Chapter 6 - The Anatomy of a Conspiracy
As the police dug deeper into Neil's network, they uncovered a rotten core of corruption. It wasn't just Neil; he had help.
Detective Vance returned to our house with a folder of documents. "We arrested Dr. Ronald Croft this morning," he announced. "He was the attending physician who signed off on Grace's 'critical state' at the hospital. It turns out he was on Neil’s payroll. He received a kickback of three hundred thousand dollars from the insurance payout."
"And the funeral director?" I asked.
"Complicit. He took a massive bribe to bypass the standard verification protocols for a closed casket. They filled the coffin with sand bags to match Grace's weight."
My stomach churned at the thought of the funeral. I had wept over a box of dirt, destroying my mental health, while my beautiful girl was being driven across state lines to be locked away.
"We also tracked the money," the detective continued. "Neil used the two million to pay off his gambling debts, but he also bought a property in a small town in Mexico under an alias. We believe he’s heading there. We’ve alerted border control and federal authorities."
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"Find him," I said, my voice cold as ice. "Do not let him escape justice."
"We won't, Helen. I promise you."
