Chapter 12 - The Price of Looking AwayEdward Collins was sitting in his attorney's conference room when Nora's preservation request reached him.
He read the first page.
Then the second.
His face tightened.
"They can't demand my personal finances."
His lawyer, Martin Hale, adjusted his glasses.
"They can request them. Whether they obtain them is another matter."
Edward dropped the document.
"Julian is losing his mind."
Martin studied him.
"Did you authorize questionable expenses?"
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Martin waited.
Edward looked away.
"I verified security access. That's all."
"Did you verify work that wasn't performed?"
Edward's mouth twitched.
"I relied on contractor reports."
"Which contractors?"
Edward said nothing.
Martin leaned forward.
"If you're involved in financial misconduct, you need to tell me before someone else proves it."
Edward stared at the tabletop.
For the first time, the confidence Warren had cultivated in him felt terribly fragile.
Across town, Julian was reviewing another piece of the financial trail.
An accountant retained by Nora had compared the estate's vendor payments with available supporting documents.
Several charges had no matching work orders.
One invoice described emergency reinforcement of the piano's rear support.
Julian remembered the wheel.
The wobble Claire had complained about.
He pressed his fingers against his forehead.
"That repair never happened."
The accountant explained that the missing records warranted further investigation, particularly because payment appeared to have been authorized despite the absence of completed work documentation.
Nora asked for a closer examination of the vendor approvals.
Julian listened.
Then he asked the question that had been consuming him.
"Could Edward have received money directly?"
"We can't determine that from these accounts alone," Nora replied. "But we can seek the relevant banking records through the legal process."
Julian looked down at his daughter.
Lily sat beside his chair, stacking soft blocks on the carpet.
She placed one block on top of another.
The tower fell.
She frowned.
Julian smiled gently.
"Try again?"
Lily picked up the yellow block.
"G'n."
He laughed softly.
For a moment, the financial documents disappeared.
There was only his daughter.
Learning how to build something.
Learning that falling didn't mean she had failed.
Then his phone vibrated.
Thomas had sent a photograph.
It showed Edward entering the estate office late at night, carrying a small cardboard box.
The timestamp matched the evening before several security files were deleted.
Julian forwarded it to Nora.
She immediately called Thomas.
"How did you obtain this?"
"From the exterior gate camera. I was reviewing the available footage after Mr. Mercer asked us to preserve it."
"Do you have the original file?"
"Yes."
"Don't edit it."
"I haven't."
Nora paused.
"Does the camera show what's inside the box?"
"No."
"Then we can't assume what he was carrying."
Thomas sighed.
"I know."
But he added something else.
"That night, Edward ordered me to leave early."
"Why?"
"He said Warren had scheduled a private review of family records."
Julian leaned toward the phone.
"Did Warren come to the estate?"
"Yes."
"Was Celeste there?"
"Yes."
"And Lily?"
Thomas hesitated.
"She was upstairs."
Julian looked toward his daughter.
His jaw tightened.
"Was she crying?"
"Not when I left."
Nora asked Thomas to write a detailed statement limited to what he had personally witnessed.
Then she turned to Julian.
"We're approaching the point where speculation becomes dangerous. Let the documents speak."
Julian nodded reluctantly.
That evening, Nora received another set of records through counsel.
Among them was a security vendor's administrative certification.
It showed that Edward personally approved the camera access changes on four dates.
The same four dates appeared in Celeste's care reports.
And beside one authorization was an internal comment.
Per W.M. — ensure incidents documented before review.
Nora read it.
Then called Julian.
"We have another link."
Julian's heartbeat accelerated.
"What kind?"
"The security administrator recorded an instruction attributed to Warren."
Julian closed his eyes.
The connection no longer depended solely on timing.
Someone had written his brother's initials into the operational records.
"Can we prove Warren gave the instruction?"
"Not yet. But now we know exactly what to ask for."
Julian looked toward the music room.
Claire's piano remained covered.
The room where Lily had cried was silent.
Then Nora added:
"Julian, Warren's lawyers just sent a new proposal."
"What proposal?"
"They'll provide selected accounting records if you agree not to publicly discuss the trust investigation."
"That doesn't sound unreasonable by itself."
"There's another condition."
Julian waited.
"They want you to sign a statement saying you've never had reason to question Warren's management of Lily's money."
Julian stared at the wall.
His brother wasn't merely asking him to be quiet.
May you like
He wanted Julian to contradict everything he had discovered.
And he wanted it in writing.
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