Chapter 4 - The Trust
Nathan had not touched the girls’ trust since their mother died.
He knew exactly how it worked because Claire had insisted on it.
“Whatever happens to me,” she had told him in the hospital two years earlier, “that money belongs to them. Not you. Not anyone you marry.”
He had laughed softly and kissed her forehead. “You’re not going anywhere.”
She died six weeks later.
Now Nathan sat in his study with Claire’s old estate binder open on the desk.
Emma brought him coffee he did not drink.
The girls stayed in the family room with a movie playing too loudly.
Nathan called Theodore Banks, the attorney who had prepared the trust.
Theodore answered on the second ring.
“Nathan? Thank God.”
Nathan’s spine stiffened. “Why do you sound relieved?”
“Because I’ve been trying to reach you for a month.”
Nathan looked at Emma.
“What happened?”
“Three withdrawal requests. All approved through the household guardian portal.”
“I never approved anything.”
“I suspected that after Rachel called me.”
“My sister?”
“Yes. She said Victoria was restricting access to the children.”
Nathan rubbed his forehead. “How much money?”
Theodore hesitated.
“How much?”
“Four hundred and eighty thousand dollars.”
Nathan stood so quickly the chair rolled backward.
Emma’s eyes widened.
“For school?”
“Partly. Two hundred thousand was labeled educational placement. The rest was categorized as child wellness, staffing, and security upgrades.”
Nathan looked around his silent mansion.
Staffing?
Half the staff had vanished.
Security?
His security chief had been fired.
Wellness?
His daughters were hiding bread in drawers.
“Freeze everything,” Nathan said.
“I already initiated an emergency freeze this morning.”
“This morning?”
“Rachel finally got through to me.”
Nathan’s hand tightened around the phone. “Where is she?”
“She was coming to the house.”
“When?”
“Today.”
Nathan looked at the clock.
Rachel should have arrived hours ago.
He called her.
No answer.
Again.
Voicemail.
Emma stepped closer. “When did you last speak to her?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“What did you talk about?”
Nathan tried to remember.
Rachel had asked odd questions. Were the girls sleeping well? Was Victoria handling the house? Had Nathan noticed Ava getting quieter?
He had been in an airport.
He had rushed the call.
Guilt burned through him.
The front gate buzzer suddenly sounded.
Nathan checked the security monitor.
A car sat crooked outside the gate.
The driver’s door was open.
No one was inside.
He zoomed the camera.
It was Rachel’s car.
May you like
On the pavement beside it lay her purse.
And the gate camera feed cut to black.
