Chapter 9 - The Lawyer Who Helped Bury the TruthMartin Cole chose a private conference room in his law firm.
Elena insisted Tyler not go alone.
So Tyler, Claire, Elena, and I went together.
Mason and Lily stayed at the hotel with Rebecca, the flight attendant, who had finished her rotation and volunteered to help.
Under any other circumstances, leaving our son with someone I had met less than twenty-four hours earlier would have felt strange.
By then, strange had become our normal.
Martin was already seated when we arrived.
I had seen him at Christmas parties.
Our wedding.
Mason’s baptism.
He had always seemed grandfatherly.
That night, he looked old.
Not just older.
Old.
His hands shook slightly as he removed his glasses.
“Tyler.”
Tyler didn’t sit.
“Did you intercept my letter to Claire?”
Martin closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
No excuse.
No delay.
Just yes.
Tyler’s face tightened.
“Why?”
“Your father asked me to.”
“And you did it?”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe Claire rejected me.”
Martin’s voice was heavy.
“Yes.”
Claire stepped forward.
“You came to my apartment.”
“I remember.”
“You threatened me.”
Martin looked ashamed.
“I represented Richard.”
“You told me he would challenge Evan’s paternity.”
“I did.”
“Did you know that was a lie?”
“Yes.”
Claire turned away.
Elena spoke.
“Mr. Cole, if you are making admissions that could expose you professionally or legally, I assume you have counsel.”
“I do.”
“Where are they?”
“On their way.”
Elena frowned.
“Then why begin without them?”
Martin looked at Tyler.
“Because I’ve waited seventeen years already.”
That silenced everyone.
Martin opened a leather briefcase.
Inside were folders.
Old ones.
He placed one on the table.
HAYES / EVAN.
Tyler stared.
“You kept a file?”
“I kept everything.”
“Why?”
“At first, because Richard instructed me to.”
“And later?”
Martin looked at Claire.
“Because I became ashamed.”
Claire laughed bitterly.
“That didn’t make you call me.”
“No.”
“Didn’t make you call Tyler.”
“No.”
“So your shame was remarkably convenient.”
Martin accepted the insult.
“Yes.”
He opened the folder.
The first document was an insurance memorandum.
The second was a copy of the repair invoice.
The third was worse.
It was a letter from Hayes Construction’s insurer requesting inspection of the Mustang after the accident.
Across the top, someone had written:
VEHICLE SCRAPPED BEFORE INSPECTION.
Tyler looked confused.
“The car was destroyed?”
Martin nodded.
“Three days after the crash.”
“Who authorized that?”
“Richard.”
Elena leaned forward.
“Before the insurer could inspect it?”
“Yes.”
Claire whispered, “He destroyed the evidence.”
Martin looked at the table.
“Yes.”
Tyler stood completely still.
I watched pieces of his father fall away in real time.
“What else?”
Martin slid over another document.
An affidavit.
Signed by Richard Hayes.
It claimed Tyler frequently drove recklessly.
It claimed Richard had warned him about speeding.
It claimed Tyler took the Mustang without permission.
Tyler laughed in disbelief.
“He gave me the keys.”
Martin nodded.
“I know.”
“How?”
“I was there.”
Tyler stared at him.
“You were at the house?”
“The afternoon you left for the cabin.”
“Yes.”
“You watched Dad hand me the keys?”
“Yes.”
“And then you helped him write this?”
Martin’s eyes filled.
“Yes.”
Tyler turned away.
I moved beside him.
He didn’t touch me, but he didn’t move away either.
Elena asked the question everyone needed answered.
“Why?”
Martin took a deep breath.
“Because Richard believed Hayes Construction would collapse if the insurer determined the company knowingly allowed an unsafe vehicle to be driven.”
“That explains hiding the repair,” Elena said. “It doesn’t explain destroying Claire and Tyler.”
Martin looked at Tyler.
“No.”
“Then explain.”
Martin’s mouth tightened.
“Evan found something in the company accounts.”
Tyler looked at me.
My theory.
“What?”
“Richard had been moving money.”
“Stealing?”
“Not exactly.”
“Then what?”
“Bribing inspectors.”
The room went silent.
Martin continued.
“Hayes Construction had several projects with safety violations. Richard paid people to overlook them.”
Claire whispered, “Evan found out.”
“Yes.”
“He confronted him?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Two days before the accident.”
Tyler sat slowly.
“The letter.”
Martin nodded.
“Evan threatened to report Richard.”
“Oh my God.”
“He also told Richard he was taking copies of company records.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Dad?”
“No.”
Martin paused.
“At least, not then.”
Claire’s face hardened.
“Are you saying Richard wanted Evan dead?”
Martin immediately shook his head.
“No.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I’m saying Richard was terrified after Evan died because he believed police investigating the crash might uncover the financial records.”
“So he buried everything.”
“Yes.”
Elena leaned forward.
“How much did you know at the time?”
“Enough.”
“And you participated.”
“Yes.”
“Why are you talking now?”
Martin looked toward the window.
“Because Richard called me this morning.”
Tyler stiffened.
“What did he say?”
“He told me to destroy the remaining file.”
Claire whispered, “Jesus.”
Martin looked at Tyler.
“I couldn’t do it again.”
“Again?”
Martin’s face crumpled.
“I destroyed documents seventeen years ago.”
Tyler stared at him.
“Which documents?”
“Internal maintenance reports.”
“Anything else?”
“Copies of payment records.”
“What about Evan’s documents?”
“I never found them.”
Claire leaned toward him.
“Did Richard?”
“No.”
“You’re sure?”
Martin hesitated.
“I’m sure he never told me.”
Elena folded her arms.
“Why preserve this file if you were destroying evidence?”
“Insurance.”
“For yourself?”
“Yes.”
At least he was honest.
“I knew Richard would blame me if everything surfaced.”
“So you kept proof he instructed you.”
“Yes.”
Tyler laughed bitterly.
“You all protected yourselves.”
Martin’s eyes dropped.
“Yes.”
“And Evan?”
No answer.
“Claire?”
No answer.
“Lily?”
Martin covered his face.
Tyler leaned both hands on the table.
“And me?”
Martin looked up.
“You paid the price.”
“No.”
Tyler shook his head.
“We all did.”
His phone vibrated.
He checked it.
A message from Diane.
Your father left.
Tyler immediately called.
His mother answered crying.
“What do you mean he left?”
“He packed a bag.”
“Where is he going?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did he say anything?”
“He told me people were trying to destroy him.”
Tyler looked at Martin.
“When did he leave?”
“About twenty minutes ago.”
“Did he take anything?”
A pause.
“Boxes.”
“What boxes?”
“From his office.”
Martin went pale.
“What?”
Tyler covered the phone.
“What?”
Martin stood.
“Richard kept company archives in a private storage facility.”
Elena asked, “Where?”
Martin gave an address on the outskirts of Chicago.
Tyler stared.
“Why would Dad be in Chicago?”
Martin’s face tightened.
“Because that storage facility is here.”
Claire whispered, “The documents.”
Martin nodded.
“If Evan made copies of anything, Richard may believe they’re in that storage unit.”
Elena immediately called police.
Tyler grabbed his coat.
“Where are you going?”
“With them.”
“No,” Elena said.
“He’s my father.”
“That is exactly why you shouldn’t go.”
Tyler looked at me.
I shook my head.
“Elena’s right.”
For once, he didn’t argue.
Police reached the facility before Richard.
They waited.
Forty minutes later, Richard’s SUV appeared.
He was carrying gasoline.
May you like
And an empty metal trash barrel.
Whatever benefit of the doubt Tyler had been desperately holding onto ended right there.
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