Chapter 14 - THE LAST BEAUMONT
The investigation moved quickly after Victoria's statement.
Samuel Whitmore was arrested at his home.
Former Sheriff Thomas Harlan was taken into custody after investigators uncovered records linking him to payments from Northbridge Holdings.
Laurent Beaumont remained detained while his attorneys negotiated with prosecutors.
But Armand was still missing.
Claire watched the news coverage from her kitchen.
For twenty-three years, the Beaumont name had represented success and power.
Now the headlines told a different story.
Beaumont Family Linked to Decades-Old Death Investigation.
Former Sheriff Arrested in Alleged Evidence Cover-Up.
Financial Records Raise Questions About Missing Retirement Funds.
Claire turned off the television.
She didn't feel triumphant.
Not yet.
Her father was still dead.
Her mother would never hear the truth.
And Armand remained free.
Daniel arrived that afternoon with Olivia.
They had been reviewing the second ledger.
It had finally been recovered from the old red barn behind Claire's childhood home.
Her father had hidden it inside a sealed metal container beneath a loose floorboard.
Claire remembered playing there as a little girl.
She remembered falling off her bicycle.
Her father's strong hands lifting her.
His laughter.
His patience.
And all those years, the evidence that could clear his name had been resting only a few feet away.
Daniel placed the ledger on the table.
“Your father documented everything.”
Claire opened it.
Dozens of pages contained financial entries, transfers, names, and dates.
Some were handwritten.
Others were copied from company records.
Julien had made notes in the margins.
Workers deserve their retirement.
Rebecca says these accounts are false.
Must protect Marianne and Claire.
Claire traced the handwriting.
Her father had not been trying to destroy the Beaumont family.
He had been trying to stop ordinary people from being robbed.
Daniel continued.
“The ledger connects Armand to multiple shell companies. It also shows payments to officials involved in the original investigation.”
Olivia nodded.
“Combined with the witness statements, it's powerful evidence.”
Claire closed the ledger.
“What happens now?”
“Prosecutors will determine charges, and the courts will examine the evidence. We also have grounds to seek formal correction of your father's record.”
Claire looked up.
“His name?”
Olivia nodded.
“We're working toward that.”
For the first time, Claire allowed herself to imagine the newspaper headline changing.
Not Driver Responsible for Fatal Crash.
But Innocent Man Framed in Beaumont Cover-Up.
That evening, Natalie called.
She had moved temporarily to stay with Rebecca.
They were slowly learning how to be mother and daughter.
Natalie had taken leave from the district attorney's office while her family connection to the investigation was reviewed.
She wanted no part of any decisions involving her adoptive father.
“I thought I'd feel relieved,” Natalie admitted.
Claire sat beside the window.
“But you don't?”
“I love the man who raised me. And I hate what he did.”
Claire understood.
“Both feelings can be real.”
Natalie began crying.
“He made choices that hurt my mother. He lied to me. But he was also there when I was sick. He taught me to drive. He came to my graduation.”
Claire listened.
There were no easy answers.
Love didn't erase wrongdoing.
And wrongdoing didn't automatically erase every genuine memory.
“You don't have to decide how you feel today,” Claire said.
Natalie exhaled.
“Thank you.”
After the call, Claire returned to the ledger.
One final entry caught her attention.
It was dated November 16.
If Armand finds out where Rebecca's daughter is, he will use her to control everyone.
Claire stared.
Julien had known about the baby.
He had understood how Armand used love as a weapon.
Suddenly, her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Claire answered.
“Hello?”
A familiar voice spoke.
“Your father was a stubborn man.”
Armand.
Claire went cold.
“Where are you?”
“That's not important.”
“You're finished, Armand.”
He gave a quiet laugh.
“People have been telling me that for forty years.”
Claire held the phone tightly.
“The police have the ledger.”
“I know.”
“They have Victoria's confession. Laurent's statement. Whitmore's records.”
“I know that too.”
Claire felt unease spreading through her chest.
“Then why are you calling?”
“Because there's one thing they don't have.”
Claire remained silent.
“Your mother's final letter.”
Claire froze.
“What?”
“Marianne wrote to me before she died.”
Claire's pulse accelerated.
“What did she say?”
“She asked me to meet her. She said she'd discovered something about the accident.”
Claire stood.
“Where is the letter?”
“Come to the old quarry road.”
“No.”
“Then you'll never know what your mother discovered.”
Claire swallowed.
“You think I'm going to walk into another trap?”
Armand laughed softly.
“No, Claire. I think you're going to do exactly what your father did.”
The line went dead.
Claire immediately called Reed.
She gave him the details.
He told her not to go alone and arranged for officers to secure the area.
But before she could leave, Daniel called.
His voice sounded urgent.
“Claire, I found something in the ledger.”
“What?”
“Your mother investigated more than the car assignment.”
Claire gripped the phone.
“What do you mean?”
Daniel hesitated.
“She discovered a bank account opened in your name when you were twelve.”
Claire went still.
“An account?”
“Yes. More than two million dollars was transferred into it over several years.”
Claire stared at the wall.
“That isn't possible.”
Daniel continued.
“The account was controlled by a trustee.”
“Who?”
Daniel's voice lowered.
“Armand Beaumont.”
Claire felt the air leave her lungs.
“Why would he put money in my name?”
Daniel was silent for a moment.
May you like
Then he answered:
“Because according to the trust documents, your mother agreed never to reopen your father's case in exchange for that money.”
