Chapter 16 - Calder’s Final Bargain
Calder entered court wearing chains.
He looked thinner.
Older.
But still dangerous.
His attorney announced that Calder wanted to provide information in exchange for protection inside prison.
Nathaniel immediately distrusted him.
“What information?”
The prosecutor answered.
“Evidence that Victor Graves was not the highest-ranking conspirator.”
Victor sat behind us in a wheelchair.
His face darkened.
Calder was sworn in.
Then he looked directly at Nathaniel.
“Your father was murdered.”
Nathaniel did not react.
Everyone already believed that.
Calder smiled.
“But not by your rivals.”
Victor stiffened.
Calder continued.
“Your father was planning to shut down the criminal organization.”
Nathaniel stared.
“He never told me.”
“He told three people.”
“Victor.”
“Me.”
“And your family attorney, Charles Wynn.”
Dante whispered.
“Wynn died seven years ago.”
Calder shook his head.
“No.”
The courtroom erupted.
The judge demanded silence.
Calder explained.
Charles Wynn had staged his death.
He had been secretly moving Graves money through offshore companies for years.
Calder had followed his orders.
Even Victor had unknowingly been manipulated by him.
Nathaniel leaned toward Victor.
“Is this possible?”
Victor’s face looked sick.
“Yes.”
Calder continued.
“Wynn ordered your father killed.”
“He ordered Elena frightened away.”
“He ordered the archive preserved.”
“And he ordered Ruby’s eviction.”
My mother whispered.
“Why?”
“Because Wynn needed Nathaniel desperate enough to reopen the vault.”
Nathaniel suddenly understood.
“The archive included offshore access codes.”
Calder nodded.
“Worth twelve billion dollars.”
The prosecutor displayed recent banking records.
Three days before the vault opened, someone had tried accessing those accounts from Switzerland.
The name attached to the passport was fake.
The photograph was not.
Charles Wynn.
Alive.
Nathaniel looked toward Dante.
“Find him.”
The prosecutor interrupted.
“We already have a problem.”
Wynn had entered the United States two days earlier.
Using another identity.
His location was unknown.
Then my mother’s phone buzzed.
She looked down.
Her face went white.
A photograph had arrived.
It showed our old apartment.
On the floor sat my stuffed rabbit.
Someone had entered after we left.
Beneath the photograph was a message.
YOU OPENED THE WRONG VAULT.
Nathaniel took the phone.
Another message arrived.
RUBY KNOWS WHERE THE REAL KEY IS.
I stared at the screen.
“I don’t.”
Nathaniel looked at my bracelet.
Then at me.
“What else did your mother give you?”
I thought.
There was almost nothing.
My backpack.
The bracelet.
An old photograph.
A music box.
I stopped.
“My music box.”
My mother looked at me.
“The one from Grandma?”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You told me Grandma gave it to you.”
My mother slowly turned toward Nathaniel.
“No.”
“That music box belonged to your father.”
Nathaniel’s face changed.
“My father gave it to you?”
“Yes.”
“One week before he died.”
The courtroom suddenly felt very cold.
Nathaniel whispered.
“Where is it?”
I swallowed.
May you like
“In our apartment.”
The same apartment Charles Wynn had just entered.
