She took his hand.
“I won't,” he said.
And this time, he understood that keeping the promise would require more than good intentions.
The following morning, Richard drove to Daniel Carter's office on the eastern side of the city.
The building stood between a law firm and an insurance agency, its brick facade weathered but carefully maintained.
Inside, the waiting room smelled faintly of coffee and old paper.
A receptionist greeted him.
Then led him down a short hallway.
Daniel stood beside a desk covered with neatly arranged folders.
He was in his early sixties now, with silver hair, rectangular glasses, and a reserved expression.
Richard remembered him as a tall, confident man who spoke in precise sentences.
Time had changed him.
But his eyes remained the same.
Daniel extended his hand.
“Richard.”
For a moment, Richard hesitated.
Then he shook it.
“Thank you for seeing me.”
Daniel nodded.
“Sit down.”
Richard lowered himself into a chair.
He carried Laura's letter inside a protective sleeve, along with copies of the police report documenting Nicole's assault.
Daniel noticed the sleeve.
“May I?”
Richard handed it over.
The investigator read slowly.
His expression became increasingly somber.
When he finished, he set the letter down.
“Laura told me she intended to write something for you.”
Richard looked up sharply.
“She did?”
Daniel nodded.
“She said if she could put everything in writing, perhaps you would understand that she wasn't trying to embarrass you.”
Richard swallowed.
Daniel continued.
“She loved you, Richard.”
The words struck him.
He lowered his head.
For several seconds, he could not speak.
Then whispered, “I didn't deserve her.”
Daniel considered.
“That's not a question I can answer.”
Richard looked up.
The investigator continued.
“But I can tell you she wanted you to listen.”
Richard nodded slowly.
Then Daniel opened the first folder.
“Let's begin with what we can document.”
He laid out copies of financial records.
Bank transfers.
Invoices.
Company registration documents.
Purchase orders.
And a series of handwritten notes Laura had prepared before her death.
Richard stared at them.
He recognized the project names.
East Millbrook Housing Restoration.
Northside Community Repairs.
Harbor Street Renovation Initiative.
Projects his company had publicly supported.
Projects Laura cared about deeply.
Daniel pointed toward a group of transactions.
“These payments were supposedly made for building materials.”
Richard examined the invoices.
“Westbridge Supply Services.”
“Yes.”
He frowned.
“I remember that vendor.”
“Did you ever meet anyone from the company?”
Richard considered.
“No.”
Daniel nodded.
“Neither did Laura.”
He turned another page.
“Because the address belonged to a mail-handling service, and the business account was controlled through entities connected to Adrian Cole.”
Richard stared.
Daniel continued.
“Nicole Park approved several of the payments using administrative credentials. Others were approved under your account.”