Chapter 15 - The Woman from Westbridge
Tessa arranged for Dad and Sophie to spend a few nights with my cousin outside town. I stayed at a safe location recommended by a victim advocate, close enough to attend the next hearing but away from the places Ethan knew.
Sophie cried when she saw me pack a separate bag.
"Are you leaving me?"
"No," I said, sitting beside her. "We're sleeping in different houses for a little while. Grandpa will be with you, and you'll hear my voice every night."
"I want the old house back."
"Me too. But not the part where we were afraid."
That evening, Elena Voss called Tessa's office and asked to speak with me. I expected a threat. Instead, I heard a woman who sounded as if she hadn't slept.
"I saw the police reports," she said. "I need to correct something before this gets worse."
Elena was the acquisitions director from the townhouse photograph. She had spent months negotiating the Westbridge deal with Ethan and Margaret.
"You knew I never agreed to sell," I said.
"I knew there were questions about your consent. Margaret claimed you had become ill and your husband had authority under a power of attorney. I should have stopped the process."
"But you didn't."
"No. I was under pressure to secure the road access before a financing deadline. That's not an excuse."
She said the townhouse had been staged as temporary housing for Ethan and Sophie. Westbridge had reimbursed its rent as a relocation cost.
"What about Daniel Reed?" I asked.
"That entity was supposed to handle site preparation. When our compliance officer looked into it, the ownership records didn't match the invoice approvals."
Tessa interrupted. "Preserve the emails, contracts, and payment records. Speak to your company's counsel and the detective. Don't send us anything you aren't entitled to release."
Elena agreed. Then she said something that made me grip the phone.
"Margaret asked for a provision covering what happens if the property owner dies before closing. She insisted on it the day before the fall."
"Did you approve it?"
"No. I flagged it to legal."
There was silence on the line.
"Leah," Elena said, "I think there's one more person you need to know about. Someone who approved the money after my objection."
May you like
I waited.
"It was Ethan's father."
