Chapter 13 - The Harbor
The man with the watch climbed onto the dock. His partner stayed at the boat, engine running. Ortiz's local contact yelled from the street, and the first man turned toward him.
Ruth grabbed my wrist. "There's a back door."
We ran through a narrow corridor stacked with fishing nets. My foot caught in a rope. I fell hard on one knee, then pushed up as Ruth yanked open a rusted service gate.
The alley outside smelled of diesel and wet wood. Tessa was waiting at the corner, her car pointed toward the main road.
"Get in!" she shouted.
A hand closed around Ruth's coat. She twisted away, leaving the fabric in the man's grip. I slammed the gate between us. He hit it once, then fled when sirens rose nearby.
Nobody was seriously hurt. The police detained the boat driver and recovered the flare launcher. The man with the watch escaped into the warehouses.
"You recognized him," Ortiz told me afterward.
"At Eleanor's room. He attacked Adrian."
Ruth nodded. "His name is Grant Heller. He used to be Elliot's private investigator."
Ortiz's expression hardened. "We've been looking for Heller in two states."
At a local station, Ruth gave a statement that lasted three hours. Her account matched the ledger and Dad's recording. She agreed to cooperate if prosecutors helped keep her family safe.
I watched sunrise turn the harbor silver. Tessa brought me a paper cup of coffee and rested her head against mine.
"You okay?"
"No."
"Me neither."
We sat together without filling the silence.
Adrian called. Eleanor had asked for me, and he had news that could not wait.
"The foundation's attorney found something in the bylaws," he said. "My grandmother can force a public accounting with two trustees' signatures. I have one."
"Who has the other?"
"Vanessa. Unless we find the third independent trustee."
"Who is it?"
May you like
Adrian hesitated.
"According to the original trust, it's Daniel Bennett's surviving heir."
