Chapter 10 - THE NIGHT THE TRUTH CAME OUT
The investigation expanded rapidly.
Edmund Ashford was questioned.
Merrick Doyle remained missing.
Rebecca Sloan cooperated with authorities.
And Camille Ashford hired a team of expensive attorneys.
The evidence established that the Ashford Foundation had diverted charitable funds through fraudulent procurement contracts.
Some medications had been billed but never delivered.
Other shipments had been redirected.
The scheme had continued for years.
Thomas Pierce had discovered the discrepancies.
He tried to report them.
Instead, he was discredited.
But one question remained.
What happened the night he died?
Detective Keene found the answer in an old security archive.
A neighboring business had retained footage from a camera overlooking the street.
The video showed Merrick Doyle arriving at Thomas Pierce's house.
He entered.
He remained inside for twenty-three minutes.
Then left.
Investigators confronted Merrick after locating him in Indiana.
He eventually agreed to cooperate.
His statement was devastating.
He admitted visiting Thomas Pierce on Edmund Ashford's instructions.
He had been ordered to retrieve the original documents.
Thomas refused.
They argued.
Merrick threatened him.
Thomas collapsed during the confrontation.
Merrick claimed he panicked.
He left without calling emergency services.
Delaney listened to the account in a private room with a victim-support counselor.
Her hands shook.
Her father had been alive when Merrick left.
Help might have saved him.
No one could know for certain.
But Merrick had chosen to walk away.
Delaney closed her eyes.
For seven years, she'd wondered whether she'd failed her father by missing his calls.
Now she knew someone else had been there.
Someone who could have helped.
Someone who chose not to.
She began crying.
Not quietly.
Not politely.
She cried for the man who taught her to fix broken radios.
For the father who made pancakes on Sundays.
For the person whose reputation had been destroyed by people with enough money to make the truth disappear.
Casius waited outside.
When she emerged, he stood.
She looked at him.
Then stepped into his arms.
He held her carefully.
No promises.
No speeches.
May you like
Just warmth.
For the first time in seven years, Delaney allowed herself to grieve without feeling responsible.
