I WAS ABOUT TO PROPOSE TO THE WOMAN I LOVED—UNTIL MY 6-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER POINTED AT THE POOL AND SCREAMED, “DADDY, DON’T! SHE’S HIDING SOMETHING IN THE WATER!”

Robert Mercer had taught Daniel to bid his first construction job. He'd attended Emily's funeral. He sent Lily birthday cards every year.

Daniel wanted the signature to be a mistake.

It wasn't.

Maya interviewed Robert with his attorney present. He admitted that he had routed company funds through Northstar but insisted the scheme had begun as a legitimate partnership with Harbor House.

"We renovated care facilities," Robert said. "Then invoices were submitted for projects nobody finished. I tried to pull out."

Robert had once picked Daniel up after his first construction truck broke down. It was two in the morning, raining hard, and Robert arrived with jumper cables and a thermos of coffee. Daniel had stored that memory in the same part of his heart as family dinners and holiday photographs. Now the man across from him described fraudulent invoices as if they were unfortunate weather. Daniel wanted to ask whether Robert had ever loved any of them, but the question felt useless. He asked instead for the names of every business connected to Northstar. Robert's lawyer objected. Daniel walked out before he said something he couldn't take back. In the hallway he called Rachel and asked her to tell Lily he would be home for dinner.

"Why didn't you tell Daniel?" Maya asked.

Robert looked at his nephew. "Because I'd lose everything."

"You let Emily find it by herself."

Robert lowered his eyes. "She confronted me. I promised to return the money."

"Did Vanessa know her?"

"No. Vanessa came later. She found the old invoices and said she could help me fix them."

Daniel stood. "You brought her into my life?"

"I introduced you at the fundraiser, yes. I didn't know she'd do any of this."

"You knew she had leverage. You let her get close to my kid."

Robert had no answer.

After the interview Maya received an urgent call from her team. They had located Evelyn Shaw alive at a motel outside the city. Evelyn agreed to give a statement, but only if police could move her and her daughter somewhere safe.

"Safe from whom?" Maya asked.