Grady denied involvement in the fire.
Then Iris found something inside Richard’s brown notebook collection.
A receipt.
In 1979, Sister Margaret gave Richard a sealed envelope to place in a bank deposit box, telling him it contained church insurance records. He forgot about it after the adoption and left the key taped inside the notebook.
The deposit box remained active because St. Mary’s trust paid annual fees automatically.
Inside were duplicates of every maternity record.
Sister Margaret had anticipated fire, theft, or institutional pressure.
Grady’s attempt to destroy evidence activated nothing magical.
It simply made the surviving copies more important.
Jasmine published the full investigation.
Grady was charged with fraud, obstruction, falsifying records, and conspiracy connected to illegal adoptions. The statute of limitations prevented some cases. Others involved continuing concealment and remained prosecutable.
Several powerful families attacked the Miller sisters publicly.
They called the records unreliable.
They called Jasmine vindictive.
They called Richard a publicity seeker who had exploited Black children to create a heroic reputation.
Richard refused interviews.
The daughters did not.
Rose argued in court.
Iris authenticated historical documents.
