Chapter 9 - The Second LedgerWhat Martin Cole left behindWe searched the barn that afternoon.
Every stall.
Every storage room.
Every old equipment shed.
Nothing.
Then Wade noticed something strange.
A section of wall behind the hay racks had newer wood.
He removed the boards.
A metal box was hidden inside.
My hands shook as I opened it.
Inside was a ledger.
Black cover.
No label.
I knew immediately.
“The second ledger.”
Wade nodded.
We opened it.
The first twenty pages were routine.
Invoices.
Loans.
Transfers.
Then the names began.
Suzanne.
Lois.
Dale.
Daniel.
Martin.
And finally, a name I didn't recognize.
Rebecca Hale.
There were payments beside her name.
Large payments.
Monthly.
For years.
“What is this?” I whispered.
Wade flipped through the pages.
Rebecca had received money from Carter Heritage Holdings.
And in the margin beside several entries were initials.
R.H.
Then I saw something that made my blood run cold.
The last payment had been made four days before Dad died.
The amount was $450,000.
Recipient address:
Saint Mary's Hospital.
My fingers froze.
“She was there.”
Wade nodded.
“Who is Rebecca Hale?”
We searched the hospital records.
Then everything fell into place.
Rebecca Hale was a nurse.
The nurse assigned to Dad the night he died.
I sat back.
“That's why the medication order disappeared.”
Wade's face hardened.
“Someone paid her.”
“For what?”
“To alter the record.”
I stared at the ledger.
“But who?”
The next page answered.
A payment from Dale Ferris.
Directly to Rebecca.
Same date.
Same amount.
I felt sick.
“Dale was there.”
Wade nodded.
“Not just financially.”
The ledger contained one more note.
Written in Martin Cole's handwriting.
D.F. instructed R.H. to administer medication at 10:58 p.m.
I read it twice.
Then a third time.
Dad's death had not been natural.
It had been arranged.
My mother might have hidden the truth.
Suzanne might have profited from it.
But Dale Ferris had been involved directly.
We called Sheriff Parker.
He answered immediately.
“Where did you find the ledger?”
His first question wasn't whether we were safe.
It was where we found it.
Wade ended the call.
“That tells us enough.”
Before we could do anything else, headlights appeared outside.
Too many.
Three SUVs.
Men stepped out.
Wade locked the doors.
One of them approached the house.
“Evelyn Carter?”
I didn't answer.
The man knocked.
“We're here for the ledger.”
Wade whispered, “Call Parker?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Martin warned us not to.”
The man knocked again.
Then he said something that made my blood freeze.
“Your brother knows you're holding it.”
Daniel.
I looked at Wade.
“Why would Daniel send them?”
Wade shook his head.
“I don't think he did.”
The front window shattered.
I ducked.
Wade pulled me behind the kitchen wall.
The men rushed inside.
Then one of them shouted:
“Find the second ledger!”
I held the black book against my chest.
We needed somewhere to hide.
Wade pointed toward the basement.
We ran.
At the bottom of the stairs, I heard footsteps above us.
Then a gunshot.
I screamed.
Wade shoved me behind an old furnace.
“Stay here.”
He grabbed a shovel.
“Wade!”
“Quiet.”
He disappeared around the corner.
Seconds passed.
Then another sound.
A body hitting the floor.
A man's voice shouted:
“She's downstairs!”
I pressed my hand over my mouth.
They were coming.
Then the basement door slammed open.
A shadow appeared.
I lifted the ledger.
And the man standing there said:
“Don't be afraid.”
May you like
I knew that voice.
It was Martin Cole.
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