Chapter 17 - Catherine's Voice
Natalie covered her mouth.
Dominic sat in Catherine's old chair as the recording continued.
"Dominic loves with more loyalty than caution. He thinks betrayal announces itself. It doesn't. Sometimes it makes you coffee. Sometimes it remembers your mother's birthday. Sometimes it waits years."
Emma looked at Dominic.
He stared at the recorder.
Catherine went on.
"Brooke asked me twice about selling the coastal acreage. She also asked how quickly a widow could challenge a trust. I told her the property would belong to Natalie. She became angry."
Natalie closed her eyes.
"I have deposited certified copies of every trust and testamentary document with Gray & Finch and the county registry. No paper in this house is the only copy. If someone destroys a document here, they are destroying theater, not law."
Dominic almost laughed.
Even dead, Catherine had anticipated the move.
Then her voice softened.
"Dominic, if you are hearing this because your marriage has failed, do not turn yourself into stone. That is not strength. Protect the children. Protect the people who tell you the truth when it costs them something. And do not confuse blood with loyalty."
Julian, standing in the doorway, looked down.
The final minute contained something no one expected.
Catherine described a sealed file held by Gray & Finch containing correspondence between Brooke and Bellweather Development from four years earlier.
Four years.
Brooke had been planning around the property long before Evan died.
The attorney called Gray & Finch immediately.
The sealed file still existed.
By midafternoon, detectives had copies.
The emails showed Brooke proposing a future sale of the Mercer coast in exchange for a consulting fee and a hidden equity position.
One message from Bellweather read: We cannot proceed while Catherine lives and Natalie retains contingent rights.
Brooke's reply was chilling in its simplicity:
Catherine won't live forever. Natalie can be pressured.
Natalie read the email once, then handed it back.
"She never saw me as family."
Dominic answered, "No. She saw you as an obstacle."
The investigator closed the file.
"This establishes motive for the fraud. It may also change how we look at the events around Evan's death."
His phone rang.
He listened for less than thirty seconds.
May you like
Then he looked at Natalie.
"We found Evan's missing briefcase."
