Her expression changed.
“I know.”
“Then why?”
She looked directly at me.
“Because I was stupid enough to believe cleverness excused consequences.”
There was no dramatic defense.
No claim she had been innocent.
She admitted that she created shell companies to hide money.
At first, she believed the funds came from gambling and tax evasion.
Then she learned where some of the money truly originated.
Bribery.
Extortion.
C/rime.
By then, she was trapped.
“Why fake your d/e/@/th?” Michael asked.
“I didn’t.”
“Our father told us you were d/e/@/d.”
“He told me both of you were.”
Thomas cursed softly.
Evelyn’s eyes filled.
“Our father wanted us separated.”
“Why?”
“Because he was involved too.”
Michael stared.
“What?”
That final revelation landed harder than all the others.
Their father—Harold Holloway—had introduced Evelyn to Mercer.
He had pressured Thomas to destroy records.
He had convinced Michael that both siblings were dangerous.
