Chapter 20 - WHAT THOMAS COULD NOT FINISH - THE EMPTY APARTMENT
Detective Ruiz told us not to assume the vandalism had been committed by Vale.
The police needed evidence, not a satisfying villain.
We provided the car footage and the paper for examination.
Meanwhile Michael obtained access to corporate records that placed Meadow Harbor Holdings inside a network of companies controlled through nominees.
There was enough to raise serious questions, but not enough to prove a single mastermind directed everything.
Elise followed the old invoices to a rural storage property once used by Thomas's supplier.
Its ownership had changed twice, and the building was now rented to a logistics business.
With the owner's permission, investigators searched the area relevant to the historic case.
They found boxes of obsolete shipping documents.
One carton bore Thomas's handwriting.
Inside were copies of statements from employees who had seen faulty locks installed on the warehouse exits before the fire.
Another folder held a draft letter to the district attorney.
Thomas had planned to report his suspicions.
The letter was dated four days before he entered the hospital.
I read it in Michael's office.
My husband's courage had not been complete, and neither had his cowardice.
He had tried to protect his children by delaying hard truths.
Then he had tried to repair the damage.
He died before he could finish.
I decided I would not repeat his mistake.
I offered the records and my cooperation through proper channels.
Sarah, after consulting her lawyer, agreed to provide further information on the money Greg had moved.
Her decision did not erase the violence against me.
But it might keep someone else from being harmed.
That night she sent me a short message.
I am leaving Greg.
Then a second message came from her number.
Mom, if I disappear, don't believe I ran away.
A third message arrived thirty seconds later.
Forget what I said.
Everything is fine.
Sarah's apartment was empty when officers conducted a welfare check the following morning.
Her suitcase lay open on the bed.
Her passport was still in the drawer.
Her phone charger hung from the wall.
There was no sign of a struggle, and no evidence yet that a crime had occurred.
But the last three messages made my hands turn cold.
I remembered Sarah's face when Greg appeared outside Michael's office.
I remembered his practiced voice telling everyone he was only worried about her.
I also remembered that my daughter could manipulate people expertly when it suited her.
I could not assume either safety or danger without evidence.
David came to sit with me.
He did not say Sarah deserved whatever happened.
He did not say I should forgive her.
He brought soup, then sat quietly while I stared at the rain.
At dusk, Michael received a message from Sarah's attorney.
Sarah had contacted him from a safe location and authorized him to confirm that she was alive.
She did not consent to reveal where she was.
Relief made me dizzy.
Then came anger that she had frightened us without explanation.
The lawyer added that Sarah had received a threat involving Rebecca and the girls.
She was cooperating with investigators and had been advised to limit contact.
For once, I respected her silence.
Three days passed.
Greg's attorney said he did not know where Greg was staying.
Vale denied all connection to any threats.
June provided more documents, while investigators evaluated what could be corroborated.
Then Elise called with news of a laboratory report.
A genetic comparison, conducted with informed consent through a reputable service, supported that she and David shared a paternal biological relationship.
Elise was Thomas's daughter.
I sat down beneath the photograph of my wedding.
A secret Thomas had carried all his life was finally real.
But before I could speak, Elise added, "Margaret, there's another result. The sample they compared against David wasn't the only one."
"Whose was it?"
She whispered a name.
May you like
"Sarah's."
And then she said, "Sarah does not share the same biological father."
