Chapter 9 - The Christmas Morning
The precinct was quiet as the morning sun broke over the snowy Pennsylvania landscape. Nathaniel sat in the precinct captain's office, sipping a stale cup of coffee. His cuffs had been removed hours ago.
The door opened, and the captain walked in, looking exhausted. "You were right, Mr. Whitmore. Vance was packing a suitcase when my men kicked his door down. The flash drive corroborated everything. He confessed to the embezzlement when we showed him the bank routes, but he’s calling the scaffolding collapse an 'accident.' The DA is confident we can get him for manslaughter."
Nathaniel nodded, standing up. "And the Evans family?"
"They're waiting in the lobby."
When Nathaniel walked out, Sarah jumped up from the plastic waiting room chair. She looked exhausted, but for the first time since Nathaniel saw her in the diner, the heavy, suffocating shadow of fear was gone from her eyes.
"It's over," Nathaniel told her softly. "Richard is in custody. Your husband's name will be cleared publicly tomorrow morning. And the money that was stolen from you is already being wired into a secure trust."
Sarah covered her face, letting out a sob of pure relief. She stepped forward and threw her arms around Nathaniel, hugging him tightly.
Nathaniel hugged her back, feeling a warmth in his chest that had been absent since Caroline died. He looked down and saw Lily tugging at his pant leg.
"Mr. Boss?" Lily asked, holding up a new piece of paper. The precinct desk sergeant had given her some crayons.
"You can just call me Nathaniel, Lily."
"I made this for you."
It was a drawing of a large house, surrounded by snow. In front of it stood a tall man, a woman, and a little girl in a pink coat. Above the house, a man with angel wings and a silver pocket watch was smiling down at them.
"It's beautiful," Nathaniel choked out, wiping a tear from his eye. "Lily, how would you and your mom like to come stay at that big house for a while? Just until you find a place you love. I have far too many empty rooms, and I could use some help decorating the tree today."
May you like
Sarah smiled, wiping her own tears. "We would love that, Nathaniel."
That afternoon, the massive Whitmore estate was filled with the sounds of a classic holiday movie and the smell of roasting turkey. As Nathaniel watched Lily hang her drawing on his pristine refrigerator, he realized the house didn't feel so enormous or silent anymore. For the first time in years, he was exactly where he was supposed to be.
