Chapter 7
Vanessa Grant.
Thomas's wife.
A woman who had sat beside us at Christmas dinner.
A woman who brought homemade desserts to our house.
A woman who hugged Nia every time she saw her.
I stared at my wife.
"Vanessa?"
Nia nodded.
"I didn't believe her at first."
I sat back.
"What did she say?"
Nia swallowed.
"She told me Daniel was only doing what he was paid to do."
My heart pounded.
"Paid by who?"
"She wouldn't say."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Nia's eyes filled.
"Because she threatened to ruin you."
I shook my head.
"Baby..."
"She said your construction company would be accused of fraud. She showed me invoices with your company name on them."
I remembered the missing folder.
The stolen computer.
The contracts.
"She was setting me up."
Nia nodded.
"She said if I stayed quiet, she'd make the documents disappear."
"And if you didn't?"
"She'd make sure you went to prison."
I closed my eyes.
For months, someone had been building a trap around us.
Not just around Nia.
Around our entire life.
"Did Thomas know?" I asked.
"I don't know."
Nia looked devastated.
"I thought he was helping Vanessa. But now I'm not sure who was helping whom."
I called Detective Brooks.
She came to the hospital that afternoon.
Nia repeated everything.
The detective listened carefully.
Then asked for details.
Dates.
Phone numbers.
Locations.
Exact words.
Nia remembered receiving a call from Vanessa two weeks before the funeral.
Vanessa had asked to meet her at a restaurant.
Nia thought it concerned a charity event.
Instead, Vanessa showed her documents.
Fake invoices.
False payment records.
And a spreadsheet supposedly proving my company had received money for work it never performed.
Nia had been terrified.
She knew I hadn't approved those transactions.
But the documents looked convincing.
"Did you keep copies?" Detective Brooks asked.
Nia nodded.
"I photographed some pages."
"Where are the photographs?"
Nia looked toward me.
"On my phone."
Daniel's phone.
The device he had carried into the chapel.
My fists tightened.
Detective Brooks explained that investigators had obtained legal authority to examine relevant devices.
They were working to recover deleted information and verify its origin.
I wanted to believe the evidence would finally expose everything.
But I had learned that truth could take time.
The next morning, a major development occurred.
Thomas contacted investigators through an attorney.
He offered to cooperate.
According to Detective Brooks, he admitted that Vanessa had pressured him into approving false foundation payments.
He claimed he initially believed the transactions were temporary accounting adjustments.
Then he realized money was being diverted.
By that point, Vanessa had threatened to expose his role unless he continued.
I wasn't sure how much of his story was true.
Thomas had betrayed my trust.
Even if he had been manipulated, he had still made choices.
But his cooperation helped investigators trace the money.
The foundation funds moved through several shell companies.
Some payments appeared to involve legitimate contractors.
Others were unsupported.
A significant portion eventually reached accounts connected to Vanessa.
I stared at the summary Detective Brooks provided.
"Why would she do all this?"
"Money is one possible motive," she said.
"But we're examining other reasons."
I thought about Vanessa.
She came from a wealthy family.
Or at least she always claimed she did.
She wore expensive clothes.
Hosted elaborate parties.
Spoke constantly about investing.
Now I wondered whether any of it was real.
That evening, Evelyn visited Nia.
She stood near the doorway.
"Can I come in?"
Nia looked at me.
I waited.
This was her decision.
Finally, she nodded.
Evelyn walked slowly toward the bed.
Her hands trembled.
"Nia..."
My wife looked away.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Evelyn began crying.
"I'm sorry."
Nia closed her eyes.
"Mom."
"I should have protected you."
"Yes."
The single word filled the room.
Evelyn nodded.
"I know."
Nia looked at her.
"You believed Daniel instead of asking to see me."
"He showed me documents."
"You didn't even call Marcus."
Evelyn covered her mouth.
"I was afraid."
"So was I."
Tears rolled down Nia's face.
"I woke up inside a coffin, Mom."
Evelyn began sobbing.
"I know."
"I heard people crying for me."
"I'm sorry."
"I thought I was going to die."
I moved closer.
Nia reached for my hand.
Then she asked the question I'd been carrying for days.
"Did you know I was alive?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"No."
Nia stared at her.
"Promise me."
"I promise."
Her voice cracked.
"I believed Daniel when he said you were gone. But I knew he was hiding something."
Nia began crying harder.
"Then why did you keep quiet?"
"Because I thought he had Caleb."
Nia looked away.
For several painful minutes, silence filled the room.
Then she whispered, "I don't know if I can forgive you."
Evelyn nodded.
"You don't have to."
That answer surprised me.
She wasn't demanding forgiveness.
She wasn't making excuses.
She was accepting responsibility.
Before leaving, Evelyn placed a small photograph on the bedside table.
It showed Nia and Caleb as children.
Both smiling.
Both holding their father's hands.
"I love you," Evelyn whispered.
Then she walked out.
I sat beside Nia.
She stared at the photograph.
"Do you think people can change?"
I thought about everything that had happened.
"I think they can."
She looked at me.
"But?"
"But they have to prove it."
She nodded.
Then my phone rang.
Detective Brooks.
I answered.
Her voice was urgent.
"Marcus, we need you and Nia to remain at the hospital until we update your security arrangements."
My stomach dropped.
"What's happened?"
"We've identified evidence that Vanessa knew about the funeral plan."
I tightened my grip on the phone.
"Are you arresting her?"
"We're taking action now."
May you like
Then she said something that left me speechless.
"Marcus, the evidence suggests Vanessa ordered Daniel to make sure Nia never reached the auditors."
