Chapter 13 - The Music Box
Police recovered Catherine's music box from the estate.
Inside the wooden base was a hollow compartment.
The black ledger was there.
Names.
Invoices.
Fake patients.
Real children denied treatment because money had been stolen.
The ledger implicated Darius and Howard.
It also showed something unexpected.
Catherine had been quietly repaying stolen funds from her personal accounts before her death.
She had sold jewelry.
Including pieces from her mother's collection.
The diamond bracelet Avery carried was the last piece.
Catherine had hidden it because she planned to sell it too.
Avery remembered.
"Mommy said it could make three kids better."
Grant began crying.
He had spent millions on specialists after Catherine died.
But Catherine had been selling her own jewelry to replace money stolen under his corporate name.
The shame was unbearable.
Nolan sat beside him.
No advice.
No correction.
Just presence.
Grant finally understood what Nolan had done in the ballroom.
Sometimes the first useful thing you can give pain is company.
Then police found Darius.
He was hiding in a private hangar.
He carried cash, passports, and a one-way flight plan.
Destination.
Cayman Islands.
He was arrested before boarding.
In his bag was Catherine's original phone.
And one unsent message to Grant.
May you like
PLEASE BELIEVE ME THIS TIME.
