Rebecca had arranged the meeting after state authorities accepted a preliminary referral based on the evidence concerns and potential conflicts surrounding the original investigation.
Faith stepped out of her vehicle looking as though she hadn’t slept.
She wore jeans, a gray sweatshirt, and sunglasses.
Her hands were shaking.
When she saw Rebecca and Mercer, she nearly returned to her car.
“Faith,” I said gently, “they’re here because I want you protected.”
Her mouth trembled.
“You don’t understand what Mom can do.”
“Then help us understand.”
She sat in the back seat.
For almost a minute, she said nothing.
Then she whispered, “Evelyn wasn’t supposed to end up in the hospital.”
Every muscle in my body tightened.
Rebecca glanced toward Mercer.
“Faith, before you continue, I want you to understand that we’re going to document what you tell us. If you need an attorney of your own, we can pause so you can arrange one.”
Faith shook her head.
“I’ve been silent long enough.”
She took off her sunglasses.
Her left cheek was bruised beneath makeup.
“My mother called a family meeting last Thursday,” she said.
“Where?” Mercer asked.
“At the main house. The estate.”
“Who attended?”
“Mom. Meredith. Jocelyn. Paige. Laurel. Sabrina. Me. And Evelyn.”
I leaned forward.
“Evelyn came to the estate?”
Faith nodded.
“Mom told her there were documents she needed to sign.”
“What documents?”
“Corporate documents. Evelyn still owned shares in Shaw Aeronautics through the trust Granddad established.”
I knew about those shares.
Evelyn rarely discussed them.
She’d spent years distancing herself from the company because she hated the way Margaret used money to control her daughters.
“How much did she own?” Rebecca asked.
“Enough to block certain changes to the family trust.”
Faith swallowed.
“Mom wanted Evelyn to sign a voting agreement giving Meredith control of her shares.”
“And Evelyn refused?”
“She said she’d never sign anything without an independent attorney.”
Faith’s eyes filled.
“Then she told Mom she’d discovered something.”
My stomach turned.
“What?”
“Payments. From Shaw Aeronautics to three consulting companies. Evelyn thought the invoices were fake.”
Mercer took notes.
“Did she identify the companies?”
Faith nodded.
“Ridgeway Strategic Services. Bellmont Advisory Group. And another one I don’t remember.”
The names meant nothing to me.
But I remembered Evelyn mentioning unusual numbers in an old company ledger during our last video call.
She’d dismissed it as a family dispute.
I’d been too distracted by my assignment to ask more.
Faith continued.
“Evelyn said she had copies. She said she was going to an attorney.”
“What happened then?” Mercer asked.
“Mom told her she’d destroy the family if she went through with it.”
Faith began crying.
“Evelyn said the family had already destroyed itself.”
I shut my eyes.
I could hear my wife’s voice saying those words.
Calm.
Certain.
Unwilling to be intimidated.
“She left,” Faith whispered. “But Mom wasn’t finished.”
Mercer waited.
Faith rubbed her hands together.
“Saturday night, Mom sent Meredith, Jocelyn, Paige, and Sabrina to Evelyn’s house. Laurel drove them.”
I stopped breathing.
“Were you there?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Mom told me we were going to collect documents. She said Evelyn was going to ruin everyone and we just needed to talk some sense into her.”
Faith covered her face.
“I believed her.”
The car fell silent.
“When we arrived,” she continued, “Evelyn was already home. She wouldn’t let us in.”
“How did you enter?” Mercer asked.
“Meredith had a key. Mom kept a copy from years ago.”
There was the kitchen door.
No forced entry.
No mysterious intruder.
Just family.
Faith’s voice became almost inaudible.
“They started yelling. Evelyn told them to leave. Meredith grabbed her bag because she thought the documents were inside.”
“What happened next?”
“Evelyn tried to take it back. Jocelyn pushed her. She fell against the kitchen counter.”
Faith’s breathing quickened.
“Sabrina grabbed her arms. Paige hit her.”
“With what?”
“A metal fire poker from beside the fireplace.”
My vision narrowed.
Mercer spoke gently.
“Faith, take your time.”
“I screamed at them to stop. But Meredith kept saying Evelyn had to tell us where the copies were.”
Faith looked at me.
“I tried to pull Sabrina away.”
“Did they stop?”
“No.”
Her voice broke.
“Jocelyn held Evelyn down. Paige hit her again. Meredith kicked her. I kept screaming.”
I gripped the edge of the seat.
For one dangerous moment, I wanted to get out of that car, drive straight to the Shaw estate, and tear every door off its hinges.
Instead, I thought of Evelyn lying in that hospital bed.
She needed a husband.
Not another person taken away from her.
“What happened after she stopped moving?” Mercer asked.
Faith wiped her cheeks.
“Everyone panicked. Meredith called Mom.”
“What did Margaret say?”
“She told us not to touch anything else. She said she’d handle it.”
Faith swallowed.
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