Chapter 4 - My Father's Last Dinner
Daniel reconstructed Dad's final evening.
Celeste had hosted dinner.
Grant had been there.
So had two foundation trustees.
Dad complained of dizziness at 9:40.
At 10:12, he collapsed.
Celeste claimed she immediately called for help.
Phone records proved she waited seventeen minutes.
Seventeen minutes.
I stared at that number until it became unbearable.
“Why?”
Daniel answered quietly.
“Maybe she was waiting to make sure he couldn't speak.”
There was more.
The kitchen camera had mysteriously stopped recording.
A housekeeper had been dismissed the following morning.
Her name was Rosa Martinez.
We found her in Maryland.
When Rosa saw me, she cried.
“Your father knew.”
“Knew what?”
“He knew Mrs. Vale was putting something in his drinks.”
My entire body went cold.
Rosa had seen Celeste crush tablets.
Dad noticed his medication tasted different.
He began pretending to drink.
Then he sent a sample away for testing.
The laboratory results were inside the third envelope.
Before we could retrieve them, Henry called.
Someone had broken into his office.
The lockbox was gone.
But Dad had anticipated that too.
The real evidence wasn't in the box.
It was somewhere inside the mansion.
May you like
And only I knew where to look.
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