Chapter 17
“Thomas Bell.”
I knew the name.
Thomas Bell had been Dominic’s chief financial officer for almost a decade.
“What did he want?”
“He asked whether Meredith had kept personal copies of old trust records. I told him I didn’t know. He seemed anxious, but he was polite.”
“Did he mention Dominic?”
“He said Mr. Vale needed the documents resolved before the bank review.”
My pulse quickened.
“What bank review?”
Daniel looked at me.
“He did not explain.”
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter dated April 18, four years earlier.
Dear Evelyn,
If you are reading this, I was unable to speak with you directly. I am sorry. I have delayed writing because I hoped the matter could be corrected quietly, without disturbing your life.
That sentence alone made my chest tighten.
Meredith explained that during a restructuring of the company formerly known as Hart-Mercer Development Partners, several documents had been prepared by attorneys representing Vale Development Group. The restructuring itself was permitted. The transfer of the controlling interest in the operating company was not.
Your acknowledgment was required, she wrote. I have not received it from you.
A document bearing your name was submitted to the trustee. I do not believe the signature was written by you. I cannot prove who placed it there, but the document originated from Mr. Vale’s legal office.
I stopped reading.
Daniel’s father looked toward me with concern.
“You can take your time.”
I continued.
Meredith had discovered the discrepancy while reviewing the Wabash property transfer. She had contacted Thomas Bell, who insisted the matter was a clerical error. Dominic, she wrote, had not responded directly to her inquiries.
That detail mattered.
Not because it proved everything.
Because it proved he had known something was wrong.
The final paragraphs were written in a smaller hand.
I have tried to reach you through the channels available to me. I understand that you may not wish to revisit the past. But your silence cannot be used as consent.
If you speak with Mr. Vale, ask him one question before you ask anything else:
When did he first learn that the trust existed?
I folded the letter in my lap.
“Why didn’t she go to the authorities?”
Daniel answered quietly.
“She wanted to fix it through the trust first. She believed a mistake could still be corrected without destroying people’s livelihoods.”
“That sounds like her.”
“She was also very ill by then.”