Chapter 8: The Promise Jace Never Wanted to Break
Emily didn't sleep.
She sat at the kitchen table until sunrise, staring at the messages on her phone.
Jace had gone quiet after telling her about the accident.
He hadn't explained anything else.
And that silence hurt more than the words.
At seven in the morning, she found him outside, tightening a bolt on his motorcycle.
“Are you going to tell me what happened?””
Jace looked up.
“Good morning.””
“Jace.””
He put down his wrench.
“Come sit.””
Emily remained standing.
“No. I want the truth.””
Jace wiped his hands on a cloth.
“Your mother was driving home from a medical appointment twelve years ago. Daniel was supposed to meet her at the hospital.””
Emily nodded slowly.
“He didn't come?””
“He came late. They argued in the parking lot.””
“About what?””
“Money. The business. The trust.””
Jace looked away.
“Your mother got into her car. Daniel followed her.””
Emily's stomach tightened.
“What happened?””
“There was a crash.””
Jace's voice was barely audible.
“Your mother's car was hit at an intersection. She suffered several injuries.””
Emily covered her mouth.
“Was Dad driving?””
“Yes.””
“Was he drunk?””
Jace shook his head.
“Not according to the police report. But he was driving too fast, and he left the scene before the ambulance arrived.””
Emily stared at him.
“He left her?””
Jace nodded.
“I was two cars behind them. I saw the collision. I called emergency services and stayed with Rachel until the paramedics arrived.””
“Why didn't Dad?””
“Because he panicked.””
Emily sat down heavily.
“Did Mom know?””
“She did.””
“Then why didn't she tell me?””
“Because she didn't want you growing up afraid of your father.””
Emily's eyes filled.
“What happened to him?””
“He was questioned. He claimed he'd been driving somewhere else. But there were witnesses.””
“Was he arrested?””
“No. There wasn't enough evidence to prove everything. Rachel eventually decided not to pursue a criminal case.””
Emily shook her head.
“She protected him again.””
Jace nodded.
“She wanted you to have a chance to grow up without carrying his mistakes.””
Emily wiped her cheeks.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because I promised her I wouldn't use the accident to turn you against him.””
Emily looked at him.
“You think telling me the truth would have turned me against him?””
Jace didn't answer.
She stood.
“You all keep making decisions about what I can handle. Mom. You.
Richard. Everybody.””
Her voice broke.
“I've spent my whole life thinking I wasn't worth showing up for. And now I find out there were people who knew the truth but decided I shouldn't hear it.””
Jace looked genuinely wounded.
“I'm sorry.””
Emily shook her head.
“I don't want another apology.””
She walked inside.
At ten, Margaret arrived with a forensic document examiner.
The examiner, a woman named Laura Bennett, placed several documents on the kitchen table.
She introduced herself and explained that she had been asked to examine the disputed signature.
Emily watched as Laura compared the transfer agreement with old school forms.
After nearly an hour, Laura looked up.
“The signature on the transfer document was not written by Emily Carter.””
Emily released a breath.
“I knew it.””
Laura continued.
“It appears to have been mechanically reproduced from another document.””
Margaret frowned.
“Can you determine which one?””
Laura pointed to an old enrollment form.
“This signature is almost identical.””
Emily leaned closer.
It was her name, written in childish handwriting when she was six.
Someone had copied it.
Margaret looked toward Jace.
“That's enough to challenge the transfer.””
Emily looked at the attorney.
“Can we get the foundation back?””
Margaret nodded.
“Potentially. But I want to examine the financial records before making any promises.””
She opened another folder.
“There's something else.””
She placed a bank statement on the table.
The foundation's account had received several deposits over the previous three years.
Emily frowned.
“Who put money into it?””
Margaret studied the transactions.
“Small monthly payments. All from the same source.””
“Who?””
Margaret turned the paper.
The name was unfamiliar.
*MILLER COMMUNITY SERVICES.*
Emily looked at Jace.
“Your organization?””
He nodded.
“How much?””
Margaret calculated the total.
“Just over thirty thousand dollars.””
Emily stared.
“Why?””
Jace shrugged.
“Your mother helped us when we were struggling. We wanted to keep her work alive.””
“You've been paying into my foundation?””
“Not yours. Rachel's.””
Emily shook her head.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because you didn't owe us anything.””
Hank entered carrying a box of old photographs.
He heard the last part.
“Jace has been putting money into that account since Rachel died.””
Emily looked at him.
“All this time?””
Hank nodded.
“Every month.””
Emily turned toward Jace.
“You've been helping me for four years?””
He shrugged.
“Your mother helped us for longer.””
Denise entered behind Hank.
“And before you start arguing, yes, we all contributed.””
Emily looked at the box.
“What are those?””
“Pictures from the old workshop,” Denise replied.
She opened it.
Inside were photographs of children repairing bicycles, painting flowerpots, and sitting around long tables with books.
In one picture, Rachel stood in the middle of a group of teenagers.
She was holding a little Emily on her hip.
Emily touched the photograph.
“That's Mom.””
Denise smiled.
“She used to say every child deserved one adult who believed in them.””
Emily looked up.
“Did she say that often?””
“Every day.””
Margaret spent the afternoon examining the foundation's remaining records.
By four o'clock, she had discovered that the original account still existed.
But a substantial portion of the money had been moved into a separate investment account.
The account was held by a company called Lawson Development Group.
Richard's company.
Emily stared at the paperwork.
“Richard took the money?””
Margaret nodded.
“Some of it was transferred without the foundation's authorization.””
Jace's face hardened.
“How much?””
“Approximately seventy-five thousand dollars.””
Hank cursed under his breath.
Emily looked toward the window.
“Why would Richard do that?””
Margaret closed the folder.
“I don't know yet.””
Then her phone rang.
She listened for several seconds.
Her expression changed.
“What do you mean the account was closed?””
She stood.
“Who authorized the withdrawal?””
A pause.
Then she said, “Send me the transaction details immediately.””
She ended the call.
Everyone looked at her.
“What happened?”” Emily asked.
Margaret took a breath.
“The Lawson Development account was closed this morning.””
Jace stood.
“By Richard?””
Margaret nodded.
“And the money was transferred into a new account.””
Emily felt sick.
“Can he do that?””
“Not legally, if the funds belong to the foundation.””
“Then where did the money go?””
Margaret looked at the statement.
“To an account registered under a company called Carter Holdings.””
The room fell silent.
Daniel's company.
Emily stared at the page.
“Dad?””
Margaret nodded.
“It appears Richard transferred the money to him.””
Jace reached for his phone.
“I'm calling the police.””
Margaret raised a hand.
“Wait. We need the complete transaction records.””
“Why?””
“Because if we accuse them without understanding the transfer, they could claim it was repayment of a legitimate debt.””
Emily looked at the document.
“Was there a debt?””
Margaret shook her head.
“Not one I can find.””
Then Emily noticed something.
A small handwritten reference appeared beside the transaction.
*Project 18-B.*
She looked at Margaret.
“What is that?””
The attorney frowned.
“I don't know.””
Emily turned toward Jace.
“Have you ever heard of Project 18-B?””
He stared at the page.
Then his face went pale.
“Yes.””
“What is it?””
Jace slowly sat down.
“It's the original name of Rachel's Place.””
Emily blinked.
“Why would Dad transfer money using that name?””
Jace looked toward Hank.
Hank's expression had changed.
“Because,” he said quietly, “Project 18-B wasn't just a community workshop.””
Emily's stomach tightened.
“What else was it?””
Jace took a long breath.
“Your mother used it to hide something from Daniel.””
Margaret looked at him sharply.
“What?””
Jace nodded toward the old photographs.
“Rachel discovered that someone had been using the foundation to move money between several businesses.””
Emily looked confused.
“Who?””
Jace didn't answer.
Instead, he reached into the old photograph box and pulled out a picture of Rachel standing beside three men.
One was Richard.
One was Daniel.
The third was a man Emily had never seen before.
Jace tapped the photograph.
“That man was the original accountant.””
“Where is he now?””
Jace looked at the back of the photograph.
A name was written there.
*THOMAS REED.*
“Dead,” Jace said.
Emily's breath caught.
“How?””
Jace turned the photograph over again.
“His car went off a bridge six months after your mother died.””
Margaret slowly closed her folder.
“That's not a coincidence we should ignore.””
Before anyone could respond, the front doorbell rang.
Hank walked toward it.
He opened the door.
A police officer stood outside.
“Is Emily Carter here?””
Emily stepped into the hallway.
“I'm Emily.””
The officer removed his hat.
“I'm Officer Daniels. I'm afraid I need to ask you a few questions.””
“About what?””
He glanced at the paperwork in his hand.
“Your father has filed a complaint alleging that your mother forged several financial documents before her death.””
Emily felt the blood drain from her face.
“What?””
The officer continued.
“He's also claiming that the bikers have been manipulating you to gain control of the foundation.””
Jace stepped forward.
“That's ridiculous.””
The officer raised a hand.
“I'm not here to make accusations. I'm here because the complaint includes some serious allegations.””
Emily looked at Margaret.
The attorney's expression was unreadable.
Then the officer added:
“There's one more thing.””
He looked directly at Emily.
“Your father has requested an emergency court order to freeze the foundation's assets.””
Emily's hands began shaking.
“What happens if he gets it?””
Margaret answered before the officer could.
“He could prevent you from reopening Rachel's Place.””
Emily looked toward the workshop outside.
The old sign moved gently in the afternoon wind.
Her mother's dream.
Her mother's promise.
Everything she had just discovered.
And now Daniel was trying to take it away again.
But the officer wasn't finished.
He handed Margaret a sealed envelope.
“Your father also submitted a witness statement.””
Margaret opened it.
She read the first paragraph.
Then her expression changed.
“Emily,” she whispered.
“What?””
The attorney looked up.
“The witness claims your mother was not the person who created the foundation.””
Emily frowned.
“Who does he say created it?””
Margaret slowly turned the page.
May you like
And there, written beneath the witness's signature, was the name of the person who had been helping Daniel all along.
*Richard Lawson.*
