The Crimson Ink That Exposed A Family Legacy Of Lies
I parked in the lot of a twenty-four-hour diner on the edge of the city.
Under the harsh fluorescent lights of the car cabin, I opened the ledger again.
I took out my phone and took clear, high-resolution photographs of every page marked with red ink.
My fingers trembled as I focused the camera on Daniel’s signature.
It was a younger version of his current signature, but the distinctive, sharp sweep of the ‘C’ was unmistakable.
I sent three of the photos to an encrypted email address I had set up.
Then, I drafted a short message to Charles Sterling’s private email.
*Charles, we need to discuss the 1987 financial audits before the board meeting tomorrow morning.*
*I have the original ledger from the county clinic.*
*Let’s make sure your name isn’t on the next public disclosure.*
I hit send.
My phone buzzed almost immediately.
I thought it was Charles, but it was another text from the unknown number.
*You can’t run forever, Emily. The boys are asking for their mother.*
A wave of anger washed over me, replacing the fear.