Chapter 9 - The Visitor Who Never Repaired AnythingThe invoice was dated three weeks before the piano crashed.
Julian stared at the description.
Music room structural stabilization and specialized instrument safety modifications.
Amount: $42,700.
He read it twice.
Then looked toward the ruined piano, which now sat protected beneath temporary supports while a professional restoration company assessed the damage.
"That's impossible."
Nora stood beside him.
"Why?"
"Nobody repaired this piano."
"Can you establish that?"
Julian walked toward the instrument.
He pointed to its damaged rear caster.
"Claire had been asking me to replace that wheel for years."
He knelt beside the wooden base.
"The piano always rolled slightly when someone leaned against it."
Nora examined the support without touching it.
"That may explain how it tipped when you pushed it."
Julian nodded grimly.
"And someone billed more than forty thousand dollars to make it safe."
Nora photographed the invoice.
"Don't conclude the work was fraudulent until we verify the contractor and its records."
Julian looked at the fallen flowers.
"Whoever approved this left a heavy, unstable piano beside my daughter."
"And someone should have addressed the hazard regardless of the disputed invoice."
He turned away.
He didn't want another reminder that he, too, had ignored the instrument's condition.
But Nora was right.
Claire had mentioned that wheel.
More than once.
He'd always promised to deal with it later.
Later had almost become a disaster.
Thomas entered carrying the visitor log.
"I found the signature."
The visitor had identified himself as a project coordinator.
According to the log, he entered at 10:08 a.m. and left twenty-two minutes later.
Julian frowned.
"Twenty-two minutes?"
"Yes."
"How could anyone perform that work in twenty-two minutes?"
"Perhaps he was only inspecting the piano," Nora said.
"Then why does the invoice say completed?"
Thomas turned another page.
There was no record of a repair crew arriving afterward.
No equipment delivery.
No contractor access beyond the single visit.
Julian looked at Nora.
"Can we call the company?"
"We can request its records and verify its registered business details."
They started with public business filings.
Mercer Residential Preservation was registered as a limited liability company.
Its mailing address was a downtown office building.
The listed manager was not Warren.
But the registered contact number matched a number in the estate's vendor directory.
Julian recognized it.
It belonged to Warren's administrative office.
Nora copied the information.
"This supports a connection. It doesn't prove who received the money."
"What would?"
"Bank records. Ownership records. Contracts. Someone who can explain the work."
Julian turned to Thomas.
"Did the visitor bring equipment?"
"No."
"Tools?"
"No."
"Did he go near the piano?"
Thomas thought carefully.
"I remember him walking into the music room with Edward and Miss Hart."
"What happened?"
"They closed the door."
"For how long?"
"About fifteen minutes."
Julian studied the visitor log.
Then Thomas continued.
"When they came out, Miss Hart was carrying the nursery camera."
Julian slowly raised his eyes.
"She was carrying it?"
"Yes. Edward told me they were improving Lily's safety monitoring."
Nora folded her arms.
"Did you see them install anything on the piano?"
"No."
"Did anyone discuss repairs?"
"Not with me."
Julian thought about the six recordings.
The hidden angle behind the flowers.
The perfectly framed view of Lily crying beside the bench.
The camera had not been positioned randomly.
Somebody had planned its placement.
His phone rang.
An unfamiliar number.
He answered.
"Julian Mercer?"
"Speaking."
"This is Daniel Foster, with the insurance company handling the piano damage claim."
Julian frowned.
He hadn't filed a claim.
"What claim?"
"The loss report submitted yesterday."
Julian looked at Nora.
"I didn't submit one."
The caller paused.
"Your security director reported a major property loss."
"Edward Collins?"
"Yes."
Julian's stomach tightened.
"What exactly did he report?"
The man shuffled papers.
"He described intentional destruction by the policyholder during a domestic dispute."
Julian closed his eyes.
The wording was technically close enough to cause trouble.
He had destroyed the piano in anger.
But Edward had submitted an insurance claim without Julian's approval.
"And who instructed him to file it?"
"According to our notes, he said he was acting at the direction of the estate trustee."
Julian looked at Nora.
"Warren."
The caller hesitated.
"I'm not authorized to discuss another person's instructions beyond the records."
Julian ended the call after obtaining the claim number.
Nora immediately advised him to preserve the conversation details and let her communicate with the insurer.
Then Thomas's phone buzzed.
A message from an old colleague.
He read it.
His face drained.
"Sir."
Julian turned.
"What?"
"Edward says you're under investigation for violent behavior."
Julian's jaw tightened.
Thomas held up the message.
"He told the staff nobody should cooperate with you unless Warren approves it."
For the first time, Julian understood the full danger.
Warren controlled trust information.
Edward had controlled security records.
Celeste had controlled Lily's daily care.
And together, their accounts could make the truth look like something else entirely.
Then Nora's phone rang.
She listened without speaking.
When she ended the call, she looked directly at Julian.
"The bank has acknowledged our preservation notice."
May you like
He waited.
"And Warren has requested an emergency meeting about your fitness to remain involved in Lily's financial affairs."
Related Stories
