Chapter 18 - THE WOMAN WHO LIT THE MATCH
Caroline Pierce was dying in a private hospice under another name. Nathan had concealed her location from subpoenas.
Victoria and Elena obtained a court-authorized deposition. Caroline’s memory was clear.
William ordered her to retrieve Rebecca’s ledger from the guesthouse in 1996. Molly Reed was already inside, trying to protect Emily. Caroline used a lantern because the electricity had been cut.
William arrived and struggled with Molly over the metal box. The lantern fell. Flames spread across solvent stored for renovations.
“He left Molly,” Caroline whispered. “He carried the ledger outside and told me the building was empty.”
Rebecca rescued Emily through a rear window but could not reach Molly. She used the tragedy to fake Emily’s death before William realized his daughter had witnessed him abandoning a child.
Caroline helped create the ribbon keys from a prototype data wire. One ribbon went with Emily. Rebecca kept Victoria’s half until she believed her older daughter could face the truth.
“Did Nathan know?” Elena asked.
Caroline closed her eyes. “I told him when William died.”
Nathan had known about Molly, Emily, and the archive for eight years. He joined the foundation board to find the second ribbon and erase evidence linking his mother to the fire and William to the placements.
His motive included love, shame, inheritance, and fear. None excused the present cover-up.
Caroline signed the deposition. Hours later, Nathan’s attorneys challenged her capacity and claimed Victoria coerced a dying woman.
Then the hospice server containing the recorded video suffered a targeted deletion.
Only the court reporter’s audio survived.
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On it, after the lawyers left, Caroline could be heard warning Victoria:
“Nathan knows the boy is coming to the luncheon. He needs the ribbon more than he needs you alive.”
