Chapter 9 - The Police Interrogation
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The Grand Palace Hotel transformed rapidly from a venue of celebration into an active crime scene. Police officers ushered the bewildered guests out, taking contact information from anyone who had witnessed the altercation with Ruth.
I sat in a small, private conference room off the main lobby, holding a cup of cold tea. Caroline Shaw sat beside me, her legal pad already filled with notes. Across the table sat Detective Miller, a seasoned investigator with tired eyes.
"Let me get this straight, Mrs. Lawson," the detective began, looking over his notepad. "You’re alleging that your mother-in-law, Margaret Lawson, not only assaulted your foster mother but has been engaged in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme targeting your son's trust?"
"Yes," I replied firmly. "And we have the forged documents and Natalie Blake's flash drive to prove it."
"And the part about your biological mother?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's a very serious accusation to make without hard evidence."
My father entered the room, flanked by his personal security.
"The evidence exists, Detective," Harrison said, his voice cold and hard. "Twenty-five years ago, my wife, Helena, discovered massive irregularities in a joint venture between Vance Global and Lawson Industries—which was run by Margaret's late husband. Millions were missing. Two days before she was scheduled to present her findings to the board, her car's brake lines failed on a mountain road."
Detective Miller stopped writing. "The crash was ruled an accident."
"Because the local police chief at the time was heavily indebted to the Lawson family," Harrison countered smoothly. "I've spent two decades quietly building a case. Margaret thinks I gave up. I never did. I just didn't want to alert her until the net was completely closed."
"Then why allow your daughter to marry Garrett Lawson?" the detective asked, voicing the question that had been burning in my own mind.
I looked at my father, waiting for the answer.
"I didn't know," Harrison admitted, a rare flash of guilt crossing his features. "By the time I realized Margaret had orchestrated the meeting, Evelyn was already pregnant and deeply in love. I thought... I thought perhaps Garrett was different from his mother. I wanted Evelyn to have the happy family she desired. So I watched, and I waited."
He looked at me, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I should have stopped it. I'm sorry, Evie."
"You couldn't have known he was just like her," I said softly, though the betrayal still stung bitterly.
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"We have enough to hold Margaret and Garrett for fraud and forgery," Detective Miller said, closing his notebook. "The assault charge is a bonus. As for the twenty-five-year-old murder case... that’s going to take time."
"We have time," I said, my resolve hardening into steel. "And we have unlimited resources."
