Chapter 5 - THE PAPER UNDER THE FLOORBOARD
Delphine reached Odette's house after midnight.
Her shoes were wet.
Her hands were shaking.
And she had no job.
Odette opened the door.
One look at Delphine's face was enough.
“What happened?”
Delphine sat at the kitchen table.
“I told him.”
Odette closed her eyes.
“Lord have mercy.”
Delphine explained.
The carriage house.
Malcolm Voss.
The folder.
The dismissal.
Odette listened.
Then asked:
“Did you tell him about Aaron's paper?”
Delphine nodded.
“Not all of it.”
“Why not?”
“He wouldn't let me finish.”
Odette sighed.
Then stood.
“Come.”
She led Delphine into the back room.
Josie was asleep beneath her whale blanket.
Odette knelt beside the bed.
Then reached beneath a loose floorboard.
Delphine stared.
“What are you doing?”
Odette pulled out a sealed plastic pouch.
Inside was a folded envelope.
“Aaron gave me this before he died,” Odette said.
Delphine went cold.
“What?”
“He told me not to give it to you unless someone came asking about the boat.”
Delphine stared.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Odette's eyes filled.
“He was afraid.”
Delphine took the envelope.
Her husband's handwriting covered the front.
For Delphine. If they come back.
She opened it.
Inside were copies of loan statements, insurance records, and a handwritten note.
Del,
I think Hion Ridge is using fishermen's loans to move money.
They aren't just charging us too much.
They're creating debts that don't exist.
The same people own the lender, the collection company, and the warehouse where they take the boats.
I found the transfers.
If I disappear or something happens to me, don't trust Malcolm Voss.
And don't let them take Josie's future too.
Aaron.
Delphine pressed the paper to her chest.
For years, she'd believed her husband had died from exhaustion.
Now she wondered whether his final months had been shaped by something far more deliberate.
Odette touched her shoulder.
“There's more.”
Delphine looked up.
Odette handed her a small brass key.
“Aaron said this opens a locker at the old boatyard.”
Delphine stared.
“What locker?”
Odette shook her head.
“He didn't say.”
Delphine looked toward Josie.
Her daughter slept peacefully.
Unaware that the past was opening beneath them.
Delphine closed her eyes.
May you like
Then whispered:
“I have to find out.”
