Chapter 3 - THE LEDGER
Rain tapped against the attic window.
I sat on the dusty floor with Julian's leather ledger in my lap.
I had found it beneath old architectural drawings.
Six hours passed before I realized I had stopped hearing the rain.
Every page revealed another piece of my husband's hidden life.
Offshore accounts.
Private investments.
Political payments.
Shell companies.
Numbers.
Dates.
Names.
Julian had documented everything.
And the deeper I read, the more frightened I became.
Then I found the medical notes.
My hands froze.
They described symptoms Julian had suffered during the final months of his life.
Weakness.
Nausea.
Confusion.
Tremors.
Organ dysfunction.
At the time, doctors had called it heart disease.
But Julian had written:
I believe I am being poisoned.
I stared at the sentence.
Then I kept reading.
His medication had been contaminated with heavy metals.
Repeated exposure.
Tiny quantities.
Enough to make him sick.
Not enough to look suspicious.
I turned the page.
The name appeared.
Arthur Sterling.
I stopped breathing.
Arthur.
The man who had helped me recover my money.
The man who had comforted me after Julian's death.
The man who had told me to trust the legal system.
Julian believed Arthur had been stealing from his investments.
Millions.
And when Julian discovered the truth, Arthur had poisoned him.
My hands started shaking.
Then came the final entry.
Arthur has control over several judges.
Garrick is weak.
He will use my son.
If I die, he will turn Garrick against Elena.
Elena must never trust anyone who offers to protect her without asking questions.
I closed the book.
Arthur knew I had it.
Or soon would.
My phone rang.
Arthur.
For a moment, I simply stared at the screen.
Then I answered.
“Hello?”
His voice was warm.
Friendly.
“Elena, my dear.”
“I've been trying to reach you.”
“I've been buried in paperwork.”
“About the money?”
“Yes.”
“The bank approved the release.”
“When?”
“Today.”
He sounded almost cheerful.
“Come to my office at four.”
“I will.”
“I'll have everything ready.”
I ended the call.
Then I opened the ledger again.
I had four hours.
Four hours to decide whether I was going to confront Arthur alone.
Or whether I was going to destroy him.
I picked up a second phone.
Not my personal phone.
A cheap prepaid device I had bought after Garrick's theft.
I dialed the number Julian had written inside the ledger.
A federal office answered.
“I need Special Agent Harris.”
“May I ask who is calling?”
“This is Elena Vance.”
“And why do you need him?”
I looked at Julian's handwriting.
“Tell him the architect's widow has the blueprints.”
There was silence.
Then:
“Please hold.”
Agent Harris came on the line.
“Elena?”
“Yes.”
“What did you find?”
“My husband's ledger.”
His voice changed immediately.
“Does it contain evidence against Arthur Sterling?”
“It contains everything.”
“Do not confront him.”
“I already told him I'll be at his office.”
“Then you're not going alone.”
“I don't intend to.”
I looked down at the ledger.
“He thinks I'm still the helpless widow.”
Harris understood.
“Keep him talking.”
“Let him explain.”
“Do not reveal what we know.”
I smiled.
“I won't.”
Four hours later, I stood outside Arthur's office.
The city was preparing for a thunderstorm.
Lightning flashed beyond the glass towers.
I walked inside.
The receptionist smiled.
“Mrs. Vance. Mr. Sterling is expecting you.”
May you like
Of course he was.
He had no idea what was waiting upstairs.
