Chapter 5 - The Groundskeeper's Second Secret
June did not run.
When Daniel arrived at her modest row house, she opened the door before he knocked. A small artificial tree glowed in the window. Two children were asleep on the sofa beneath a blanket.
"I knew you'd come," she said.
"Where's the star?"
"In my kitchen."
"Why did you take it?"
"Because the man who put it there was waiting to steal it."
Daniel stared at her.
June explained that she had worked at Greenridge Cemetery for eight years. Arthur Vale had been her uncle. When Evelyn began asking about the old warehouse, June helped her search the cemetery records.
"She asked me to watch the chapel after the funeral."
"You knew Celeste would bring Rosie there?"
"No. I knew someone wanted the star. I never imagined she'd hurt the child."
June placed the wooden star on the table. One point had been repaired with silver tape. Inside was a narrow compartment containing a small brass key and a memory card.
Daniel did not touch the card until Lydia arrived. They documented its condition and made a copy.
The footage showed a conversation in Evelyn's apartment. Gordon Pike stood beside Celeste.
Gordon said, "If she gets the pension files to Daniel, we lose everything."
Celeste answered, "Then make sure she doesn't."
The recording ended.
Daniel's jaw tightened. "Is this why Evelyn died?"
June looked at him sadly. "I don't know. But she knew they were afraid."
A second file contained Evelyn's voice.
Daniel, if you're hearing this, I need you to understand that Rosie is not the keeper of some fortune. She's a child. They think I hid the documents in her toys. I let them think that so they'd stop searching the people who helped me. Please don't turn her into another piece of evidence. Just be her father.
Daniel covered his eyes.
He had spent two days chasing keys while his daughter learned to sleep without fear. Evelyn had known he might make that mistake.
June poured coffee.
"She wanted you to find the records, but not at Rosie's expense."
"Where are the actual files?"
"That's what the brass key is for."
It opened a deposit box at a community bank where Arthur had maintained an account. Lydia arranged access through the proper estate procedures. Inside were original transfer records, a list of employees whose retirement funds had been diverted, and a letter from Arthur to Daniel.
Your father offered me money to keep quiet. I refused. If you are reading this, you can choose whether to be the man he was or the man I hoped you might become.
Daniel read the letter in silence.
At home, Rosie was making paper snowflakes. She had drawn three figures beneath a tree: herself, Evelyn, and Daniel.
"Can I put Mommy in the window?" she asked.
"Of course."
"So she can see Christmas."
Daniel sat beside her and helped tape the picture in place.
His phone rang. Gordon.
"Daniel, we need to talk before you do something irreversible."
Daniel glanced at Rosie. "You can speak to my attorney."
"You don't understand. Celeste has been lying to both of us."
"Then tell the police."
Gordon lowered his voice.
"Ask the doctor who signed Evelyn's death certificate why the medication list changed."
The call ended.
Daniel contacted Lydia, who arranged for investigators to obtain the relevant medical records. There was an inconsistency in the timeline of one medication order. It did not establish how Evelyn died, but it raised questions that demanded an independent review.
The next morning, Gordon's office was empty.
His assistant said he had left for a family Christmas retreat.
His company laptop was missing.
So were several archive boxes.
And in Daniel's mailbox sat an unsigned holiday card.
On its front was a smiling snowman.
Inside, in block letters:
May you like
YOU FOUND THE STAR. NOW ASK WHO TAUGHT CELESTE ABOUT THE CAGE.
The pension documents contained dozens of names, each followed by a number that had once represented a retirement. Daniel insisted on reading them individually. He found a handwritten note Evelyn had added beside one widow's name: Her husband built the first loading ramp. She still keeps his work gloves. Daniel remembered his father praising that ramp at a company anniversary dinner, never mentioning the man who built it. He asked Lydia to contact an independent forensic accountant and a workers' representative, rather than allowing his own executives to investigate themselves. Lydia warned that releasing preliminary findings could prejudice the inquiry. Daniel agreed to follow the process but insisted the affected workers receive a clear explanation instead of another vague corporate statement. He drafted a letter and deleted three versions before he found words that did not sound like public relations. In the final version, he admitted that records had raised serious concerns and promised independent review without claiming conclusions not yet established. Rosie found him at the desk and asked why he looked sad. He said people had been treated unfairly. She offered him the last marshmallow from her cocoa. He accepted it. Then she asked if unfair things could be fixed. He said some could, some could only be acknowledged, and some required people to keep working long after everyone else stopped paying attention. Rosie thought about this and told him to keep working.
