Chapter 13 - The Secret Amelia Was Forced to Keep
“DADDY, GRANDMA SAID IF I TOLD YOU THE TRUTH, YOU'D STOP LOVING ME.”
Amelia spoke those words while sitting on the edge of her bed.
Gabriel felt his heart break.
He had received the threatening message less than an hour earlier.
The photograph showed Amelia standing beside Claire's mailbox.
Someone had taken it from across the street.
Gabriel immediately informed Rebecca and the police.
He also arranged for additional security precautions around Claire's property.
But what frightened him most wasn't the photograph.
It was the suggestion that Amelia had been keeping another secret.
He didn't want to interrogate her.
He didn't want to make her feel responsible for the legal battle.
So he sat beside her and waited.
For several minutes, Amelia said nothing.
Then she reached beneath her pillow.
She pulled out a small purple notebook.
“Grandma made me write things in here.”
Gabriel accepted it carefully.
The cover was decorated with stars.
Inside were pages written in Amelia's uneven handwriting.
Daddy doesn't love me.
Daddy leaves me alone.
Daddy gets angry when I cry.
I want Grandma to take care of me forever.
Gabriel stared at the sentences.
They were not the words of the daughter he knew.
They were accusations.
Statements that appeared designed for a courtroom.
“Sweetheart,” he asked gently, “why did you write these?”
Amelia began crying.
“Grandma told me to.”
He placed the notebook aside.
“Did you believe them?”
She shook her head.
“No. But she said if I didn't write them, she'd send Biscuit away.”
Gabriel closed his eyes.
Biscuit.
The dog who had slept beside Amelia when she was frightened.
The dog who had remained beside her on the kitchen floor.
His mother had used the one companion Amelia could always depend on as another means of control.
“I'm sorry,” Amelia whispered.
Gabriel immediately took her hands.
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
“But I lied.”
“You were scared. An adult threatened something you loved. That was wrong of her.”
Amelia looked at him.
“Are you mad?”
“I'm upset about what happened. But not at you.”
She began crying harder.
Gabriel held her.
He didn't tell her to stop.
He didn't say she was being dramatic.
He simply stayed.
Eventually, Amelia pulled away.
“There's something else.”
Gabriel waited.
“Grandma made me practice talking to a lady on the computer.”
“What lady?”
“I don't know. She asked questions about you.”
Gabriel felt his pulse quicken.
“What kind of questions?”
“Whether you yelled. Whether I was scared. Whether I wanted to live with Grandma.”
“Do you remember what you told her?”
Amelia nodded.
“I told her Grandma was nice.”
Gabriel swallowed.
“Why?”
“Because Grandma was standing behind the computer.”
He felt sick.
But he kept his voice calm.
“Thank you for telling me.”
Amelia looked at him.
“Will I have to talk to the judge?”
“I don't know yet. Rebecca and the people helping us will make sure any questions are handled appropriately. You don't have to figure this out yourself.”
Amelia nodded.
Then she asked the question Gabriel had been dreading.
“Daddy, if Grandma goes to jail, is that my fault?”
Gabriel looked directly into her eyes.
“No.”
“But I told you.”
“And I'm glad you did.”
“What if she gets in trouble?”
“Adults are responsible for their own choices. Telling the truth doesn't make you responsible for what someone else did.”
Amelia considered his words.
Then she leaned against him.
“I just wanted everyone to be happy.”
Gabriel kissed the top of her head.
“I know, sweetheart.”
He thought about Nora.
About how she had tried to keep the family together.
About how he had done the same.
And about how that desire had allowed Marlene's behavior to continue for years.
“Sometimes,” he said quietly, “we can't make everyone happy. But we can make sure nobody has to be hurt just to keep the peace.”
Amelia didn't answer.
She simply held his hand.
The next morning, Rebecca reviewed the notebook.
She photographed every page and arranged for the original to be preserved.
She also notified the appropriate professionals about Amelia's account of being coached.
Gabriel wanted the court to hear everything.
Rebecca cautioned him.
“We need to present the evidence carefully. Amelia's well-being comes first. We cannot turn her into a weapon in this dispute.”
Gabriel agreed.
He had spent too long watching adults use his daughter to pursue their own interests.
He would not repeat that mistake.
At the courthouse, Marlene arrived wearing a navy suit and pearls.
Jonathan Reed walked beside her.
Everett was nowhere in sight.
When Marlene saw Gabriel, she approached him.
“It's not too late,” she whispered.
Gabriel looked at her.
“For what?”
“To stop this before everyone gets hurt.”
He studied her face.
For the first time, he saw how easily she confused accountability with cruelty.
“You hurt Amelia,” he said.
Marlene's expression hardened.
“I raised that child while you were away.”
“You helped care for her. That didn't give you the right to frighten her.”
“She needs me.”
Gabriel shook his head.
“She needs to feel safe.”
Marlene stepped closer.
“If you embarrass me in that courtroom, you'll regret it.”
Gabriel didn't move.
“I'm not here to embarrass you.”
“Then why are you here?”
“To protect my daughter.”
The courtroom doors opened.
Rebecca motioned for Gabriel to follow.
As they entered, his phone vibrated.
A message from Samuel Brooks.
We found the missing $92,000 transaction documentation.
Gabriel stopped.
Another message appeared.
The payment was authorized using Nora's electronic credentials three days after her death.
Gabriel stared at the screen.
Then a final message arrived.
May you like
And the access log points to Jonathan Reed's office.
Cliffhanger: As the judge entered the courtroom, Rebecca received confirmation that investigators had obtained evidence linking Jonathan to transactions made after Nora's death—and the accountant was already attempting to leave the courthouse.
