Chapter 17 - Edmund Tells the Whole Story
Edmund Blake asked to see Victoria before entering his guilty plea.
Her attorneys advised against it.
Detective Chen advised neutrality.
Hannah said nothing.
Victoria agreed.
They met in a secure conference room at the federal courthouse.
Edmund looked twenty years older.
No black suit.
No silver tray.
No perfect posture.
Just a sixty-year-old man in detention clothing with his hands folded on the table.
Victoria sat opposite him.
“You tried to kill me.”
“Yes.”
No excuse.
Good.
“Why did you stay loyal to Julian?”
Edmund looked down.
“I wasn’t loyal.”
“Then what were you?”
“Afraid.”
“Of prison?”
“Yes.”
“Your daughter?”
His face tightened.
“Julian knew I had taken household money.”
“You stole four hundred twenty thousand dollars.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“My daughter’s husband disappeared. Left debt. Her youngest needed surgeries. I started with ten thousand.”
Victoria listened.
“One theft became another.”
“Yes.”
“Then Julian found out.”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Four years ago.”
“He could have fired you.”
“He could have prosecuted me.”
“So you helped him.”
“At first with records.”
“Luke?”
Edmund closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
“You helped frame him.”
“I removed files from treasury review.”
“Why Luke?”
“He saw too much.”
“Did Graham know?”
“Yes.”
“Did Julian?”
“He chose Luke.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened.
Edmund continued.
“Mr. Carter was young. No powerful family. New baby. Julian said he would plead.”
Hannah had been right.
The powerful chose the person least able to survive the fight.
Victoria asked, “My father’s memorandum?”
“I took it from the archive after Mr. Richard died.”
“You gave it to Julian.”
“Yes.”
“Why keep a copy?”
“I didn’t. Mr. Richard had already mailed Adrian one.”
Edmund almost smiled sadly.
“He was smarter than us.”
“Not smart enough.”
“No.”
Victoria thought of her father protecting the Sinclair name too long.
A better man than Julian.
Still flawed.
That mattered.
“Tell me about the night you poisoned me.”
Edmund’s hands began trembling.
“Mr. Graham delivered the case. Cash. The sealed vial.”
“Did you know what it was?”
“Yes.”
“You knew my allergy.”
“Yes.”
“You knew removing my injectors could kill me.”
“Yes.”
Victoria held his gaze.
“Did you hope I would live?”
Edmund’s eyes filled.
He tried to answer.
Couldn’t.
Then whispered:
“No.”
The word hurt less than a lie.
“Why search Ellie’s room?”
“Julian saw the child’s medical notation on staff insurance records.”
Victoria’s face hardened.
“He knew she carried epinephrine.”
“Yes.”
“He told you to remove it.”
“Yes.”
“You went into a four-year-old’s room.”
“Yes.”
“You searched her things.”
“Yes.”
“I couldn’t find the backpack.”
“No.”
Edmund began crying.
“She carried it because of the rabbit.”
Victoria looked away.
Rosie had changed the timeline of a murder.
Not money.
Not lawyers.
Not security.
A child feeding an imaginary animal.
Edmund continued.
“When you collapsed, I thought it was done.”
“Then Ellie came.”
“Yes.”
“What did you feel?”
Edmund stared at his hands.
“Relief.”
Victoria blinked.
“I saw her use it and felt relief.”
“Then why run?”
“Because relief meant I understood what I had become.”
For the first time, Victoria felt something other than hatred.
Not forgiveness.
Never confusion about guilt.
But recognition.
A person could understand the horror of his choice and still deserve consequences.
“What are you pleading to?”
Edmund’s attorney had negotiated a substantial sentence for attempted murder conspiracy, evidence tampering, financial crimes, and obstruction in exchange for cooperation.
He would go to prison.
So would Graham.
So would Julian if convicted.
Victoria stood.
Edmund said, “Miss Sinclair.”
She stopped.
“I am sorry.”
Victoria looked back.
“You served me breakfast the morning after my mother’s funeral.”
His face crumpled.
“Yes.”
“You taught me how to polish my father’s cuff links.”
“Yes.”
“You knew which tea I wanted when I was sick.”
“Yes.”
“And you tried to kill me.”
“Yes.”
Victoria nodded slowly.
“That is the part I will remember when I’m tempted to think history guarantees loyalty.”
She left.
Outside, Hannah waited.
Not because Victoria asked.
Because Luke was meeting prosecutors in another room.
Victoria sat beside her.
“He admitted everything.”
Hannah nodded.
“Do you feel better?”
“No.”
“Good.”
Victoria looked at her.
Hannah shrugged.
“People always think truth feels good.”
“It doesn’t.”
“No.”
“It just removes excuses.”
Hannah smiled faintly.
“That’s better.”
Across the hallway, Luke emerged.
His attorney was smiling.
Federal prosecutors had formally dismissed the remaining case.
Not reduced.
Not retried.
Dismissed.
Luke Carter was free.
The government also opened an investigation into misconduct surrounding his prosecution based on newly discovered corporate evidence.
Luke walked toward Hannah.
Victoria stood.
He stopped in front of her.
For a moment neither spoke.
Victoria said, “I signed the statement that called you a thief.”
“Yes.”
“I didn’t know the evidence was false.”
“No.”
“That doesn’t erase that I never looked.”
“No.”
“I’m sorry.”
Luke studied her.
Then nodded.
“Good.”
No absolution.
No dramatic handshake.
Just acknowledgment.
Victoria found it strangely honest.
Then Luke added:
“Ellie likes you.”
Victoria almost smiled.
“I’m not sure why.”
“She likes difficult people.”
Hannah laughed.
May you like
“Runs in the family.”
For the first time since the poisoning, Victoria laughed too.
