Chapter 17 - Brothers
Grant was not immediately arrested.
That enraged Michael.
Brooks explained why.
“We’re coordinating conspiracy charges with financial-crimes prosecutors. We do this once.”
“He ordered the murder of my daughter.”
“And we want the case to survive.”
Grant remained in River Room Three with his attorneys.
Michael stood twenty feet away.
“You hated me that much?”
Grant laughed.
“This was never about hate.”
“Then what was it about?”
“You.”
Michael stared.
Grant stepped closer to the police boundary.
“Dad gave you everything.”
“He gave me thirty-six percent.”
“He gave you approval.”
Michael shook his head.
“You spent your whole life fighting a dead man.”
“No. I spent my life watching you pretend you didn’t benefit from being chosen.”
“You tried to kill Emma.”
Grant’s face tightened.
“I told Natalie to create an incident.”
“The recording says if Emma lives, you lose everything.”
“I was talking about the shares.”
“You told her to push the stroller.”
Grant finally raised his voice.
“I told her to finish what we started.”
The room froze.
His attorney grabbed his arm.
“Stop talking.”
Grant realized what he had said.
Michael almost crossed the police line.
Sofia caught his sleeve.
“Don’t.”
Grant laughed.
“There she is. Your new conscience.”
Michael looked at Sofia.
Then back at his brother.
“You want me to hit you.”
“Yes.”
“I’m not going to.”
For the first time, Grant appeared disappointed.
Michael continued.
“You built this entire plan around my temper. Around my pride. Around the belief that I’d destroy myself for you.”
Grant’s jaw tightened.
Michael stepped back.
“You were right for years.”
He looked toward Brooks.
“But not today.”
Grant’s attorney took him away.
Outside, prosecutors moved.
Search warrants hit Hayes Meridian Tower, Blue Heron’s registered office, Grant’s condominium, and Charles Wynn’s home.
Computers were seized.
Bank accounts frozen.
Daniel Cross agreed to cooperate formally.
Evelyn surrendered her financial records.
Robert Kellerman turned over three years of accounting files.
By evening, investigators had traced more than eleven million dollars through Blue Heron.
Nearly three million reached entities connected to Grant.
Nine hundred thousand went to Charles Wynn.
Two hundred fifty thousand to Natalie.
The rest funded secret purchases of Hayes Meridian shares.
Grant had not merely planned Emma’s death for future control.
He had already been assembling the votes he needed.
Sofia met Michael outside Emma’s nursery that night.
The baby slept beneath a new blanket.
Not white.
Pale yellow.
Michael watched her breathe.
“I almost brought Natalie into this house permanently.”
“You didn’t know.”
“I knew enough to doubt her before the restaurant.”
“You were going to end the engagement.”
“I waited.”
“Because?”
He looked ashamed.
“I didn’t want another failure after Laura.”
Sofia understood.
Natalie had offered him something after grief.
Not love.
The illusion that his family had not shattered.
He had protected that illusion until it nearly killed his daughter.
Michael said, “I keep thinking the worst thing I did was trust Natalie.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“The worst thing would be refusing to learn from why you trusted her.”
He nodded.
Emma stirred.
Michael picked her up.
She opened her eyes.
Sofia touched one tiny hand.
Emma gripped her finger.
Michael watched.
“Stay.”
Sofia looked at him.
“For coffee,” he added quickly.
She smiled faintly.
“Coffee.”
His phone rang before either could say more.
Detective Brooks.
Grant Hayes had been arrested.
Charges included solicitation of murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, financial fraud, and obstruction-related offenses.
Michael closed his eyes.
Then Brooks added one more thing.
Natalie had requested to speak with Sofia.
May you like
Alone.
And she claimed there was still one secret nobody had discovered.
