Chapter 8 - The Price of Blackthorne
Blackthorne East was six hundred and eighty acres of open land.
Daniel’s father had refused to subdivide it.
Emma had loved it because, at sunrise, the fields seemed to catch fire.
Vanessa had once told Daniel she loved it too.
Now forensic accountants estimated that if the planned rezoning succeeded, the property could be worth more than forty million dollars.
The proposed sale price to Morrow?
Twenty-one million.
Daniel stared at the numbers.
“They steal twelve million from my company, use the liquidity crisis they created to justify selling our land below market, then profit from the buyer.”
Sarah nodded.
“And if the company defaults on the expanded credit line, lender pressure makes the sale look necessary.”
Daniel walked to the conference-room window.
“So Marcus gets money from the theft. Neal gets money. Vanessa gets money from both theft and acquisition.”
“Likely.”
“What does Morrow get?”
“Development rights and fees. They may not have known all the underlying fraud.”
Daniel turned.
“You believe that?”
“I believe we prove what we can.”
By afternoon, subpoenas revealed the acquisition vehicle.
Blue Ridge Renewal Fund.
One beneficial interest was held by Mercer Family Holdings.
Vanessa.
Daniel felt almost relieved.
Greed was easier to understand than love.
Then Sarah showed him another document.
A preliminary divorce memorandum prepared four months earlier.
Vanessa’s lawyers had modeled what she might receive if she divorced Daniel after a finding of “marital misconduct and financial concealment.”
Eight to twelve million dollars.
The Richmond condo.
Temporary support.
Potential claim to a portion of marital appreciation in Caldwell assets.
And leverage over Lily through allegations of unsafe parenting.
“She was planning an exit,” Daniel said.
“Yes.”
“While sleeping beside me.”
“Yes.”
“While talking about taking Lily to Disney World.”
Sarah said nothing.
Daniel laughed without humor.
“I keep waiting to discover which part was real.”
Sarah’s eyes softened.
“That may be the question you never get answered.”
At home, Caroline was waiting.
“You need to tell Lily something.”
Daniel frowned.
“She knows enough.”
“No. She thinks this is her fault.”
Daniel looked toward the stairs.
“Why?”
“Because she took the key.”
His stomach dropped.
Caroline continued.
“She thinks Vanessa locked her in the pen because she stole it, which means everything that happened afterward started because of her.”
Daniel went upstairs.
Lily sat beside her bedroom window holding the red string.
Investigators had returned it because it had no evidentiary value after documentation.
Daniel sat beside her.
“Lily.”
She did not look at him.
“Aunt Caroline says you’re losing your job.”
“Temporarily.”
“Because of me?”
“No.”
“If I didn’t take the key—”
“No.”
His voice came too sharply.
She flinched.
Daniel immediately softened.
“No. Sweetheart, listen to me.”
She stared at her hands.
“Vanessa and Marcus were doing bad things before you ever saw that key.”
“But I made her mad.”
“She chose what she did.”
Daniel searched for words.
“People are responsible for what they choose when they’re angry.”
Lily looked at him.
“Like when you yelled at Grace?”
The truth arrived cleanly.
Daniel swallowed.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t like that.”
“Neither did I.”
“Did you say sorry?”
“Yes.”
“Did she forgive you?”
“She’s working on it.”
Lily considered this.
“Are you going to forgive Vanessa?”
Daniel looked toward Emma’s photograph.
“I don’t know.”
Lily frowned.
“I don’t think I want to.”
“You don’t have to decide that now.”
She leaned against him.
Later that night, Daniel received a call from an unknown number.
“Daniel.”
Marcus.
Daniel’s entire body went rigid.
Sarah’s warning echoed in his mind.
Do not confront.
Do not speculate.
“Where are you?”
Marcus laughed softly.
“Still direct.”
“You stole from me.”
“Careful.”
“You used my daughter.”
“I never touched Lily.”
The distinction disgusted Daniel.
“You knew Vanessa was coaching her.”
“I knew Vanessa was unhappy.”
“Grace recorded you.”
Silence.
Daniel realized his mistake immediately.
He had revealed evidence.
Marcus’s tone changed.
“What exactly did Grace record?”
Daniel ended the call.
He called Sarah.
“I screwed up.”
“What did you do?”
“I told Marcus about Grace’s recording.”
A long silence.
“Daniel.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do. You may just have endangered Grace.”
Daniel was already moving.
He ran toward the cottage.
The front door stood open.
“Grace!”
No answer.
He entered.
A lamp was shattered.
One drawer had been pulled out.
Daniel called 911.
Then he heard a sound behind him.
Grace stepped from the bathroom holding a fireplace poker.
She looked terrified.
“I’m okay.”
“What happened?”
“Someone came through the back.”
“Did you see them?”
“No.”
“What did they take?”
Grace looked around.
Then her face went white.
“The tablet.”
Daniel felt sick.
His mistake had consequences in less than twenty minutes.
Grace grabbed his sleeve.
“But they didn’t get everything.”
“What do you mean?”
“I copied the videos to another place.”
“Where?”
She swallowed.
“Emma taught me something years ago.”
Daniel stared.
May you like
“What?”
“Never keep the only copy of anything important in the house where the person you fear can find it.”
