Chapter 6 - THE NIGHT THOMAS PIERCE DIED
Delaney had been twenty-one when her father died.
She was in nursing school.
Working evenings.
Studying whenever she could.
Her father had been unemployed for months after the theft accusation.
He was exhausted.
Anxious.
And increasingly convinced someone was watching the house.
On the night he died, Delaney had been at a clinical placement.
Her father called three times.
She missed the calls.
When she returned home, she found him collapsed in the kitchen.
The official cause of death was a heart attack.
She had never questioned it.
Until now.
Delaney sat across from Detective Sarah Keene in a police interview room.
"I remember the car," she said.
Sarah nodded.
"Tell me everything."
Delaney closed her eyes.
"It was parked across the street. Dark windows. Engine running."
"Did you see the driver?"
"No."
"Did anyone approach the house?"
"I don't know."
Sarah wrote carefully.
The investigation reopened.
Medical records were reviewed.
The original death certificate was examined.
And investigators searched for evidence that could establish whether anyone had entered the house.
Casius cooperated through his attorney.
He provided security records from the Ferraro organization.
Some were incomplete.
Others had been altered.
The missing records pointed toward Merrick.
One evening, Luca brought Casius a report.
"We found a payment."
Casius looked up.
"From whom?"
"An Ashford company."
"To Merrick?"
Luca nodded.
"Three hundred thousand dollars."
Casius stared.
"When?"
Luca hesitated.
"The week Thomas Pierce died."
Casius felt sick.
He looked toward the window.
For years, he'd believed loyalty could be bought.
Now he was learning what happened when the wrong people bought it first.
That night, he called Delaney.
She answered after several rings.
"Hello?"
"It's Casius."
"I know."
He hesitated.
"We found a payment to Merrick."
Silence.
"Connected to my father's death?"
"We don't know yet."
Delaney breathed slowly.
"Then don't tell me what you think. Tell me what you can prove."
Casius closed his eyes.
"You're right."
She was quiet.
Then asked:
"Have you found your mother?"
His chest tightened.
"No."
Delaney's voice softened slightly.
"I'm sorry."
He looked down.
"Thank you."
After the call, Casius sat alone.
He had spent years making other people afraid.
Now he was afraid.
May you like
Not of losing power.
But of discovering that the people closest to him had built their lives on lies.
