Vincent straightened.
“Who?”
“He says his name is Thomas Hale.”
Vincent looked at Margaret.
“What does he want?”
“He says he knew Emily. He says he has information about Rosie.”
Vincent's expression became still.
“Keep him there. Don't threaten him. Don't touch him. Just keep him talking until I arrive.”
He ended the call.
Margaret gathered her papers.
“I'm coming with you.”
Vincent nodded.
For the first time since the old couple had walked into Harlow's diner, the problem had begun to move beyond the family court.
And whatever Thomas Hale knew, Vincent intended to hear it before another day passed.
Thomas Hale was waiting in the clubhouse office when Vincent arrived.
He was forty-six, clean-shaven, and dressed in a dark wool coat. He looked like an ordinary businessman who had taken a wrong turn on his way to a meeting.
He stood when Vincent entered.
“Mr. Maddox.”
“Sit down.”
Thomas obeyed.
Margaret sat beside Vincent, placing a notebook on the desk.
“You said you knew Emily Harper.”
“I did.”
“How?”
“We dated briefly. Years ago. We remained friends afterward.”
“Why are you here?” Vincent asked.
Thomas looked between them.
“I heard that her parents were trying to regain custody of Rosie. I thought they might need information.”
“What information?”
Thomas folded his hands.
“Emily was worried about her financial situation. She told me she was concerned that her parents wouldn't be able to provide for Rosie if something happened to her.”
Margaret's eyes narrowed.
“When did she tell you that?”
“About a year before she died.”
“Did she ask you to become Rosie's guardian?”
“No.”
“Did she give you legal authority over the child?”
“No.”
“Then what exactly are you offering?”
Thomas hesitated.
“I knew Emily had been looking into life insurance and guardianship arrangements. I helped her contact someone who could explain the options.”
“Do you have documentation?”
“I might.”
Vincent leaned forward.
“You said you had information about Rosie. What is it?”
Thomas looked uncomfortable.
“Emily told me she had made a recording. A message for Rosie, in case she didn't survive the illness.”
Walter had mentioned nothing about such a recording.
Margaret sat straighter.
“Do you know where it is?”
“Not exactly. Emily said she had saved it somewhere online, but she never gave me access.”
“Why didn't you contact the grandparents earlier?”
Thomas looked down.
“Because I didn't know they were having trouble seeing Rosie. I only heard about it recently.”
Vincent studied him.
“Who told you?”
“Someone I know who works in the county system.”
Margaret's expression sharpened.
“Who?”
“I don't want to get anyone into trouble.”
“Mr. Hale, if you have information relevant to a child welfare case, you need to be prepared to identify your sources.”
Thomas hesitated.
Then he gave them a name.
It belonged to a temporary administrative employee who had worked in the department's records office.
Margaret wrote it down.
“Did you have any financial relationship with Emily?”
“No.”
“Did she owe you money?”
“No.”
“Did you ever ask her about insurance benefits?”
Thomas looked startled.
“She mentioned insurance. I asked whether she had made arrangements for Rosie. That's all.”
Margaret watched him carefully.
“Emily's messages suggest she was uncomfortable with your questions.”
Thomas's face fell.
“I didn't know that.”
“You understand why we need to investigate?”
“Yes.”
For the next hour, they discussed the recording.
Thomas explained that Emily had once shown him how to upload files to a private cloud account. She had been afraid that her illness might progress faster than expected and wanted to leave Rosie something personal.
He did not know the password.
He did not know whether the account still existed.
But he remembered the service she had used.
Margaret wrote down the details.
When the interview ended, Vincent walked Thomas to the door.
“Listen to me,” Vincent said quietly. “If you know something that could help that little girl, tell the lawyer. If you don't know something, don't pretend you do. And if you're here because you think you can profit from a family's grief, leave now.”
Thomas met his eyes.
“I don't want anything from them.”
“Good.”
Thomas hesitated.
“Mr. Maddox?”
“What?”
“I know what people think when they see a man like you. But Emily used to say that the people who looked frightening weren't always the ones you needed to fear.”
Vincent's expression did not change.
“Emily sounds like she was a smart woman.”
“She was.”
Thomas left.
Margaret remained in the office, studying her notes.
“If that recording exists, it could help establish Emily's wishes.”
“Can you find it?”
“We can try. Thomas will need to provide a statement, and we'll need to verify the account information.”
Vincent looked toward the clubhouse window.
Outside, the Harpers' Buick was parked beneath a streetlight. A mechanic had repaired the alternator, and Walter planned to collect it the following morning.
For months, the old couple had been living one disappointment at a time.
Now they had a new home, a lawyer, regular visits with Rosie, and evidence that Emily had wanted them to raise her daughter.
It still wasn't enough to guarantee the outcome.
But it was more than they had possessed a week earlier.
Vincent looked back at Margaret.
“Find the recording.”
She nodded.
“I will.”
And somewhere in the digital remains of a woman's life, a message waited to be found.
The recording was discovered three days later.
Margaret's assistant located an old email containing a link to a private storage account. Thomas had remembered the service correctly, but the account required additional verification before its contents could be accessed.