Chapter 8 - The Voice from the Past
The sound of Andrew’s voice filled the small, dusty shed, clear and resonant despite the unmistakable raspy rattle of his failing lungs.
"Patrick," Andrew’s voice said through the speaker. "I know about the Savannah manifests. I know you’re planning on using my digital certificate to clear the shipment on Friday."
A long pause followed, filled with the crackle of static, before Patrick’s booming, arrogant tone cut through. "You’ll do exactly what I tell you to do, Andrew. You’re my son. You belong to this family, and everything you have belongs to me. If you think you can use your little sickness to get out of your responsibilities, you’re mistaken. You sign those routing releases, or I will cut your wife and those six bastards off before your body is even cold in the ground. I’ll make sure they don't even have enough money to buy a headstone for you."
"They aren't bastards, Patrick," Andrew’s voice replied, quiet, weak, but filled with an unbreakable steel. "They are my children. And Cynthia is my wife."
"She’s a girl from the mud, Andrew!" Patrick roared, the sound of a fist slamming against a wooden table echoing through the recording. "She doesn't have our blood. The moment you’re gone, she’s out. I’ll change the locks myself. Now sign the damn papers."
"I’ve already signed the papers, Father," Andrew said softly. "But not the ones you wanted."
The recording cut out with a sharp click.
I sat on the dirt floor of the shed, my face buried in my hands as the tears finally came—not tears of grief, but tears of a profound, overwhelming gratitude. Andrew hadn't just built a firewall around us; he had laid the ultimate trap for the man who had spent a lifetime treating his own son like a piece of corporate property.
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"We have him, Mom," Benjamin said, kneeling down beside me and putting his arm around my shoulders. "We have everything."
"Yes, we do, Ben," I said, wiping my eyes and standing up, the leather journal clutched tightly against my chest. "Let’s get back to the city. We have a board meeting to attend."
