Chapter 5
Emily looked as though someone had pulled the floor from beneath her.
"No."
Her voice was barely audible.
"No, please. They can't send me back."
I moved beside her.
"Emily, listen to Rebecca."
Rebecca crouched so they were eye level.
"Your father has filed a petition. That does not mean he has won."
"But he knows judges."
"Connections aren't evidence."
Emily shook her head.
"He's always told me nobody could stop him."
Rebecca's voice remained steady.
"Then we're going to make him prove his case under the law."
The petition was filled with accusations.
It described Emily as irrational, financially irresponsible, and unable to make basic decisions.
It referenced alleged episodes of paranoia.
It claimed she refused necessary medical treatment.
And it accused me of manipulating her for access to her inheritance.
I nearly laughed when I read that last part.
Then I remembered the basement.
There was nothing funny about it.
Richard had prepared his story before Emily ever escaped.
He knew exactly how to make her sound unreliable.
Rebecca arranged an independent evaluation and prepared to challenge the emergency request.
Meanwhile, I focused on finding Helen Brooks.
The first phone number Emily gave me was disconnected.
The second led to a voicemail box.
I left a message.
"My name is Claire Bennett. I'm helping Emily Mercer. She's safe, but she needs your help. Please call me."
That evening, a blocked number appeared on my screen.
I answered.
"Hello?"
A woman spoke.
"How do I know you're not working for Richard?"
My pulse quickened.
"Helen?"
"Answer the question."
"Emily gave me your name."
Silence.
Then I heard a shaky breath.
"Is she alive?"
My heart broke.
"Yes. She's in the hospital. She's safe."
The woman began crying.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Finally, Helen whispered, "I thought he would kill her."
I closed my eyes.
"Can we meet?"
"Not at my home."
"Anywhere you choose."
She gave me the address of a small diner forty minutes outside Boston.
I asked Maya to accompany me.
We also informed Rebecca where we were going.
Helen arrived wearing a plain blue coat.
She was in her late fifties, with tired eyes and trembling hands.
She sat across from us.
"Before I say anything," she whispered, "you need to understand that Richard Mercer ruined my life."
I waited.
"I worked for Margaret for twenty-three years."
Her voice softened.
"She was demanding, but she was fair. She paid for my daughter's college education when my husband died."
Tears appeared in her eyes.
"She treated Emily like her own child."
"What happened?"
Helen looked down.
"Margaret discovered irregularities in the company accounts. She asked me to help her organize old documents because Richard had begun controlling access to her office."
"Did she tell you what she'd found?"
"She said Daniel had approved payments that weren't legitimate. She was preparing to contact the company's outside auditors."
Maya leaned forward.
"And then?"
Helen swallowed.
"One evening, Margaret told the family she planned to remove Richard as chairman."
My stomach tightened.
"Was there an argument?"
"A terrible one."
Helen described shouting that lasted more than an hour.
Margaret had accused Richard of stealing from employees and hospitals.
Daniel had shouted that she didn't understand modern business.
Victoria had threatened to have Margaret declared incompetent.
The next morning, Margaret became seriously ill.
She died two days later.
Helen pressed her hands together.
"I was cleaning the hallway when Victoria came out of Margaret's bedroom carrying a small bag."
"What was inside?"
"I saw two medicine bottles."
"Did you know what they contained?"
"No."
Helen shook her head.
"I can't prove what happened with those bottles. But I know what I saw."
That distinction mattered.
Suspicion wasn't proof.
And we needed proof.
Helen continued.
"After the funeral, Richard told me my services were no longer required."
"Did he threaten you?"
She nodded.
"He said if I discussed private family matters, he'd make sure my daughter lost her nursing license."
I stared at her.
"Your daughter is a nurse?"
"Yes."
"Did he have any basis for that threat?"
"None. But I was afraid."
Helen reached inside her bag.
Then she placed an envelope on the table.
"Margaret gave me this three days before she became ill."
Rebecca had advised us not to handle anything carelessly.
I photographed the sealed envelope and called her.
She asked Helen to bring it directly to her office so its history could be documented.
Helen agreed.
"What is it?" I asked.
"A letter for Emily. Margaret told me to deliver it if anything happened to her."
"Why didn't you?"
Helen began crying.
"Richard threatened my daughter. Then Emily stopped answering calls. I thought she hated me."
"She didn't," I said.
Helen covered her mouth.
"I should have done more."
I reached across the table.
"You can help her now."
The next morning, Rebecca opened the envelope with Helen present.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
Margaret had addressed it to Emily.
My darling girl,
If you're reading this, something has happened that prevented me from finishing what I started.
I know you've noticed the changes in this house.
You are not imagining them.
You are not weak.
And you are not responsible for the choices your father and brother have made.
I have documented the financial irregularities and placed copies of my findings where Richard cannot reach them.
The key is yours.
The truth belongs to you.
But above all, remember this:
Your freedom matters more than my money.
Do not let anyone convince you otherwise.
With all my love,
Grandmother.
Emily read the letter three times.
Then she pressed it against her chest.
"She believed me," she whispered.
I held her while she cried.
For the first time since the night at the estate, her tears seemed to come from relief.
But our relief didn't last.
That afternoon, I received an email from my company's legal department.
The subject line made my stomach drop.
URGENT: NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION.
A formal complaint had been filed against me.
It accused me of stealing confidential information and using my position for personal gain.
The complainant was Mercer Biomedical Supplies.
And attached to the complaint was a sworn statement.
Signed by Daniel Mercer.
I opened it.
May you like
Halfway down the page, I found the accusation that nearly stopped my heart.
Daniel claimed I had tried to extort his family for five million dollars.
