Chapter 10 - The lake
Charles’s death investigation reopened.
The original conclusion had been accidental drowning after mechanical trouble.
But the boat itself had been disposed of unusually quickly.
Through a company.
Controlled by Richard.
Maintenance records showed recent work on the fuel system.
The mechanic who supposedly performed it denied touching the boat.
His signature had been copied.
Investigators still did not have enough to say Richard killed his brother.
But the accident no longer looked simple.
Richard stopped giving voluntary interviews.
His attorneys did the talking.
Meanwhile, the hospital became Grace’s temporary world.
She visited Noah.
Then Emma.
Then Mommy.
Then the wheelbarrow.
Always in that order.
Hospital employees cleaned the wheelbarrow one night.
Not completely.
Grace objected when someone suggested replacing it.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Mommy gave it to me for the garden.”
So maintenance repaired the front wheel instead.
A nurse wrapped the handles in soft padding.
When Grace saw it, she smiled.
That smile traveled through the entire emergency department.
Donations began appearing.
Clothes.
Shoes.
Baby supplies.
Food.
But Sarah stopped people from turning Grace into a spectacle.
“She is a child,” she reminded everyone.
“Not entertainment.”
Rachel eventually walked again.
Slowly.
One afternoon, she watched Grace asleep beside the twins.
“I failed her.”
Sarah shook her head.
“You were critically ill.”
“She had to become an adult.”
“For three days.”
Rachel cried.
Sarah squeezed her hand.
“Now make sure she gets to be seven again.”
Then Officer Brooks entered.
He carried no smile.
“We found the black SUV.”
Rachel’s expression tightened.
“Where?”
“Near the lake where Charles died.”
Inside it, investigators found something hidden beneath the rear cargo compartment.
May you like
A waterproof bag.
And inside the bag was Charles Whitmore’s missing phone.
