Chapter 10 - THE MAYOR'S FINAL BARGAIN
Manon stepped into the barn with the ledger pressed against her side.
Every instinct told her to run.
But Noah was standing less than thirty feet away.
And when he saw her, his face changed.
“Mom!”
He tried to run toward her.
One of Hale's men blocked his path.
Manon felt a fury unlike anything she had ever known.
“Don't touch him.”
Her voice echoed through the barn.
Hale turned.
“Manon. I'm glad you came.”
She ignored him.
“Noah, sweetheart, look at me.”
Her son was crying.
“Mom, I want to go home.”
“I know, baby.”
She forced herself to smile.
“Remember what I always tell you when you're scared?”
Noah sniffled.
“That being brave doesn't mean you're not scared.”
“That's right.”
His little shoulders straightened.
Manon's heart broke.
Hale sighed.
“This is touching, but we have business to discuss.”
Manon turned toward him.
“You want the ledger.”
“Yes.”
“Then let my son go.”
Hale smiled.
“I'm afraid it's not that simple.”
“Make it simple.”
He stepped closer.
“You've seen the records. You know what happened at St. Agnes.”
“I know you stole children.”
Hale's expression hardened.
“We placed children in stable homes.”
“You took them from parents who loved them.”
“Some of those parents were incapable of providing proper care.”
“Then why did you forge court orders?”
Silence.
Manon stepped forward.
“Why did you falsify death certificates?”
Hale's jaw tightened.
“Because the system was broken.”
“No.”
Her voice rose.
“You broke it.”
For the first time, Hale looked genuinely angry.
“You have no idea how many families benefited from our work.”
Manon stared at him.
“Families like mine?”
He said nothing.
“My mother spent twenty-three years believing her children were gone. Elias grew up moving from institution to institution. And I spent my childhood wondering why I wasn't wanted.”
Her voice broke.
“You didn't save anyone. You stole their right to choose.”
Clara stood beside Noah.
Her face was pale.
Hale turned toward her.
“You were supposed to bring the boy directly to me.”
Clara tightened her grip on Noah's hand.
“I never agreed to hurt him.”
Hale laughed softly.
“You agreed to help me recover the ledger.”
“I agreed because you said Anna would die if I refused.”
Manon froze.
“Anna?”
Clara looked at her.
“Your mother.”
Hale's smile disappeared.
Manon stepped closer.
“Where is she?”
Hale glanced toward his men.
“That's not relevant.”
“Where is my mother?”
He sighed.
“She's alive.”
Manon felt the world tilt.
“Then bring her here.”
“Give me the ledger first.”
Manon looked toward Noah.
Then toward Clara.
She understood something.
Hale was not merely trying to recover evidence.
He was trying to regain control.
Control over her.
Over her brother.
Over her son.
Over every person who had ever challenged him.
She lifted the ledger.
“You want this?”
Hale's eyes followed it.
“Yes.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
He frowned.
“What truth?”
“Why did you keep Anna alive?”
For the first time, Hale hesitated.
Clara looked toward him.
“Tell her.”
Hale's face darkened.
“Clara, be quiet.”
“No.”
Clara stepped forward.
“She deserves to know.”
One of Hale's men moved toward her.
Manon raised her voice.
“Don't.”
Hale held up a hand.
The man stopped.
Clara looked at Manon.
“Anna knew where the money went.”
Manon frowned.
“What money?”
“The foundation accounts. The offshore transfers. The payments made by wealthy families.”
Hale's expression became dangerous.
“Enough.”
Clara continued.
“Anna discovered that the child-placement operation was only part of a larger financial scheme. The foundation was laundering money through fake charitable programs.”
Laurent's words echoed in Manon's memory.
Some buildings are more valuable when nobody looks inside.
Manon stared at Hale.
“You kept her alive because she knew how to trace the money.”
Hale said nothing.
Clara nodded.
“They tried to make her sign statements claiming she had fabricated the accusations. When she refused, they had her declared mentally incompetent.”
Manon's stomach twisted.
“And put her in that nursing facility.”
“Yes.”
Hale stepped toward Clara.
“You ungrateful little—”
A loud crack interrupted him.
Everyone froze.
The barn's side door swung open.
Inspector Laurent stood in the doorway.
Two officers followed him.
“Richard Hale,” Laurent said, “step away from the child.”
Hale's face went pale.
Then he smiled.
“Inspector. You're making a terrible mistake.”
Laurent raised his weapon.
“Hands where I can see them.”
Hale looked toward his men.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then one of the men reached inside his jacket.
“Don't!” Laurent shouted.
The man froze.
A second officer moved to secure him.
Manon seized the moment.
She ran toward Noah.
“Mom!”
He broke free from Clara and rushed into her arms.
Manon dropped to her knees.
She held him so tightly that he squeaked.
“Mom, I can't breathe.”
She laughed through her tears.
“Sorry, baby.”
She loosened her grip.
Then kissed his forehead.
His cheeks.
His hair.
Every part of him she could reach.
“I'm here,” she whispered. “I'm here.”
Noah buried his face against her shoulder.
“I knew you'd come.”
Manon closed her eyes.
For one precious moment, nothing else existed.
Not the ledger.
Not the mayor.
Not the past.
Only her son.
Then a gunshot shattered the silence.
Manon instinctively covered Noah with her body.
Someone screamed.
A second shot rang out.
Laurent shouted for everyone to get down.
Manon crouched behind a stack of wooden crates.
Noah trembled in her arms.
“Mom!”
“Stay down, baby!”
Footsteps thundered across the barn.
A vehicle engine roared.
Then tires spun against gravel.
When Manon finally looked up, Hale was gone.
One of his men lay wounded near the doorway.
Laurent stood beside him, calling for an ambulance.
Clara was nowhere to be seen.
And the ledger—
Manon looked toward the place where she had dropped her bag.
It was empty.
She stared.
“No.”
Laurent hurried toward her.
“Are you hurt?”
Manon shook her head.
“Noah's okay.”
“Thank God.”
She grabbed his arm.
“The ledger.”
Laurent looked around.
“What?”
“It's gone.”
His expression changed.
Then his radio crackled.
“Inspector, we have a vehicle leaving the property. Black SUV. Heading east.”
Laurent grabbed the radio.
“Pursue, but maintain distance.”
Manon stood.
“Noah needs to get somewhere safe.”
Laurent nodded.
“We'll take him to the station.”
She looked toward the barn entrance.
Hale had escaped.
The evidence was gone.
But Noah was alive.
And for the first time that day, Manon allowed herself to believe that she might still win.
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“Manon?”
Manon froze.
“Who is this?”
The woman began crying.
“My baby girl.”
Manon's knees weakened.
“Anna?”
“Yes.”
A sob escaped her.
“Mom?”
May you like
The woman whispered:
“Richard Hale has the ledger. And he's coming to kill me.”
