Chapter 9 - The Price of SilenceEvelyn did not deny the payments.
Marcus confronted her at her townhouse the next morning.
Sarah remained home with Jaden.
Marcus placed the statement on his mother’s dining table.
“Explain.”
Evelyn sat slowly.
“I can.”
“Then do it.”
“The payments started after your father died.”
“From Caleb?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He owed Walter.”
Marcus stared.
“So he was repaying the ninety thousand.”
“Partly.”
“What does partly mean?”
Evelyn folded her hands.
“Walter discovered Caleb had taken more than ninety thousand.”
“How much?”
“I never knew the full amount.”
“Did you ask?”
“I didn’t want to.”
Marcus laughed.
“Of course.”
“Don’t speak to me like that.”
“How should I speak to the woman who watched me build a company beside a thief?”
Evelyn flinched.
Marcus immediately regretted the cruelty.
But he did not apologize.
“Why were the repayments disguised as vendor payments?”
“Caleb said he couldn’t repay directly without creating tax issues.”
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
Marcus sat across from her.
“How much did he pay you?”
“About sixty thousand.”
“What did you do with it?”
“Saved most of it.”
“Why didn’t you report it?”
Evelyn looked down.
“Because if Caleb was charged, the company could fail.”
“You keep saying that.”
“It was your father’s life’s work.”
“And now it may fail anyway.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I know.”
Marcus softened despite himself.
“Mom.”
“I made one compromise.”
“No. You made one compromise, then spent six years protecting it.”
Evelyn covered her mouth.
Marcus continued.
“That’s what secrets do. They charge interest.”
His mother began crying quietly.
After several minutes, she whispered.
“There is something I never told Sarah.”
Marcus looked up.
“What?”
“Walter didn’t die believing Caleb had repaid him.”
“What do you mean?”
“He planned to report him.”
“When?”
“The week he died.”
Marcus’s chest tightened.
“Dad died from a heart attack.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t do this.”
“I’m not suggesting anything.”
Marcus stared.
“Then why tell me?”
“Because the morning he died, Walter had an appointment.”
“With who?”
“A forensic accountant.”
Marcus sat back.
“Did he go?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“He collapsed at home first.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
He would not allow his mind to create another conspiracy.
The medical examiner had concluded natural causes.
His father had severe hypertension.
There had been no evidence of foul play.
“What happened to the accountant?”
“I canceled the appointment.”
“You what?”
“I told him Walter had died.”
“Did you ask what they were investigating?”
“No.”
Marcus stood.
“Name.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Think.”
Evelyn looked toward the ceiling.
“Peter Lang.”
Marcus wrote it down.
Before leaving, he stopped at the door.
“Did Caleb know Dad had that appointment?”
Evelyn hesitated.
“Yes.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
“Mom.”
“But that doesn’t mean—”
“I know.”
He turned.
“I’m not turning Dad’s heart attack into murder.”
“Good.”
“But I am going to find out what Dad knew.”
Back home, Marcus told Sarah everything.
She listened quietly.
When he finished, she said, “We need to be careful.”
“You think Caleb hurt Dad?”
“No.”
“Neither do I.”
“But Caleb has spent years benefiting from everyone being too afraid to ask questions.”
Marcus sat beside her.
Sarah touched his hand.
“There’s another problem.”
“What?”
“My hospital bracelet and paperwork were moved.”
Marcus frowned.
“Moved where?”
“From the kitchen counter.”
“Jaden?”
“I asked.”
“Mom?”
“She hasn’t been here.”
Marcus looked toward Sarah’s office.
“You think someone came inside?”
Sarah nodded.
“The back-door lock showed an attempted entry last night.”
Marcus’s stomach tightened.
“Security company?”
“I called.”
“And?”
“They said someone used an old access code.”
Marcus knew immediately.
Caleb’s.
He had never disabled it.
Marcus stood.
“I’m changing everything.”
“Already did.”
He looked at her.
Sarah gave a tired smile.
“I stopped waiting for you to handle it.”
The sentence hurt.
But Marcus understood.
That evening, Jaden joined them for dinner.
For the first time since the collapse, he laughed.
A small laugh.
Marcus almost cried hearing it.
Then Jaden said something that silenced both adults.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Why was Uncle Caleb in the garage before you fell?”
Sarah dropped her fork.
Marcus turned toward Jaden.
“What did you say?”
Jaden looked frightened.
“I thought you knew.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Tell me exactly what you saw.”
Jaden swallowed.
“He went in through the side door.”
“When?”
“Before I saw Mom outside.”
“How long before?”
“Maybe ten minutes.”
Marcus’s heartbeat grew louder.
“Did he come back out?”
Jaden nodded.
“What did he have?”
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“A screwdriver.”
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