Chapter 11 - The funeral without a body
William’s “death” fifteen years earlier had been managed by Leonard Graves.
Death certificate.
Private physician.
Closed casket.
Rapid burial.
Margaret claimed grief made her accept everything.
Possible.
Or convenient.
The physician had died years ago.
The funeral director had sold his business and moved overseas.
The cemetery records showed a casket was buried.
Nobody had ever verified what was inside.
Exhumation was not immediate or casual.
Legal process mattered.
But the possibility alone destroyed the family’s confidence.
Then Brandon made his mistake.
He turned toward Reed and said:
“You don’t have jurisdiction over Dad.”
Nobody had accused him of knowing William was alive.
Reed noticed.
So did I.
“Why would your father be under anyone’s jurisdiction?” Reed asked.
Brandon’s mouth closed.
Ethan stared at him.
“You knew.”
“No.”
“You knew Dad was alive.”
Brandon snapped:
“Shut up.”
Margaret slapped him.
Hard.
The sound cracked through the conference room.
For the first time, I saw Brandon lose control.
He grabbed his mother’s wrist.
Security stepped in immediately.
Emily flinched.
I stood.
“Let her go.”
Brandon looked at me.
Then at my uniform.
Then laughed.
“Still playing soldier?”
I stepped closer.
“No.”
“I’m being a mother.”
That scared him more.
Not because I could hurt him.
Because I no longer cared about impressing him.
Then Margaret started talking.
William had discovered Leonard’s betrayal.
He believed the original Prescott crimes had been extended far beyond him.
He feared Brandon had inherited not merely the businesses but the appetite.
So William staged his death.
Why involve Margaret?
He didn’t.
He left her behind.
Cruel in its own way.
But apparently he believed she could be used against him.
He vanished.
Spent years collecting evidence.
Then returned quietly when Brandon reactivated Crescent.
The eighty-six-million-dollar Emily trust was bait and restitution at the same time.
If Brandon touched it, William would know the old network had survived.
And Brandon touched it.
Then Reed received a call.
He listened.
Looked toward me.
“We found Walter Price.”
“William?”
“He’s alive.”
Margaret covered her mouth.
“Where?”
May you like
Reed’s answer stunned everyone.
“Fort Liberty.”
