Chapter 6 - The First One to Panic
The first Hawthorne to panic was not Grant.
It was Andrew Bell.
Andrew was Charles Hawthorne’s brother-in-law.
Fifty-one years old.
Regional insurance executive.
Married to Charles’s sister Katherine.
The kind of man who appeared in charity photographs holding oversized checks while making sure the camera caught his watch.
He had been in the room with Lily.
He had also been one of only three people who had not physically blocked her path.
For several days, Andrew said nothing.
Then, at 5:30 on a Tuesday morning, he walked into the county sheriff’s office with an attorney.
By breakfast, Rebecca knew.
“How?”
“Lawyers talk.”
“That seems ethically questionable.”
“Welcome to civilization.”
“What did he say?”
“He wants immunity.”
“For what?”
“That’s the interesting part.”
Andrew was not primarily worried about Lily’s assault case.
He was worried about the money.
Rebecca spread several documents over the table.
“Hawthorne Family Foundation administers twenty-seven educational accounts.”
I stared at her.
“Like Lily’s?”
“Similar.”
“How much money?”
“Approximately $4.8 million over eight years.”
“Missing?”
“Not all.”
“How much?”
“We don’t know.”
Andrew allegedly told investigators that Charles and Douglas had used foundation-linked accounts as temporary funding for development deals.
Money would be removed.
Invested.
Then replaced before annual statements.
Except some projects had failed.
The money could not be replaced.
“So they started filling holes with other accounts,” I said.
Rebecca nodded.
“Potentially.”
“Ponzi structure?”
“Don’t use that word yet.”
“Why?”
“Because we don’t know.”
Fair.
“What does Andrew have?”
“Emails.”
That was when my phone rang.
Marissa.
My ex-wife had called twice since the incident.
I had ignored both.
This time Rebecca nodded.
“Answer.”
I did.
Marissa did not say hello.
“What have you done?”
Her voice was sharp.
Tired.
Afraid.
I glanced at Rebecca.
“What exactly are you referring to?”
“You know what.”
“Be specific.”
“The police searched the foundation.”
“I’m aware.”
“You sent them.”
“No.”
“Don’t lie to me, Ethan.”
“I didn’t send anyone.”
“You had your people following us.”
“No.”
“Watching us.”
“Public places aren’t owned by your husband.”
“You gave twenty-four trained security professionals our addresses.”
That interested me.
“Who told you?”
Silence.
I smiled.
There it was.
Someone in my class?
Unlikely.
Police?
Maybe.
Or one of the Hawthornes had been monitoring Redstone contacts.
Rebecca scribbled something.
KEEP HER TALKING.
I leaned back.
“Marissa, why did you lock the door?”
Silence.
“Lily told you.”
“There’s video.”
Her breathing changed.
“That video doesn’t show everything.”
“Good.”
“What?”
“Then show investigators the rest.”
More silence.
“You don’t understand what happened.”
“Then explain.”
“She came in making accusations.”
“About money taken from her account.”
“We were going to replace it.”
The words came out fast.
Too fast.
Rebecca’s eyebrows lifted.
I kept my tone flat.
“So money was taken?”
Marissa froze.
“That’s not what I said.”
“Yes, it is.”
“You always do this.”
“Do what?”
“Turn everything into an interrogation.”
“Our daughter arrived barefoot with a cracked rib.”
“I didn’t hurt her!”
I gripped the table.
Rebecca held up one finger.
Stay calm.
“I never said you did.”
“I tried to stop them.”
“No.”
“I did.”
“She begged you to unlock the door.”
Marissa started crying.
For fifteen years of marriage, tears had affected me.
Even after the divorce.
That morning they didn’t.
Not because I hated her.
Because Lily had cried too.
And Lily had been the child in the room.
“Why didn’t you open it?”
Marissa whispered, “Because Charles said everything would be ruined.”
“What would be ruined?”
No answer.
“Your marriage?”
“No.”
“The foundation?”
Silence.
“Marissa.”
“You don’t understand what he controls.”
The line went quiet.
That sentence changed everything.
“What does Charles control?”
She whispered:
“Everything.”
Then someone spoke in the background.
A man.
“What are you doing?”
Marissa gasped.
The call ended.
Rebecca immediately saved the recording.
“Was that Charles?”
“Yes.”
“You sure?”
“I was married to the woman. I know his voice.”
Rebecca stood.
“We notify Cole.”
My phone buzzed again.
Not Marissa.
A text from an unknown number.
PLEASE HELP ME.
Then another.
HE TOOK MY PHONE.
Then nothing.
I showed Rebecca.
Her face changed.
“Call police.”
I did.
Officers were sent to the Hawthorne home.
When they arrived, Charles told them Marissa was asleep.
They asked to see her.
He refused until their supervisor arrived.
Eventually Marissa appeared.
She said she was fine.
She denied sending the messages.
She claimed someone must have spoofed her number.
Police left.
But an hour later, Singh called.
“Ethan?”
“Yes.”
“Those messages came from Marissa’s device.”
My throat tightened.
“How certain?”
“Very.”
“So she lied.”
“Or someone made her lie.”
I looked toward the dark highway outside Redstone.
The case had begun with eleven people surrounding my daughter.
May you like
Now one of those eleven was asking for help.
And the man at the center of everything was starting to lose control.
