Chapter 18 - The main truth
By Chapter 18 of my life, if lives had chapters, the story finally stopped looking like one giant mystery and became several smaller crimes connected by fear.
Richard had approved questionable vendor payments.
Natalie discovered falsified invoices and suspected Richard was receiving money indirectly.
She threatened to expose Northcross.
Richard panicked.
He and Northcross’s owner, Graham Voss, arranged to confront her.
The confrontation became unlawful confinement.
Natalie was brought to the Hale basement for what Richard later called “one night until she calmed down.”
She did not calm down.
She threatened police.
Richard kept her longer.
Emily discovered evidence.
Then Richard faced two people who could expose him.
Natalie.
His wife.
The fake break-in was meant to remove Emily’s copied files.
It failed.
Emily kept investigating.
Richard began telling family she was unstable.
By the time Emily confronted him with what she knew, Richard had already crossed lines he could not explain.
So he locked her downstairs too.
Not because he had spent years planning to kill his wife.
Because each previous crime made the next act feel, to him, like the only way to delay consequences.
Natalie was moved first.
Emily later.
The car crash and empty coffin were meant to end the search for Emily entirely.
That was the main truth.
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Still missing:
Where either woman was now.
