Chapter 13 - THE LAST THREAT
Everything happened at once.
Federal agents shouted.
Rachel pulled me backward.
Vanessa screamed.
Leonard held the gun against my mother's head.
"Drop your weapons!"
He laughed.
"You think I'm going to prison?"
My mother remained strangely calm.
She looked directly at me.
"Penelope."
"Mom."
"Don't do anything foolish."
Leonard pressed the gun closer.
"Give me the trust."
I held it up.
"You want this?"
"Yes."
"Then come get it."
Rachel grabbed my arm.
"No."
But I stepped forward.
Leonard's eyes narrowed.
"You've inherited your father's arrogance."
"No."
I looked at him.
"I inherited his patience."
Then the mansion lights came on.
Every screen in the room activated.
Video footage appeared.
Hattie.
Michael.
Grant.
Leonard.
All of them discussing the plan.
All recorded.
Leonard stared at the screens.
"What is this?"
I smiled.
"The evidence you never knew I had."
He looked at Hattie.
She had secretly cooperated with investigators.
She had been wearing a recording device.
The entire Coleman family had been talking for weeks.
And now their own words were playing across every screen.
Leonard's hand shook.
"Turn it off."
"No."
"Turn it off!"
He fired.
The bullet struck the ceiling.
Federal agents tackled him.
My mother fell to the floor.
I ran to her.
"Mom!"
"I'm okay."
I held her.
She was shaking.
But alive.
Leonard was dragged away.
As he passed me, he whispered:
"You think you've won."
I looked at him.
"I have."
He smiled.
"No."
Then he leaned closer.
"You still don't know what your father hid from you."
Three days later, the federal investigation became national news.
Coleman Development was under investigation.
Multiple shell companies were frozen.
Several officials resigned.
Grant accepted a plea agreement.
Hattie was charged with conspiracy, kidnapping, assault, and fraud.
Michael was charged with multiple offenses.
But because he had provided evidence against Leonard, prosecutors offered him a cooperation agreement.
I refused to speak to him.
Not yet.
There were still questions.
Especially about my father.
Rachel called me into her office.
"We found another file."
I opened it.
It was a letter from my father.
This one was addressed to both Vanessa and me.
My daughters,
I had to hide the truth because telling you would have placed you in danger.
There is one thing I never told your mother.
Leonard wasn't the only person I feared.
I stared at the next sentence.
The Coleman empire was financed by someone outside the family.
Rachel looked at me.
"Who?"
I continued reading.
A private investment group.
Then came a name.
Blackridge Capital.
I had heard of it.
Every major developer had.
It was one of the largest private investment groups in the country.
I looked at Rachel.
"Is this connected?"
She nodded.
"We're investigating."
My phone rang.
An unknown number.
I answered.
A woman's voice said:
"Your father should have burned that letter."
"Who are you?"
"You don't know me."
"Then why are you calling?"
"Because Leonard was only the gatekeeper."
I froze.
"What does that mean?"
"The people who financed him are still operating."
"Who?"
The woman whispered:
"Look at your own company."
The call ended.
I stared at Rachel.
She immediately understood.
"My company?"
May you like
I nodded.
"Someone inside my company is working for Blackridge."
