Chapter 7 - The Inheritance
By noon, the estate was entirely cleared of the Vances. Julian and Victoria had been hauled away in separate transport vans, their designer clothes and hollow threats disappearing down the long, muddy drive.
The federal marshals remained behind to catalog the contents of the house, while a team of forensic accountants from the Sterling Trust took possession of the corporate archives in the basement library.
I stood in the center of the grand salon, holding the small white ceramic urn in my arms. The room was cold, the central heating having been automatically shut off pending the receivership inventory.
Ximena stood near the French doors, her coat clutched tightly around her, looking out over the gray expanse of Lake Michigan. She hadn't been arrested; under the federal witness cooperation guidelines, her prompt digital handoff of the encrypted server logs qualified her as an active whistleblower.
“What happens to me now?” Ximena asked without turning around.
“You catch a flight to Denver,” I said, not looking at her. “There’s a law firm there representing my father’s old foundation. They need someone who knows how to trace corporate slush funds and isn't afraid of looking at bad ledgers. Your salary will be triple what Julian paid you, but you’ll work twice as hard.”
Ximena turned her head slowly, her dark eyes searching my face. “Why? I helped them isolate you. I signed off on the medical rejections for Hazel.”
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“You signed off on what Julian put in front of you because you were terrified of losing your job,” I said, setting the urn gently on the edge of the marble fireplace mantel. “I know what it’s like to be terrified of losing your place in this house, Ximena. But from now on, you work for the St. Jude-Sterling Foundation. You’ll spend the rest of your career funding pediatric cardiology research. Call it penance.”
Ximena swallowed hard, her lower lip trembling slightly. She didn't offer a corporate platitude or a polite thank-you. She simply gave a single, firm nod of her head, turned toward the double doors, and walked out of the house for the last time.
