Chapter 10 - The LedgerThe police searched the house for hours.
They found documents.
Cash.
Fake identities.
Forged signatures.
Enough evidence to arrest Victoria.
But not enough to unravel the entire network.
Because the ledger was missing.
Without it, Blackstone could claim everything else was fabricated.
Catherine arrived before sunrise.
She looked at me.
“You found the trust deed?”
I nodded.
“And the ledger?”
“No.”
She sighed.
“Then we have a problem.”
My father’s handwriting kept replaying in my mind.
Trust nobody wearing a ring from the Whitmore family.
I looked at my own hand.
Empty.
Then Julian’s.
He still wore his wedding ring.
I remembered something.
The night before our wedding, Julian had insisted on giving me a different ring.
Not the wedding band.
An antique family ring.
I had refused.
He had looked disappointed.
Why?
I went back into the bedroom.
I opened the drawer.
There it was.
The ring.
I picked it up.
Inside the band was a tiny inscription.
For the one who inherits.
I showed Catherine.
She stared.
“Where did you get this?”
“Julian gave it to me.”
Her expression changed.
“Break it.”
I hesitated.
Then used a pair of pliers.
The ring snapped.
A tiny memory card fell onto the table.
We stared at it.
Catherine whispered:
“Your father.”
I put it into the laptop.
A video appeared.
My father again.
But this time he looked terrified.
“Lena, if you found this, then they have discovered the first hiding place.”
He looked over his shoulder.
“I don’t have much time.”
He took a breath.
“The ledger is not a ledger.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
My father continued.
“It is a recording system.”
He held up a small device.
“Every payment. Every account. Every meeting. Every bribe.”
My heart raced.
“It contains enough evidence to destroy Blackstone.”
He looked directly at the camera.
“But there is one person you must never trust.”
I leaned closer.
“Julian.”
The video ended.
Silence.
I looked at Catherine.
Then slowly turned.
Julian stood in the doorway.
He had heard everything.
“Your father was right.”
My stomach dropped.
“About what?”
He walked into the room.
“You should never have trusted me.”
I reached for the phone.
He raised his hands.
“I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
He nodded.
“The truth is that I knew where the ledger was.”
“Where?”
He looked at the blue piano.
“Your father hid it in the place where you first learned to play.”
I stared.
“We searched it.”
“No.”
He smiled sadly.
“You searched the piano.”
He pointed toward the bench.
“But you never searched the music.”
My eyes widened.
Julian reached into the bench.
Pulled out an old sheet of music.
Then unfolded it.
Every note had been marked.
Not with musical symbols.
With numbers.
A code.
May you like
He whispered:
“The ledger is hidden inside your father’s final song.”
