Chapter 5 - The Truth About the BoatDaniel raised a trembling hand, pointing a crooked finger at the manila folder on the bed. I rushed over, untied the string, and spilled its contents onto the mattress.
Inside were handwritten journals, old audio cassette tapes labeled with dates from twenty-four years ago, and a complete forensic audit of Hayes Meridian Properties before Christopher took over.
I sat down on the edge of the bed, holding a journal with my brother’s familiar, messy handwriting.
August 14, 2002.
Christopher wanted out of the debt he accumulated from his underground gambling ring. He begged me to sign over my shares. When I refused, he invited me onto the boat under the guise of clearing the air. Out on the water, he struck me from behind with a heavy winch handle. I remember going overboard, watching the surface of the water turn red before I lost consciousness.*
I looked up at Daniel, my chest heaving. "And Gertrude? When did she find out?"
Vanessa answered, leaning against the wall, her arms crossed. "Gertrude found Daniel’s discarded jacket in Christopher’s trunk two days after the incident. She confronted him. Christopher broke down, confessed everything, threatened to take his own life. Gertrude—blinded by maternal guilt—faked Daniel’s death certificate with a paid coroner, bought this facility under a shell corporation, and locked my father away to keep him 'safe' from Christopher's further violence, while telling herself she was keeping her son out of a prison cell."
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"It was a prison for both of them," I whispered, looking from my broken brother to the cold walls of the room.
"Not anymore," Vanessa said, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small, heavy iron key—identical to the one Gertrude had given me in the hospital. "Grandma Gertrude knew she was dying. She knew Christopher’s greed was reaching a boiling point. She gave me the master key to this wing yesterday morning. We can take him out of here tonight."
