
"I didn't think anyone would ever see it.""
I stared at her.
"Why is my name here?""
Renee looked at me.
"Because Victor wanted to know how much money your mother had left.""
"Why?""
"Because he thought there might be another account.""
Dad looked furious.
"Another account?""
Renee nodded.
"Your mother had investments outside the family business. Victor believed she had transferred money before she died.""
Thomas, who had followed us into the room, stepped forward.
"How did Victor know about those investments?""
Renee shook her head.
"I don't know.""
Thomas opened the notebook and began examining the entries.
Then he stopped.
"Daniel, look at this.""
He pointed to a date.
It was two weeks after my mother's death.
Beside it was a transfer of $75,000.
The recipient was listed as Carter Family Consulting.
Dad looked at Renee.
"Where did that money come from?""
She swallowed.
"Your wife's estate.""
Dad took a step backward.
"That's impossible.""
"Victor said it was an administrative payment.""
"Did you know it belonged to Margaret?""
Renee began crying.
"I knew it was connected to her.""
"That isn't what I asked.""
She lowered her head.
"Yes.""
Dad turned away.
I watched his shoulders rise and fall.
For years, I had believed Renee simply didn't like me.
Now I understood that she had been standing inside our family home while helping someone dismantle my mother's final wishes.
And she had smiled at me every morning.
She had asked about my grades.
She had told me to clean my room.
She had watched me count my savings.
Then she had taken the money.
"Why did you cut my dress?"" I asked.
Renee looked up.
The question seemed to confuse her.
"What?""
"Why did you let Mia destroy my graduation dress?""
She glanced toward the hallway.
"Mia was upset.""
"About what?""
"She thought everyone was making your graduation more important than hers.""
I stared at her.
"So you let her destroy something I worked five months for?""
"I didn't tell her to cut it.""
"But you defended her.""
Renee wiped her cheeks.
"I was trying to keep the peace.""
I shook my head.
"No. You were teaching her that she could hurt me and still be protected.""
She looked away.
Dad placed the notebook on the cabinet.
"Where is Victor now?""
Renee hesitated.
Then she whispered, "He called me this morning.""
"What did he say?""
"He said he was coming here tonight.""
Dad looked at the clock.
It was nearly six.
"Why?""
"To collect the documents.""
Thomas closed the notebook.
"Then we need to contact the police immediately.""
Renee shook her head violently.
"No.""
Dad turned.
"Why?""
"Because you don't know what Victor will do.""
Thomas looked at her.
"Has he threatened you?""
Renee nodded.
"He said if I talked, he'd tell everyone I was responsible for the company fraud.""
Dad stared at her.
"You signed the documents.""
"Because he told me to!""
"You took the money.""
"Because he said it was ours!""
Dad's voice rose.
"How much did you take, Renee?""
She looked at the floor.
"About ninety thousand.""
The number hung in the room.
Ninety thousand dollars.
I thought of the money I had saved from hauling flowers.
The dress.
The missed coffees.
The lunches packed in old containers.
Then I thought of ninety thousand dollars disappearing while Renee told me I should be grateful to have a roof over my head.
Thomas immediately called his office.
He explained the situation and asked them to contact the police.
Dad went downstairs to secure the front door.
I stayed in the sewing room.
Renee sat on the floor, crying.
"Do you hate me?"" she asked.
I looked at her.
I wanted to say yes.
It would have been easy.
But the truth was more complicated.
"I don't know what I feel.""
She looked up.
"Your father and I loved you.""
I swallowed.
"You loved me when it was convenient.""
She began shaking her head.
"That's not true.""
"Then why did you never stop Mia?""
Renee covered her face.
I walked out.
In the hallway, I found Dad speaking quietly with Thomas.
"Victor knows we're onto him," Dad said.
Thomas nodded.
"We need to secure the original records.""
"Do you think the ledger is still here?""
Thomas looked toward the sewing room.
"If Margaret said it was hidden in this house, we should assume it exists until proven otherwise.""
Dad rubbed his face.
"Then where?""
I thought about the old sewing machine.
The false-bottom cabinet.
The boxes my mother had kept beneath the bed.
Then I remembered something.
A small wooden music box.
My mother used to keep it on the shelf beside her sewing machine.
After she died, Dad had moved it into the attic.
I turned toward him.
"Dad?""
He looked at me.
"The music box.""
He frowned.
"What about it?""
"Mom always said it was broken. But she never let anyone throw it away.""
Thomas immediately looked interested.
"Where is it?""
"The attic.""
Dad hurried upstairs.
I followed him.
We climbed the narrow staircase and switched on the light.
Dust floated through the yellow glow.
There were old suitcases, holiday decorations, and boxes labeled in Dad's handwriting.
He found the music box beneath a stack of blankets.
It was small, made of dark cherry wood, with a painted field of blue flowers on the lid.
I remembered turning its little key as a child.
It had never played properly.
Dad placed it on an old trunk.
Thomas examined the hinges.
Then he turned it over.
"There's a second compartment.""
He pressed a small metal pin beneath the base.
A hidden panel clicked open.
Inside was a folded piece of paper.
And a tiny brass key.
Dad unfolded the paper.
It contained six words.
The ledger is where we began.
I frowned.
"Where did Mom and Dad begin?""
Dad stared at the message.
Then his expression changed.
"Our first house.""
I knew exactly what he meant.
Before this house.
Before Renee.
Before Carter Construction became successful.
My parents had lived in a small rented cottage near Route 9.
The same road where I had spent five months working at the garden center.
My mother used to say that the cottage was where she and Dad learned to be a family.
Dad turned the paper over.
There was an address.
Thomas checked his phone.
"Does the property still belong to you?""
Dad nodded slowly.
"It does.""
He looked at me.
"Your mother never wanted to sell it.""
Then his phone rang.
Victor Hale.
Dad answered.
"Hello, Victor.""
A familiar voice came through.
"Daniel. I heard you've been asking questions.""
Dad glanced at Thomas.
"Have I?""
Victor laughed.
"Let's not make this ugly. I can explain everything.""
"Then explain the money.""
A pause.
"Not over the phone.""
"Where are you?""
"I'm nearby.""
Dad looked toward the attic window.
A black SUV had just pulled into our driveway.
Victor's vehicle.
He was already here.
"Come inside," Dad said.
Victor laughed again.
"Actually, Daniel, I think you should come outside.""
Dad frowned.
"Why?""
"Because I brought someone you need to see.""
The call ended.
We heard the front door open downstairs.
Then a familiar voice called through the house.
"Daniel?""
It wasn't Victor.
It was Uncle Mark.
Dad looked at me.
Thomas quietly closed the music box.
And from downstairs came Victor's next words.
"Before we discuss the ledger, there's something your daughter deserves to know about her mother's death.""
I felt my knees weaken.
Dad ran toward the staircase.
But Victor continued.
"Because Margaret didn't just discover the stolen money, Daniel.""
A pause.
Then he delivered the sentence that shattered everything I thought I knew.
May you like
"She came to see me the night before she died.""
And he claimed my father had known exactly why.
