Chapter 9 - The Ledger of the Living
Six months later, the spring of 2027 brought a brilliant, white-petaled explosion to the Rhinebeck orchards. The air was warm, filled with the scent of blossoming apple trees and the rhythmic, steady thrum of the river barges moving north toward Albany.
Logan sat on the wide front porch of the fieldstone house, a cup of black coffee between his hands. He wore a simple gray cashmere sweater, his dark hair slightly longer now, his face carrying a softness that had completely transformed the cold, aristocratic lines of his youth.
Marcus stood near the porch steps, a single document in his hand. He didn't look like a security chief anymore; he looked like a senior corporate executive who had spent the winter working on real estate acquisitions.
"The final audit of the Marchetti Estate is complete, Logan," Marcus said, setting the paper down on the low wicker table. "The trust funds for Nova and Luna have been legally established under the Hayes-Marchetti Foundation. They’ll inherit the Rhinebeck property and the commercial real estate holdings on their twenty-first birthdays. The family name is officially out of the federal intelligence database as of noon today."
Logan took a slow sip of his coffee, his eyes tracking the two girls who were currently busy constructing a massive fort out of old apple crates near the barn. "And Vincent?"
"He died in his sleep at the medical unit two days ago," Marcus said flatly. "No family members claimed the body. I had him buried in a private plot upstate, away from your father and mother. The ledger is clean, Logan. There are no more debts to collect."
Before Logan could answer, Luna ran up the porch steps, her face bright with a summer tan, her hands holding a small, blue velvet box.
"Uncle Logan!" she gasped, her gray-green eyes wide with excitement. "Look what Nova found in the old desk in the library! It has Mommy’s name on it!"
Logan took the box, his fingers tracing the worn velvet before he pressed the small brass latch.
Inside lay a heavy silver key and a folded scrap of paper written in Elena’s handwriting from her first year in Rosewood.
Logan,
May you like
The key belongs to the old upright piano in the living room at Greystone. I hid our mother’s silver rosary inside the soundboard before I left. I knew you’d find it eventually. Teach the girls how to play the old songs, Logan. Tell them their mother loved the river because it always found its way home.
Logan closed the box, a deep, peaceful smile breaking across his face as he looked down at his niece. "Come on, Luna. Let’s go get your sister. We’re going to take a drive up to Greystone."
