Chapter 12 - The Truth About Rebecca's Last NightThe discovery was devastating.
But it did not mean Rebecca had been murdered.
Daniel repeated that distinction until I understood it.
A surveillance assignment might explain why another vehicle appeared near her car.
It did not establish that the driver caused the collision.
It did not establish intent.
And it did not prove that Adrian knew anything about the assignment.
The evidence needed to be evaluated by the appropriate authorities.
Company counsel referred the relevant records to law enforcement.
I agreed to cooperate fully.
Then I waited.
Waiting was harder than I expected.
I had spent months chasing answers.
Now those answers depended on interviews, records, and investigators who could not move at the speed of my fear.
Meanwhile, Thomas Vail reached an agreement to provide information to investigators through his attorney.
His statements revealed a disturbing picture.
For several years, he had helped conceal financial transfers connected to Project Harbor.
He claimed Adrian approved the broader strategy.
Adrian's attorneys disputed that account.
Thomas also admitted that he hired a private security contractor to monitor Rebecca after she began asking questions.
His explanation was cowardly.
He said he wanted to know whether she was preparing to report the financial irregularities.
The contractor followed Rebecca on several occasions.
On the night she died, a surveillance vehicle was near her route.
But Thomas denied ordering anyone to interfere with her driving.
The investigators examined the available evidence.
They found no reliable proof that the surveillance driver had deliberately caused the collision.
The original crash remained classified as a traffic accident.
However, the unauthorized surveillance and related conduct became part of a separate inquiry.
When Daniel delivered the update, I cried.
Not because the answer was simple.
Because it wasn't.
For weeks, I had feared Adrian might have arranged my sister's death.
The evidence did not support that conclusion.
But it did support something else.
People connected to the company had invaded Rebecca's privacy because she was trying to expose financial misconduct.
And she had died without knowing whether anyone would listen.
I visited her grave that weekend.
The cemetery was quiet.
Autumn leaves drifted across the grass.
I knelt beside the headstone.
“I'm sorry, Becca.”
My voice broke.
“I'm sorry I didn't listen.”
For a long time, I sat in silence.
Then I took her birthday card from my coat pocket.
Don't confuse keeping the peace with being safe.
I read the sentence again.
Rebecca had understood something I was only beginning to learn.
Love could be generous without being blind.
Forgiveness could exist without surrender.
And loyalty meant protecting the truth, not concealing it.
I touched the cold marble.
“I can't change what happened,” I whispered. “But I can finish what you started.”
Two weeks later, the Hollis Transit board met to consider Adrian's future.
The forensic review had identified substantial evidence of unauthorized financial activity.
Outside counsel recommended that the company pursue recovery claims and cooperate with authorities.
Adrian was invited to respond.
He arrived with two attorneys.
He looked thinner.
Older.
His expensive suit no longer seemed to fit properly.
Nathaniel opened the meeting.
“Mr. Hollis, the board has reviewed the findings and your written response.”
Adrian stared at the table.
“Then you already know what you're going to do.”
“We have a duty to consider all relevant information.”
Adrian looked at me.
“Elizabeth, say something.”
I met his eyes.
“What would you like me to say?”
“That I built this company.”
“You helped grow it.”
His expression changed.
“You know how hard I worked.”
“I do.”
“Then why are you letting them destroy me?”
I took a breath.
“Because working hard doesn't give you permission to take what doesn't belong to you.”
He looked away.
The board voted to terminate Adrian's employment as chief executive officer, effective immediately, subject to the applicable employment agreement.
The vote passed.
Nathaniel announced the decision.
Adrian sat motionless.
Then he slowly stood.
He looked directly at me.
“You think you've won.”
I said nothing.
He leaned forward.
“You don't know what this is going to cost you.”
Margaret rose slightly beside me.
Adrian's attorney touched his arm.
But he continued.
“I kept one thing from you for twelve years.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
May you like
His face twisted with bitterness.
“Your grandfather didn't tell you the truth about why he gave you the company.”
