Chapter 10 - The Truth Isabel Left Behind
The investigation brought Anthony's past into the present in ways none of us expected. His first instinct was to confront everyone at once. Evelyn insisted on patience, subpoenas, and recorded statements. Anthony listened, though I could see it cost him.
A week after Thanksgiving, Evelyn invited us to the blue room. She had obtained permission from Isabel's brother, Daniel, to inspect a box of his sister's papers. Daniel lived in Boston and had avoided the mansion since the funeral. He arrived with red eyes and an old cardboard box tied with string.
“I should have brought this sooner,” he told Anthony.
Anthony shook his head. “I wasn't ready to look.”
Inside were photographs, a half-finished recipe book, and a notebook with Isabel's careful handwriting. Some pages recorded family birthdays. Others listed meetings with financial advisers and concerns about unusual expenses in an account connected to a charitable foundation.
Victoria's name did not appear. Isabel had died before Anthony began dating her.
I felt an odd relief. The missing accident report might have involved the same firm Victoria later used, but that did not mean she had planned Isabel's death. It meant the trail was more complicated.
Daniel turned to a page marked with a pressed flower. “Isabel thought somebody was using a foundation to hide payments. She asked the accountant to look into it.”
Anthony read the note. “Did she tell you who?”
“No. She said she wanted facts before she frightened you.”
Evelyn compared the foundation's old correspondence with Elena's receipts. Several bank details overlapped with the firm that had processed Victoria's invoices. It was a thread, not an answer.
Then Daniel handed Anthony a sealed envelope. “She wrote this after Lily was born. She said to give it to you when you needed reminding of who you were.”
Anthony opened it slowly.
He read silently. His eyes filled. After a moment he asked whether he could read a passage aloud.
“My love,” he began, his voice breaking, “you think strength means nobody gets close enough to hurt you. But the bravest thing I've watched you do is sit on the floor while our daughter teaches you how to build a crooked castle.”
He stopped and looked at Lily, who was building a crooked castle of wooden blocks beside Rosa's chair.
“Don't let the world make you forget that man,” he finished.
The room went quiet. Anthony folded the letter and pressed it against his chest.
That night, he came to the kitchen while I was putting away dishes. He looked uncomfortable.
“I've been leaning on you,” he said. “More than I should.”
“I want to help.”
“I know. But you work for me. I don't want gratitude or loyalty to become something you're unable to refuse.”
I set down the plate. I had felt the pull between us for days. I had tried to ignore it because the power difference was real.
“Then we need boundaries,” I said.
He nodded. “I can arrange another position for you with equal pay, or paid time away. Whatever you choose. No conditions.”
I was startled by the care in his words. “Let me think about it.”
“Take all the time you need.”
The next morning Evelyn had a breakthrough. The disputed foundation had been controlled by an adviser named Charles Vale. He had worked for Anthony's business years earlier, then left after an internal dispute. Keller's notes suggested Vale had pressured the garage after Isabel's accident. Victoria had later used Vale's consulting firm for Rosa's and Lily's paperwork.
“We need to know whether they coordinated,” Evelyn said, “or whether Victoria simply hired someone with a history of dirty work.”
“Where is Vale?” Anthony asked.
Evelyn hesitated. “He's scheduled to speak at a private fundraising gala Friday.”
Anthony rose. “Then I'll be there.”
“No,” Evelyn said sharply. “You'll stay away while investigators do their work.”
Anthony opened his mouth to argue. Then he looked at Lily, sleeping on the couch with her head in Rosa's lap.
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“All right,” he said. “Tell me what you need from me.”
It was the first time I saw him choose patience over power without looking defeated.
