Chapter 13 - Holt’s Offer
Grady Holt arrived in a black SUV with two attorneys and a smile that belonged on a billboard. He waited until Andreas returned from the station before stepping onto the porch.
“Mr. Vale,” he said. “I’m sorry for your family’s difficulties.”
“You’re trespassing.”
“I own a legal interest in this property.”
“You own a forged mortgage.”
Holt glanced at Elena. “Your mother may not be capable of managing her affairs.”
Elena lifted the letter board and held it against her chest.
Holt's smile vanished.
“She understands,” Andreas said.
“Understanding is not the same as capacity.”
“You don’t get to decide that.”
“A court may.”
One of the attorneys handed Andreas an envelope. Inside was an offer to purchase the house for twice its market value.
“Take the money,” Holt said. “Move your mother somewhere comfortable. Let the past remain buried.”
“You mean let the evidence remain buried.”
“Evidence of what? A dead contractor, missing money, and a woman who left town years ago?”
“You know where Mara is.”
Holt's expression softened. “Mara is a troubled person. She has a child. She needs privacy.”
“You threatened her.”
“Your father did.”
“You ordered Daniel Ruiz killed.”
“Daniel died of an overdose.”
“He was sedated and beaten.”
“You’ve been listening to old tapes.”
Holt stepped closer. “You think courage is shouting at the man in front of you. Real courage is knowing when a battle will destroy the people you love.”
Andreas felt the temptation of the envelope. Elena needed round-the-clock care. The house required repairs. His remote work was collapsing beneath missed deadlines. Twice that week, he had fallen asleep at his desk beside unpaid bills.
Holt saw the hesitation.
“Your father understood the cost of principles,” he said. “He paid it.”
Andreas tore the offer in half.
“Get off my property.”
Holt nodded as if Andreas had confirmed something. “You have forty-eight hours before the foreclosure hearing.”
After he left, Leah found Andreas in the kitchen staring at the torn paper.
“You considered it,” she said.
“For half a second.”
“That’s all it takes.”
“You don’t get to lecture me about choices.”
Leah absorbed the blow. “No. I don’t.”
Elena tapped the table. She pointed to the torn offer and then to the red notebook.
“She wants us to use it,” Leah said.
“Use what?”
Elena pointed to the envelope. Beneath the flap was a strip of transparent film. It held a tiny printed number.
Rowan identified it as an account reference for Northline Compliance. Holt had accidentally included proof that the company had paid Marina and Miles Venn.
The payment date matched the day Elena's power of attorney was filed.
“He’s buying silence with his own records,” Rowan said.
“Can it prove he forged the mortgage?” Andreas asked.
“Not alone.”
“Then what do we need?”
Rowan looked toward the window, where the fence cut a dark line across the yard.
“We need Mara alive, Elena’s testimony, and someone who can explain where the money went.”
The front gate slammed.
Mara Bell stood in the yard, older than the photograph and holding a child by the hand.
May you like
She looked at Elena.
“I remember the night your husband died,” Mara said.
