Isabel smiled, the porch light catching the silver in her hair. “He loved the books I put aside for him.”
“If history is any guide,” Frank told her. “He’ll be up with a flashlight under the covers. Sarah used to do the same thing at his age.”
The mention of his daughter’s name hung in the air between them. He hadn’t intended to bring her up so soon, but perhaps it was meant to be. Especially after William had told him about the payments from Sterling Industries to Meridian.
Isabel looked at him. “Is everything all right?”
Frank drew a deep breath, steadying himself. “The FBI’s forensic accountants called William today. They’ve been going through the files seized from Meridian Global.”
Isabel held his hand and he gently squeezed her fingers, letting her know he appreciated her being close.
“They found proof,” Frank continued, his voice rougher than he intended. “Evidence that Sterling Industries hired Meridian to—” He faltered, the words sticking in his throat. “To scare Sarah. To send a message to me through her.”
Isabel’s hand tightened around his. “Oh, Frank.”
“There were emails, financial transfers, everything clearly documented.” Frank stared out at the darkened yard, unable to meet Isabel’s eyes. “They were supposed to tamper with her car—make the brakes fail just enough to frighten her but not enough to cause a serious accident. They miscalculated.”
The swing creaked softly as they rocked back and forth, the sound filling the painful silence that followed his words.
“Sarah and Tony were never supposed to die,” Frank said finally, the admission tearing something loose inside him. “It was meant to make me back down. But they didn’t stand a chance with the road conditions and the speed they were traveling.” His voice broke, and he swallowed hard against the tightness in his throat.
“It wasn’t your fault,” Isabel said immediately, her voice gentle but firm.
Frank shook his head, finally turning to look at her. “But it was, Isabel. If I’d ignored the issues with the contracts, Sarah and Tony would be alive. Tommy would still have his parents.”
Isabel shifted closer to him on the swing. “The only people responsible are Sterling Industries and the people who carried out their orders. You were doing what was right—what was necessary.”
“Was it?” Frank asked. The same question had haunted him for two years. “I keep thinking about the cost. Why would you do the right thing if it costs you everything you care about?”
Isabel was quiet for a moment, considering his words. When she spoke, her voice was thoughtful. “James used to say the same thing after tough cases. He’d wonder if the price of doing the right thing was too high.”
“What did you tell him?” Frank asked, genuinely curious about her answer.
“I told him the price ofnotdoing the right thing is higher.” Isabel’s hand tightened on his. “It might not feel that way at the moment, but allowing corruption to continue unchecked—that has costs, too. Costs that ripple outward and affect countless others.”
Frank let her words sink in. “Sarah would have said something similar,” he admitted. “She had a strong sense of justice. She got that from her mother.”
“And from you,” Isabel added softly.
“I don’t know how to tell Tommy,” Frank said after a moment. “How do I explain that his parents died because of my work? That my choices cost him everything?”
Isabel rubbed the top of his hand. “Do you think Tommy would want Sterling Industries to get away with what they did? To continue putting lives at risk with compromised technology?”
“No, of course not,” Frank said. “But he’s just a child. He won’t understand what was happening. All he’ll know is that his mom and dad aren’t here.”
“He won’t understand at themoment,” Isabel said. “But Tommy already knows that you’re fighting against people who did wrong things. That’s why he’s been so brave through all of this. Like Sarah, he believes in doing what’s right.”
Frank’s throat tightened with emotion. “He’s so much like her sometimes it takes my breath away.”
“Sarah would be proud of him,” Isabel said. “And of you, for seeing this through. For making sure Sterling and Meridian face the consequences for what they’ve done.”
The simple statement struck Frank with unexpected force. He’d been so consumed with guilt, with the belief that his pursuit of justice had cost Sarah her life, that he’d never considered how she might view what he’d done. Would she blame him like he blamed himself? Or would she be proud of his determination to hold the people responsible to account?
“The arrests won’t bring them back,” Frank said, his voice rough with unshed tears.
“No,” Isabel agreed quietly. “Nothing can do that. But justice matters, Frank. It matters to those who might have been future victims. It matters to Tommy, who needs to see that the world makes sense and that actions have consequences. And I think it would have mattered to Sarah and Tony.”
Frank closed his eyes, letting Isabel’s words wash over him. In the two years since losing Sarah and Tony, he’d carried his grief and guilt like stones in his pockets, weighing him down and keeping him from moving forward.
