Chapter 12 – The Grandfather’s Journals
Chapter 12 – The Grandfather’s Journals
Daniel arrived at the Financial Crimes Task Force office before sunrise.
Detective Bennett was already waiting with Agent Ellis in the evidence room. A small metal lockbox rested on the table between them.
"It was recovered from Richard's abandoned rental car," Bennett said. "A state trooper found the vehicle parked at a trailhead about thirty miles from the Canadian border."
Daniel looked at the box.
"So he left it behind."
"Or he was forced to."
Ellis carefully opened the lid.
Inside were five leather-bound journals, each labeled with a different year in Daniel's grandfather's neat handwriting.
There was also a sealed envelope.
The front simply read:
For My Family—If Anything Happens to Me.
Daniel stared at the handwriting.
"I've seen this before."
Bennett nodded.
"The handwriting has already been verified."
Daniel carefully opened the envelope.
Inside was a letter.
He began reading aloud.
If you are reading this, it means I was unable to tell you the truth myself. I have spent years documenting irregularities within our family's finances. Someone close to us has been stealing from the businesses and quietly shifting blame to others.
Daniel stopped.
His throat tightened.
Emily had been right.
The problems had started long before Richard entered the picture.
For the next two hours, investigators read through the journals.
Daniel's grandfather had documented every suspicious transaction he discovered.
Some entries described missing funds.
Others mentioned forged invoices.
Several pages contained only initials.
One set of initials appeared more than any other.
R.M.
Ellis frowned.
"Richard Mercer."
Bennett slowly shook her head.
"Not necessarily."
"What do you mean?"
She pointed to the publication dates.
"These journals began almost five years before Richard worked for the family."
The room fell silent.
"So who was R.M.?" Daniel asked.
No one had an answer.
Back at the hospital...
Emily slowly walked the hallway with the help of a physical therapist.
Her body was still recovering from the difficult delivery.
Every step reminded her how close she had come to losing everything.
Dr. Harper smiled as she approached.
"You're making excellent progress."
"I'm trying."
"The twins are doing well."
Emily looked through the NICU window.
Their son was sleeping peacefully.
Their daughter had finally gained a few ounces.
"When can they come home?"
"If everything continues like this..."
Dr. Harper smiled.
"...perhaps next week."
For the first time in days, Emily allowed herself to imagine bringing them into the nursery Daniel had spent months preparing.
Across town...
Vanessa sat across from Detective Bennett once again.
This time, there were no lawyers in the room.
Only a recorder.
"I want to help," Vanessa said quietly.
Bennett nodded.
"Start wherever you think we should."
Vanessa took a deep breath.
"I remembered something."
"What?"
"The first time Richard showed me the trust records."
"When was that?"
"Almost a year ago."
"How did he get them?"
"I asked him."
"What did he say?"
Vanessa closed her eyes.
"He laughed."
"And then?"
"He said..."
She swallowed.
"...'Your grandfather made the same mistake.'"
Bennett stopped writing.
"Are you certain?"
"Yes."
"What did you think he meant?"
"I thought he was talking about investments."
"And now?"
Vanessa looked directly at her.
"I think he meant someone fooled your grandfather too."
Meanwhile...
The forensic accounting team continued analyzing Richard's files.
One analyst hurried into Agent Ellis's office carrying another spreadsheet.
"We found something unusual."
Ellis looked up.
"What is it?"
"These transactions."
He studied the page.
Every payment had been sent to the same account.
The recipient's name was hidden behind an identification number.
"Can we identify the owner?"
"We're trying."
"But..."
The analyst enlarged one section of the file.
"There was one mistake."
Richard had forgotten to redact an old account statement attached to a transfer request.
The original owner's name was still visible.
Ellis read it twice.
Then he immediately called Detective Bennett.
"You need to come back."
"What happened?"
"We finally identified the account."
"Who owns it?"
Ellis answered slowly.
"Someone named Robert Mercer."
Bennett frowned.
"Richard's brother?"
"We checked."
"He doesn't have one."
"So who is Robert Mercer?"
Ellis looked at another database.
His expression changed.
"Oh..."
"What?"
"He isn't Richard's brother."
"Then who is he?"
Ellis looked at the birth records that had just appeared on his screen.
Robert Mercer had legally changed his name thirty-two years earlier.
His original name was...
Robert Mitchell.
Bennett waited.
"So?"
Ellis slowly looked up.
"He worked for Daniel's grandfather."
The room fell silent again.
"He disappeared from the company one week before Richard was hired."
Late that evening...
Daniel returned to the hospital carrying copies of the journals.
Emily listened carefully as he explained everything.
"So Richard wasn't the first person involved."
"It doesn't look that way."
She gently rocked their sleeping daughter.
"Then maybe Richard spent years covering for someone else."
Daniel nodded.
"Or learning from them."
Before either of them could continue, Daniel's phone rang.
It was Agent Ellis.
His voice sounded urgent.
"We've confirmed Robert Mitchell's last known address."
"Where?"
"A nursing home."
Daniel frowned.
"He's still alive?"
"As far as we know."
"How old is he?"
"Ninety-one."
Ellis paused before adding,
"And according to the staff..."
"...he's been asking to speak with a member of the Carter family for nearly ten years."
Daniel's heart skipped a beat.
May you like
If Robert Mitchell had been waiting all this time...
He might finally know how the story truly began.
