What Laura Had Discovered
Chapter 07 - What Laura Had Discovered
Laura could not speak at first. Her eyes opened only for a few seconds, and the breathing mask muffled every sound. Still, when Daniel leaned over her, she squeezed his hand. When Ethan arrived with Ruth, Laura’s gaze found him immediately.
“You came back,” Ethan whispered.
A tear slid toward her temple.
Dr. Morris warned the family that recovery would be slow. Laura had suffered swelling in her brain, several fractures, and complications from the interrupted oxygen. No one could promise how much she remembered.
Detective Brooks waited until Laura was stronger before asking simple yes-or-no questions. Did she know Victor had stolen from the foundation? One squeeze. Yes. Did Victor know she planned to report him? One squeeze. Yes. Was the crash an accident?
Laura squeezed twice.
No.
Over the next two days, she communicated with an alphabet board. Letter by letter, she revealed what had happened. Victor had discovered her investigation and demanded she destroy the evidence. When she refused, he threatened Daniel and Ethan. That Sunday, Laura noticed a warning light in her car and pulled into a parking lot. Victor appeared in another vehicle. He told her the brakes would not last all the way home.
She tried to call the police, but he took her phone. She drove only because Ethan was waiting at Ruth’s apartment and she feared Victor might go there. Minutes later, the brakes failed on a downhill road.
The audio note on the memory card had been recorded before she started driving.
Laura also explained why Victor needed her dead. Their parents’ trust named Laura as the final authority over the foundation’s medical grants. If she died, control transferred to Victor. He could erase the fake companies, approve the missing money as emergency spending, and blame the losses on outdated records.
But Laura had made one more copy of the evidence.
“Blue folder,” she spelled.
Daniel thought she meant the blue paper around the memory card. Laura shook her head.
“Boardroom. Wall.”
Cole Family Holdings had a framed photograph of Laura’s parents in its boardroom. Behind it was a recessed document safe known only to family members.
Detective Brooks prepared another search warrant.
Before officers left, Laura pulled Ethan closer. Her voice was barely more than air.
“You knew,” she whispered.
Ethan nodded. “Dad promised.”
Laura smiled faintly. “You saved me because you trusted love more than a piece of paper.”
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Outside the room, Daniel received a call from company security.
Victor had entered the boardroom.
