“I realized too late.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because every time I tried, he knew.”
“How?”
She looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw genuine fear.
“He told me he had copies of documents.”
“What documents?”
“Your grandmother’s letters.”
I froze.
“What letters?”
My mother swallowed.
“The ones she wrote after she discovered what Garrett was doing.”
My mind raced.
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know.”
“Mom.”
“I don’t know!”
Her voice broke.
“He took them.”
The room became silent.
Then she whispered:
“But that wasn’t the worst thing.”
I waited.
“What was?”
My mother looked toward the door.
Then back at me.
“Your grandmother was not the first person who discovered Garrett’s plans.”
“What do you mean?”
“She had help.”
“From who?”
My mother’s eyes filled with tears.
“From someone inside Andrews Development.”
“Who?”
She hesitated.
Then said:
