Chapter 7 - Anna's First Secret)
Anna had been twenty-nine when she first met Laura Harper.
She was working nights for a private nursing agency, taking shifts wherever they were available. Laura had requested her by name after two visits.
"Why?" Grant asked.
"I didn't know then."
They sat in Laura's old office with the hidden notebook between them.
Anna twisted her hands.
"She asked strange questions. Whether the agency kept copies of shift logs. Whether nurses could be forced to change notes. Whether I had ever seen someone look sedated without being prescribed sedation."
Grant went still.
"You think someone drugged Laura too."
"I don't know."
"Don't protect me from it."
Anna looked at him.
"I saw her confused twice. Both times after Charles visited."
Grant's mouth went dry.
"What happened?"
"She would be alert before. Talking normally. Then an hour later she couldn't keep her eyes open. She slurred words. Her cancer medication could do that, so I didn't think enough of it."
"But later?"
"Later she asked me whether I'd seen anyone near her water."
Grant stared at the notebook.
"Did you?"
"Once."
"Who?"
Anna hesitated.
"Camille."
Grant stood.
"Camille was in this house while Laura was alive?"
"Once that I saw."
He turned on her.
"You told me they met through Bellweather."
"They did."
"You never said Camille came here."
"I thought you knew after you married her."
"Why would I know?"
"Because she said you did."
Grant laughed bitterly.
"Of course she did."
Anna continued.
"It was late. Mrs. Laura was sleeping upstairs. I went to the kitchen. Camille was standing by the sink."
"Doing what?"
"She said she was dropping off paperwork."
"At night?"
"Yes."
"Was Charles here?"
Anna nodded.
Grant walked away.
He felt as if his marriage had been constructed inside someone else's plan.
"Did Laura know?"
"She woke up while they were downstairs. She asked me who was there. When I told her, she got out of bed even though she was weak. She told them to leave."
"What did Camille say?"
Anna's face tightened.
"She smiled."
Grant looked at her.
"Smiled?"
"Like she knew something Mrs. Laura didn't."
The next morning, police interviewed Anna again.
This time, she told them everything.
She also remembered a storage box Laura had sent away through the nursing agency's courier service. Anna did not know where it went. She only knew Laura insisted it not remain at the villa.
Detective Torres began tracing the courier record.
Meanwhile, prosecutors moved fast.
Camille was arrested at 9:35 a.m. on preliminary charges related to child endangerment, assault, and unlawful administration of medication. She was taken into custody from a hotel suite where she had spent the night with her attorney.
News vans appeared outside the Harper gates before noon.
Grant had not released a statement.
Someone else had.
The first headline described Camille as "a devoted stepmother caught in a bitter inheritance dispute."
The second said sources close to Camille alleged Mia had "a documented history of emotional instability."
Grant read the headline once and threw the phone across the room.
"They're using the fake records."
Evelyn picked up the phone.
"They were prepared for this."
Grant looked at Mia.
She was at a protected pediatric residence for the day while authorities evaluated where she should stay during the investigation.
Mia had seen the headline.
"Am I crazy?"
Grant knelt in front of her.
"No."
"But it says—"
"It says someone told a reporter a lie."
"Why?"
"Because the truth is hurting them."
Mia looked down.
"Will people believe it?"
"Some might."
"Did you?"
The question landed harder than any accusation.
Grant answered carefully.
"I believed explanations I should have questioned."
"That's yes."
He did not defend himself.
"Sometimes, yes."
Mia's eyes filled.
Grant took her hands.
"I can't undo that. But I can make sure I never do it again."
She pulled one hand free.
Not angrily.
Just not ready.
Grant accepted it.
That afternoon, Camille appeared before a judge.
Her attorney argued she was not a flight risk. Prosecutors presented the audio recordings and toxicology. The judge ordered no contact with Mia and set substantial bail with electronic monitoring.
Grant sat in the courtroom.
Camille looked at him only once.
She mouthed three words.
You don't understand.
Afterward, Meredith Sloan approached Grant in the corridor.
"I'm not discussing the case," Grant said.
"I'm not here to."
"Then why are you here?"
Meredith glanced at the officers nearby.
"Your wife asked me to give you a message."
"I don't want one."
"You should hear it."
Grant started walking.
Meredith spoke anyway.
"She says Laura made a deal."
Grant stopped.
Slowly, he turned.
"What deal?"
Meredith's expression remained professional.
"I don't know."
"Then don't carry threats you don't understand."
"It's not a threat."
"What is it?"
"She says if you continue digging into Laura's trust, you will find something about Laura you cannot forgive."
Grant stared at her.
"Camille abused my daughter. There is nothing she can say about Laura that changes that."
Meredith nodded.
"I agree those are separate issues."
That answer surprised him.
Meredith stepped closer and lowered her voice.
"Mr. Harper, I was retained yesterday. I do not know what happened in this family. But I know my client is frightened of something that is not jail."
"What?"
"She asked whether federal agents had contacted you."
Grant's pulse changed.
"No."
Meredith studied him.
"Then perhaps they will."
She walked away.
Two hours later, Detective Torres called.
"We found the courier record."
Grant stood.
"Where did Laura send the box?"
"To a bank."
"Safe deposit?"
"Yes."
"Which bank?"
"First Commonwealth downtown."
"Do we have access?"
"We have a warrant request underway."
Grant closed his eyes.
Finally.
Then Torres added, "There's a complication."
"What?"
"The box was accessed four days ago."
Grant froze.
"By whom?"
"According to the bank, Laura Harper."
Grant said nothing.
May you like
Torres continued.
"Mr. Harper, the signature card says your wife has been dead for four years."
