Jonah researched storage facilities located within one mile of the church till he found a match. The second facility had Mark’s key matching up with a lockbox located within the back office.
He opened the lockbox and discovered the missing records inside.
On the very last page of the records was the name “Lydia” circled two times in Mark’s writing.
Lydia is my best friend.
She drove Nora to and from appointments when I wasn’t able to take off from work, as well as sat with me at my kitchen table on the anniversaries of the crash, crying with me. Prior to the crash, she worked part-time at Mark’s company doing bookkeeping because of needing extra income after getting divorced.
This was the beginning of a paper trail.
Later on, Jonah still could follow enough of a trail to break down how it all worked. Lydia had access to vendors’ records and payment codes because no one looked at the part-time bookkeeper closely. From a single poor choice, it became numerous poor choices and then ultimately developed into fraudulent activity.
I asked Lydia to come over for coffee.Nora would not leave her bedroom-
“She has also betrayed me,” said Nora. “I have the right to learn about this.”
With that, she proceeded to go to the living room and sit with Scout, while I was left to deal with the consequences of my actions. I carried the duplicate documents and set them upon the kitchen table.
A few moments later, Lydia arrived and, upon seeing the evidence on the table, went into shock.
While she appeared more tired than shocked at first, it was apparent that she had been anticipating that exact document for years.
“Where did you obtain that?” she asked quietly.
“Jonah found it,” said I.
As soon as she sat down, I wanted to know what happened next, but had not yet asked a single thing.
The revelations of her treachery came out piecemeal.
When Mark confronted her on the very day of the accident, he had intended to give her an opportunity to explain before taking it to the authorities. Although she insisted that she had not been responsible for the accident at that time, police later verified that the other motorist involved had no ties to the company. For some reason, the fact that Mark had had dangerous items on board when he crashed made the outcome worse, but Mark’s untimely demise was the result of plain bad luck.
After the accident, Lydia lost her mind and was horrified to learn about Mark’s death. Then, she came to the realization that Jonah might possess certain items regarding her husband that he and others had no business knowing about. In the night, she broke into Jonah’s office, obtained the folder, and then promptly removed it from the building after having searched through it.
“I told myself that I was protecting our son,” she stated. “I also told myself that if one scandal could destroy two families, then it was worth it.”
Nora shouted from the other room, “You let us love you and yet you kept this from us.”
Lydia gazed at her and broke down into even greater tears than before.
Nora shouted again, “Don’t.”
At this point, I said to Lydia, “Now you have to get your purse and leave.”
She stared blankly at me.
“Now. And please do not ever return.”
She complied with my request.
Afterwards, we returned all evidence pertaining to Mark, including recordings, audio tapes, and all notes taken by Jonah.
A month later, Nora listened to Mark’s audio recording again.
Although Mark left us with only a small amount of money, it turned out to be just enough to provide us with a starting point. As such, we established a small scholarship for music students, named in his honor, who were visually impaired.
During the first recital, Nora performed.
Scout lay on the floor beneath the piano.
Jonah quietly occupied the back row of seats, fulfilling the commitment to support his sister many years previously.
I remained seated and listened, and realised that although Mark was no longer here to support us, he did leave behind something: a path to follow.
It was Scout who originally discovered the first step.
It was Nora who would find the second step.
This time, I will not look away.
Often times, the only things that those who have passed away can offer us are truths in the form of honesty.
