“You could have called me.”
“Yes.”
“You could have told Adrian.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you?”
Clara’s eyes filled, though her voice remained steady.
“Because I was ashamed. I had worked for the Moretti family for twenty years. I told myself Mrs. Moretti was protecting everyone. Eventually, I had to admit that I was protecting my position instead.”
Evelyn looked at her for a long moment.
“I don’t know if I can forgive you.”
“You don’t have to.”
The words settled more gently than an apology would have.
Clara turned toward me. “There’s something else.”
She removed a narrow envelope from the case.
“This was in Daniel Vale’s handwriting. Mrs. Moretti never saw it.”
I opened it.
Inside was a single page.
Adrian,
Your father kept a private
ledger apart from the company accounts. I found it after his death and gave it to Victoria for safekeeping. It contains the names of men who used the family’s charitable foundations to move money without your father’s knowledge. Some of those men remain connected to Moretti Holdings.Find Baby Names
I intended to bring it to you, but Victoria told me you were preparing for a federal investigation and could not be trusted with information that might destabilize the organization. I disagreed.
The ledger disappeared three years ago.
If anything happens to me, ask Victoria where she placed it.
Daniel Vale.
I read the page twice.
Evelyn’s face tightened. “So he sent me away because of the ledger?”
“Maybe he believed you were in danger,” I said. “Maybe he wanted to keep the ledger from people who were looking for it.”
Clara shook her head. “There was a note attached to the original
file. It said Daniel had arranged temporary housing for Evelyn because he believed someone was monitoring the Moretti offices.”
“Did he know about the children?”Hire Babysitters
“I don’t know.”
A knock sounded at the door.
Marcus opened it.
An older man stood on the stoop, wearing a charcoal coat and carrying no luggage. His hair was white at the temples, and his face held the quiet exhaustion of someone who had spent years avoiding a conversation he knew would eventually come.
Daniel Vale looked at me.
“You resemble your father more than he would have liked.”
I stepped aside. “Come in.”
He entered and removed his coat.
Evelyn remained near the fireplace. Julian stood beside her—not blocking her, simply present.
Daniel noticed the children first and lowered his voice. “They’re safe?”Hire Babysitters
“Yes,” Evelyn said.
