Chapter 18 - THE LAST ACCOUNT
Vanessa’s arrest dominated the news.
Charges followed quickly.
Child abuse.
Fraud.
Forgery.
Conspiracy.
Attempted financial theft.
Evidence tampering.
And eventually, murder charges connected to Elena and Richard Bell.
Sebastian accepted a plea agreement.
He would testify against Vanessa.
In exchange, prosecutors reduced some financial charges.
Roberto felt no sympathy.
Then investigators examined Vanessa’s final statement.
Ask who paid for Elena’s funeral.
At first it sounded like manipulation.
Then Daniel discovered something strange.
The funeral invoice had not been paid by Roberto’s account.
It had been paid anonymously.
The amount was insignificant compared with Roberto’s wealth.
That was why no one noticed.
The payment came from a foundation.
The Vale Family Charitable Trust.
Vanessa’s family.
Roberto had believed she came from old money.
In reality, most of that wealth had disappeared before she met him.
The trust had once belonged to Vanessa’s father, Harold Vale.
Marcus located him in a private assisted-living facility in Connecticut.
Vanessa had claimed he was dead.
He was not.
Roberto visited him.
Harold Vale was seventy-nine.
Thin.
Sharp-eyed.
And completely unsurprised to see Roberto.
“I wondered when you’d come.”
Roberto sat across from him.
“You knew Elena.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She contacted me.”
Roberto froze.
“Why?”
“She wanted me to stop Vanessa.”
Harold looked toward the window.
“My daughter had become obsessed with your life.”
“She saw you at a fundraiser.”
“Then she learned your wife was involved with several charitable boards.”
“She began volunteering just to get closer.”
“Why didn’t you warn me?”
“I tried.”
Harold laughed bitterly.
“Vanessa intercepted everything.”
“I was ill.”
“She controlled my staff.”
“My phone.”
“My accounts.”
“She even convinced people I had dementia before I did.”
The pattern was older than Roberto realized.
Vanessa had practiced control on her own father.
Harold continued.
“I paid for Elena’s funeral because I was ashamed.”
“Did you know Vanessa killed her?”
“I suspected.”
“Why didn’t you go to police?”
“I did.”
“They found nothing.”
“Then Vanessa had me declared incompetent.”
Roberto felt anger rise again.
Harold opened a drawer.
“There’s one thing she never found.”
He handed Roberto a small recorder.
“Elena came here four days before she died.”
“She recorded our conversation.”
Roberto pressed play.
Elena’s voice filled the room.
Calm.
Alive.
“I think Vanessa is trying to frighten me.”
Harold answered.
“She won’t stop at frightening you.”
“Take Sofía and leave for a few weeks.”
Then Elena said something Roberto never expected.
“I can’t.”
“Because if I leave now, Vanessa wins.”
Roberto closed his eyes.
Elena had not been unaware.
She had been fighting.
The recording continued.
“I already sent copies of everything somewhere safe.”
“If something happens to me, Roberto will find them eventually.”
Harold looked at Roberto.
“I never knew where she sent them.”
Roberto did.
Or at least he suddenly suspected.
Elena’s favorite place had not been a bank.
Or an attorney’s office.
It was Sofía’s childhood music room.
The old upright piano had belonged to Elena’s grandmother.
That night Roberto removed the back panel.
Inside was a sealed envelope.
Five years untouched.
On the front were two words.
May you like
FOR SOFÍA.
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