Chapter 14 - The Last Night of Richard Hale
Emma’s memory came in pieces.
Marcus did not question her himself after that first answer.
Detective Ortiz arranged a forensic child interviewer.
Marcus watched through one-way glass, hands clasped so tightly his knuckles hurt.
Emma sat with a trained interviewer named Dr. Patel.
“Tell me about the last night you saw Grandpa.”
Emma stared at a box of crayons.
“He was sleepy.”
“Who was there?”
“Miriam.”
“Anybody else?”
“Bianca came earlier.”
Marcus’s breath caught.
Nobody had known Bianca visited Richard that night.
“What happened when Bianca was there?”
“They argued.”
“About what?”
“Dad.”
“What did they say?”
Emma frowned.
“Bianca said Dad would sign anything if she made it easy.”
Marcus closed his eyes.
Dr. Patel continued gently.
“What happened after Bianca left?”
“Miriam gave Grandpa medicine.”
“Was that unusual?”
“She always gave him medicine.”
“Did Grandpa say anything?”
“He said no.”
Marcus opened his eyes.
Emma’s voice became smaller.
“He said, ‘Not that one.’”
Dr. Patel asked, “What did Miriam do?”
“She said the doctor changed it.”
“And then?”
“She put it in his drink.”
Marcus stood abruptly.
Rachel caught his arm.
“Stay.”
Inside, Emma rubbed her hands together.
“Grandpa drank some. Then he got really tired.”
“Did anything else happen?”
“Miriam looked in his desk.”
“For what?”
“The silver box.”
“Did she find it?”
“No. Grandpa already gave it to me.”
“What did Miriam say?”
Emma swallowed.
“She said, ‘Where is the real key?’”
Marcus felt the room tilt.
“And Grandpa?”
“He told her to go to hell.”
Dr. Patel allowed a small smile.
“That sounds like Grandpa.”
Emma nodded.
“Then he told me to leave.”
“Did you?”
“I went to the hallway.”
“Could you hear them?”
“Yes.”
“What did you hear?”
“Miriam was crying.”
“Anything else?”
“She said Simon would lose everything.”
“What did Grandpa say?”
Emma looked toward the mirror, not knowing Marcus stood behind it.
“He said, ‘Then maybe your brother should have thought of that before he stole from my son.’”
The interview continued another twenty minutes.
Nothing Emma described proved murder.
Richard had advanced cancer, heart problems, and multiple prescribed medications.
But Detective Ortiz immediately contacted the medical examiner.
Richard had not received a full autopsy because his death was expected.
His remains had been cremated.
No toxicology could now be performed.
Marcus felt fury rise.
Rachel saw it.
“You cannot change that.”
“Miriam may have poisoned him.”
“We do not know that.”
“She gave him medicine he refused.”
“We need medical records.”
They obtained them.
Richard’s physician confirmed that no medication change had been authorized that night.
Miriam had documented administering the regular dosage.
If Emma’s memory was accurate, Miriam had lied.
Then Victor provided another piece.
During his proffer with prosecutors, he admitted that Simon had called him the morning Richard died.
Simon had said:
The old man won’t be a problem anymore.
Victor claimed he assumed Simon meant Richard had died naturally.
Prosecutors did not.
Miriam was arrested for questioning on unrelated evidence-tampering and obstruction charges involving the duplicate key.
She eventually admitted taking a wax impression of Richard’s key.
She admitted giving Simon access to Richard’s schedules.
She admitted lying in medical notes.
But she denied harming Richard.
“The extra medication was lorazepam,” she said through her attorney. “A prescribed rescue dose Richard had previously received for severe anxiety.”
His doctor disputed that it had been indicated.
Could it have contributed to Richard’s death?
Possibly.
Could anyone prove it caused his death?
Probably not.
Marcus hated the uncertainty.
He wanted clean justice.
Life refused to provide it.
Meanwhile, the company’s crisis worsened.
Northlake’s lender demanded repayment.
Hale Meridian’s bond insurer issued a reservation-of-rights notice.
Two hotel management contracts threatened termination.
Marcus’s name had become toxic.
Then a recording leaked online.
It was audio of Marcus shouting at Richard during their final major argument.
You don’t trust me to run anything!
Richard answered:
Not when you confuse love with judgment.
Marcus:
Bianca is not the problem. You are.
The clip ended there.
No context.
No date.
Within hours, commentators were saying Richard Hale had tried to warn his reckless son.
For once, the public narrative contained some truth.
Marcus had ignored him.
That evening, Emma found him sitting in darkness.
“Dad?”
“Hey.”
“You’re sad.”
“Yeah.”
“Because of Grandpa?”
“Mostly.”
She climbed onto the chair beside him.
“I think Grandpa knew you were mad.”
“I was.”
“But he still gave me the key for you.”
Marcus looked at her.
The simple fact broke something open in him.
Richard had been angry.
Disappointed.
Dying.
Yet he had still built a plan to protect his son.
Marcus covered his face.
Emma hugged him.
He let himself cry.
The next morning, Nathan called.
“I found something in Richard’s billing records.”
“What?”
“A private meeting three days before his death.”
“With whom?”
“Abigail Reese.”
The independent board director.
Marcus straightened.
“What did they discuss?”
“I don’t know. But Richard paid for a court reporter.”
Marcus frowned.
“Why would he need a court reporter at a private meeting?”
May you like
Nathan answered:
“To create testimony before someone could erase it.”
