CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Grace spent the next morning searching through her old belongings.
Aisha joined her, helping open boxes she hadn't touched since Samuel's death.
"I remember him bringing something home in a brown package," Grace said. "He told me it was important, but he never explained what was inside."
"Where did he keep it?"
"In his study. There was a locked drawer beneath his desk."
Aisha looked at Daniel, who had arrived to help them search.
"Did you find anything like that when we looked through his things?"
Daniel shook his head.
"Not yet."
They returned to Grace's sister's house, where Samuel's old desk had been stored. After removing the drawers, Daniel discovered a narrow compartment hidden behind the back panel.
Inside was a small envelope.
Aisha opened it carefully.
There was a photograph of a filing cabinet, a handwritten note and a receipt from a storage facility.
The note read:
If the truth is ever needed, begin with locker 214. Trust no one who asks for the key without explaining why.
Aisha stared at the receipt.
"Locker 214. That's a storage facility in Ikeja."
Daniel examined the date.
"This receipt is from the year before your father died."
Grace looked shaken.
"Samuel never told me about this."
Aisha placed the receipt in her bag.
"We need to tell the police before we go anywhere."
Daniel nodded.
They contacted the authorities and arranged to meet an officer who was already investigating Peter's disappearance. After examining the receipt and Samuel's notes, the officer agreed to accompany them to the facility.
Locker 214 was still registered under Samuel's name.
The manager opened it in the officer's presence.
Inside were several sealed boxes, old company files and a small brown package.
Aisha's heart pounded as the officer carefully opened it.
The package contained copies of financial records, correspondence between Robert and several company executives, and a handwritten statement signed by Peter Lawson.
The records appeared to support the allegation that money had been diverted from the company without Richard's knowledge.
But one document stood out.
It was a letter from Robert, written years earlier.
If Richard refuses to transfer control of the company, I will make sure Grace takes the blame. Nobody will question a woman who has already been accused of betrayal.
Aisha's face hardened.
"He planned to destroy my mother."
The officer placed the documents in an evidence folder.
"These will need to be examined properly, but they may be significant."
Daniel looked at Aisha.
"Your father kept this evidence safe for years."
She held the edge of the box, overwhelmed by pride and grief.
"He knew the truth mattered."
As they left the facility, the officer received a call.
He listened carefully before turning to them.
"Mr. Lawson has been located. He is safe and is being taken to the station to give a statement."
Aisha released a breath she hadn't realised she was holding.
For the first time, the investigation had given them something stronger than suspicion.
It had given them evidence.
But Robert Cole was not a man who would surrender easily.