"My father died, and you kept information that could have changed the investigation!"
Robert did not respond.
Clara placed the letter on his desk.
"Who was the other person?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I am not."
"You heard that man say you couldn't keep pretending nothing happened. You said my father deserved to know the truth. What truth?"
Robert closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, there was something like defeat in his expression.
"The man who just left my office."
Clara froze.
"Who is he?"
"His name is Victor Collins."
"Was he involved in the company?"
"Yes."
"Was he at the bridge?"
Robert nodded.
Clara felt as though the floor had shifted beneath her.
"What happened there?"
Robert looked at the folder.
"I don't know everything. But I believe Victor was the last person to see your father alive, apart from Thomas."
Clara covered her mouth.
"Then why wasn't he questioned?"
"He was."
"And?"
"He claimed he had left before Daniel arrived."
"Did anyone verify that?"
"At the time, there wasn't enough evidence to contradict his statement."
Clara looked at him with disbelief.
"So my father's death was investigated without anyone knowing that the people he was meeting were connected to the fraud he had uncovered?"
Robert looked down.
"Yes."
Clara picked up the folder.
"I'm taking these."
"Clara, be careful."
She stopped at the door.
"Why does everyone keep telling me to be careful instead of telling me the truth?"
Robert had no answer.
Before she left, he spoke again.
"There's something else you should know."
Clara turned.
"Your father made a payment shortly before his death."
"What kind of payment?"
"A large transfer to an account belonging to a woman named Eleanor Price."
Clara frowned.
"I don't know anyone by that name."
"Neither did I. But your father insisted that the money was important."
"How much?"
Robert told her.
The amount was substantial.
Clara stared at him.
"Why would Dad give someone that much money?"
"I don't know."
"Was it connected to the investigation?"
"I believe so."
"Where can I find her?"
Robert handed her a small piece of paper.
An address was written on it.
"She lived outside town. I haven't heard from her in years."
Clara folded the paper and put it in her handbag.
Then she left.
***
Outside the building, Clara stood on the pavement and tried to steady her breathing.
The town looked exactly as it had an hour earlier.
People were laughing outside a café. A woman pushed a stroller along the sidewalk. Two men argued about a parking space.
Life continued.
Yet Clara felt as though she had stepped into a completely different world.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from Margaret.
"Have you spoken to Robert? Please call me when you can."
Clara immediately called her.
Her mother answered after the first ring.
"Clara? Are you all right?"
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
Clara hesitated.
"He knew about Dad's meeting with Thomas."
Margaret went silent.
"He knew?"
"Yes. Dad called him that evening. He was frightened."
Margaret's breathing became uneven.
"What else?"
"Victor Collins was apparently at the bridge."
The silence that followed was longer.
Finally, Margaret whispered, "Victor."
"You know him?"
"I've heard that name."
"From where?"
Margaret began to cry.
"Your father mentioned him once. He said Victor was someone he had trusted."
Clara closed her eyes.
"Mom, why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't know he was involved."
"Was he the man in the photograph?"
"I don't know."
Clara looked at the paper in her hand.
"Robert also told me about a woman named Eleanor Price."
Margaret suddenly stopped crying.
"What did you say?"
"Eleanor Price. Dad transferred money to her shortly before he died."
Margaret's voice dropped.
"Clara, listen to me carefully."
"What?"
"Do not go looking for that woman."
"Why?"
"Because I know who she is."
Clara felt her heart begin to race.
"Who is she?"
Margaret struggled to speak.
"She was your father's secretary."
Clara stared at the traffic passing in front of her.
"His secretary?"
"Yes. She worked at the construction company for several years."
"Did you know about the payment?"
"No."
"Then why are you afraid?"
Margaret took a shaky breath.
"Because Eleanor disappeared shortly after Daniel died."
***
When Clara returned home, she found Ethan sitting at the kitchen table.
He had a notebook open in front of him and was writing something.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
He quickly closed it.
"Nothing."
Clara raised an eyebrow.
"Ethan."
He sighed.
"I was writing down what happened yesterday."
"Why?"
"So we don't forget anything."
Clara looked at the notebook.
"Can I see?"
He hesitated before handing it to her.
The first page contained a list of names.
Daniel Bennett.
Margaret Bennett.
Thomas Bennett.
Robert Hayes.
Victor Collins.
Eleanor Price.
Beneath the names, Ethan had written several questions.
Why did Grandpa meet Thomas?
Why was Victor there?
Why did Robert hide the phone call?
What happened at the bridge?
Clara looked at her son.
"You've been thinking about this."
"Of course."
"Sweetheart, I don't want you worrying about these things."
"But I am worried."
She placed the notebook on the table.
"I understand. But you have school, friends, and your own life. You shouldn't have to carry the problems of adults."
Ethan looked at her.
"Grandpa was an adult, and he couldn't solve everything either."
Clara was surprised by the observation.
"That's true."
"So maybe we should help."
She sat beside him.
"Ethan, listen. I appreciate that you want to help. But some of the things we're discovering could be dangerous."
"Then why are you doing it?"
"Because I need to know what happened to my father."
"Don't you think I deserve to know what happened to my grandfather?"