Chapter 19
Her Mother’s Hand
Mara had known her mother as a woman who kept receipts in biscuit tins and never spoke at meetings unless someone asked twice. The memory of her mother’s cautious demeanor lingered, but as she flipped through the reserve ledger, a different woman emerged from the ink-stained pages. This was a woman who had meticulously tracked payments across seven buildings, her sharp notes in the margins revealing a mind that was both vigilant and calculating: insurance received, funds diverted, board refused return. The last phrase had been underlined so fiercely that the paper nearly tore.
The sun had barely risen as Mara sat in the small, cluttered office of the clinic, the air thick with the scent of antiseptic and the faint hum of fluorescent lights. A single window overlooked the parking lot, where the first few cars of the day began to arrive. She could hear the distant murmur of the morning rush outside, but her focus remained on the ledger spread open before her. Near the end, a page had been cut out, and that absence felt like a gaping wound.
Elias entered the room, his usual calm demeanor replaced by a clear tension. He glanced at the ledger and then sat down hard in the chair opposite Mara, the wood creaking under his weight.
“Your mother kept copies because she didn’t trust us,” he said, his voice strained.
“Us?” Mara’s brow furrowed, disbelief etched on her face.
“Your father, me, the board. We thought we could repair it without a sound.” He rubbed his temples, like the memories were physically painful.
Mara held the ledger open between them, her fingers brushing the frayed edges of the pages. “Where is the missing page?”
Elias’s eyes filled with a fear older than Celeste. “Your mother gave it to someone named Gideon Park. He was the authority’s auditor.”
then, her phone buzzed on the desk, startling them both. It was Rowan.
“Park died ten years ago,” he said, his voice steady but laced with urgency. “And his death was never investigated.”
The revelation hung in the air, heavy and unyielding. Mara’s her pulse kicked—not with fear, but with a growing sense of determination. “Why was there no investigation?” she pressed, her fingers tightening around the ledger.
“His death was ruled an accident,” Rowan replied, his tone cautious. “But… there were whispers. People said he was getting too close to something.”
Mara’s mind raced, piecing together the fragments of her mother’s life and the shadows of the past. “What if he knew something? What if my mother gave him that page to protect herself?”
Elias leaned forward, his expression grave. “If that page contained evidence of wrongdoing, it could explain why she was so secretive. And why she didn’t trust us.”
Mara’s gaze flickered to the window, where the morning light spilled in, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. “I need to find out what happened to that page.”
“Are you sure you want to dig deeper?” Elias’s voice held a note of warning. “You might not like what you find.”
She met his gaze, her resolve hardening. “I’ve already lost too much to turn back now. I need to know the truth about my mother.”
The weight of her words settled between them, and she could feel the gravity of the choice she was about to make. She would have to confront the board, dig into the archives, and perhaps even speak to those who had known Gideon Park. It was a risky path, but one she felt compelled to take.
As she rose from her chair, the ledger still open in her hands, the door creaked as it swung slightly ajar. A figure stood silhouetted in the light, a familiar face from the past.
“Mara,” the voice called, hesitant yet insistent. It was a voice she had not expected to hear again.
“Lila?” Mara’s heart skipped. “What are you doing here?”
“I think I can help you with your search,” Lila said, stepping into the room, her expression a mix of determination and fear. “I know more about Gideon Park than I let on.”
Mara’s pulse quickened. The missing page might be closer than she thought.