Chapter 8 - The Funeral Without Bodies
Garrett held a memorial service before Rosalind was legally declared dead.
He called it a vigil.
The media called it a funeral.
Candles lined the Mercer Shipworks waterfront.
Employees stood in raincoats.
A giant photograph of Rosalind appeared beside one of Tobias.
Garrett gave a speech.
Hidden in a secure observation room across the river, Rosalind watched.
“My wife believed this shipyard was a family,” Garrett said.
Rosalind whispered:
“You drugged your family.”
Garrett continued.
“She struggled privately in ways many people did not know.”
Tobias clenched his jaw.
“He’s establishing suicide.”
Penelope stood behind Garrett wearing black maternity clothing.
One hand rested on her belly.
Garrett spoke about grief.
Leadership.
Continuity.
Then he said:
“Rosalind would never want Mercer Shipworks destroyed because we were afraid to make difficult decisions.”
Rosalind stared.
He was using her memorial to sell her company.
Garrett announced that the board would evaluate “strategic options” the next morning.
Employees murmured.
Some cried.
One shouted:
“Don’t sell us!”
Garrett raised both hands.
“No decision has been made.”
Lie.
Afterward, surveillance captured Garrett and Penelope inside Rosalind’s office.
Penelope looked at Rosalind’s chair.
“You always wanted to sit there.”
Garrett smiled.
“No.”
“What did you want?”
“Her signature.”
Penelope laughed nervously.
Then stopped.
“You loved her at some point.”
Garrett’s face changed.
Rosalind stopped breathing.
He did not answer immediately.
Finally:
“Yes.”
Penelope looked hurt.
Rosalind felt something worse than triumph.
Garrett continued:
“That was the problem.”
“What does that mean?”
“I was supposed to marry her, stabilize the shareholder structure, get control, and move the Vale deal.”
Rosalind’s heart hammered.
“Supposed to?”
Tobias whispered.
“His father.”
Garrett continued:
“Everett planned the introduction before he died.”
Penelope stared.
“You told me you met Rosalind by accident.”
“No.”
Rosalind felt the room shrink.
Their charity-dinner meeting had indeed been staged.
Garrett’s father selected her.
Garrett courted her for corporate access.
Penelope already knew him.
The entire marriage had begun as an assignment.
Penelope said:
“And then?”
Garrett looked toward the dark shipyard windows.
“Then she was funny.”
Rosalind’s eyes filled despite herself.
“She was smarter than I expected. Stubborn. She loved this place like it was alive.”
Penelope’s expression hardened.
“You loved her.”
“I said I did.”
“Do you still?”
Garrett turned.
“I watched her sink.”
Silence.
“That should answer you.”
Rosalind stepped back from the monitor.
For twelve years she had believed their marriage began with love and later rotted.
Now she learned it began with strategy.
Yet somewhere inside the lie, Garrett had developed real feelings.
And still chose money.
That was worse.
A person could love someone and still decide they were worth more dead.
Penelope said:
“When we’re married—”
Garrett interrupted.
“We’re not discussing that.”
Her face changed.
“You promised.”
“I promised we would be together.”
“You promised marriage.”
“We have a murder investigation around us.”
“You said they’d call it an accident.”
“They probably will.”
Penelope stared.
“And the baby?”
Garrett lowered his voice.
“He’ll be protected.”
“With what name?”
Garrett did not answer.
Penelope stepped back.
Rosalind saw the power shift.
Penelope had believed killing Rosalind would promote her from mistress to wife.
Garrett viewed her as another tool.
For the first time, Penelope looked afraid of him.
Then Garrett opened Rosalind’s desk.
He removed a sealed envelope.
Tobias leaned toward the monitor.
“What is that?”
The envelope bore their father’s handwriting.
TO ROSALIND — IF VALE RETURNS.
Rosalind stood.
“I’ve never seen that.”
Garrett opened it.
Inside was a letter.
He read silently.
His expression changed completely.
Penelope asked:
“What?”
Garrett folded the paper.
“Nothing.”
“What did it say?”
“Nothing useful.”
He put the letter inside his coat.
Grace immediately began preparing a search-warrant supplement.
But Rosalind knew Garrett now possessed something Thomas Mercer intended for her.
Something linked directly to Vale.
At 1:17 a.m., Garrett left the estate.
He drove alone.
Investigators followed.
He went to the old Mercer boathouse.
May you like
He entered carrying the letter.
Then he started a fire.
