Chapter 9 - Waking in the Light
The smell of surgical antiseptic and the rhythmic *beep... beep... beep* of a telemetry monitor greeted me when I finally opened my eyes.
The ceiling was tiled in clean, sterile hospital squares. Warm sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating a bouquet of yellow freesia on the bedside table—my mother's favorite flowers.
"Take it slow, Emily," a gentle voice said.
I turned my head carefully. A middle-aged woman in a sharp gray suit sat in the bedside armchair. She had kind eyes, silver-streaked hair, and a heavy leather briefcase resting against her knees.
"I’m Special Agent Sarah Vance, Alaska Bureau of Investigation," she said, offering a faint, reassuring smile. "And before you ask, your father’s bail was denied at his arraignment this morning. Attempted murder, felony assault in the first degree, and witness tampering."
I swallowed, the dry tube in my throat making every word scrape. "And... Denise?"
"Accomplice to tampering and obstruction. She tried to delete the stream recordings from Lily’s cloud backup before the warrant was executed. The tech team caught it in real-time." Agent Vance leaned forward, placing a thick manila folder on the edge of the blanket. "Your father's attorney tried to claim the house was in his name and you were trespassing. But we searched his home office with a warrant yesterday."
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"My mother's trust..." I whispered.
"Your mother left the entire estate, including the mountain property and the timber royalties, solely to you in a revocable trust that your father forged documents to control," Agent Vance stated clearly. "He didn't just throw you out that window because he was angry, Emily. He threw you out because your lawyer in Seattle had filed an inquiry into your mother's estate three days ago. He was about to be exposed for embezzling four million dollars."
