Chapter 7 - The Broken Angel

They went to the estate before sunrise. Nora insisted Lena come with them, and Adrian accepted the decision without complaint. The garden smelled of wet stone and trimmed roses. Beyond the hedges, a small chapel stood locked between two cypress trees.

"My mom brought me here once," Nora said. "She said every building has a place where it keeps its secrets."

Lena picked the chapel lock in less than a minute. "Your mom sounded practical."

Inside, pale light fell across pews polished by generations of hands. Near the back stood a marble angel. Its right hand had snapped off long ago.

Nora found a narrow seam in the stone base. She slipped the edge of her folder into it and lifted a small panel. A tin cylinder rolled into her palm.

Inside were photocopies of scholarship disbursements, a key, and a letter addressed to Evelyn Vale.

EVELYN, IF GRANT FORCES THE SALE, THE CHILDREN LOSE EVERYTHING. THE TRUST IS THEIR SHIELD. YOU MUST NOT LET HIM BREAK IT. — ELEANOR

"Children?" Lena asked.

Adrian examined the payments. "The original Ashcroft scholarship recipients. Some grew up in foster care. Eleanor funded their schooling through the foundation."

Nora flipped to the last page. Several payments had been routed into a company called Meridian Holdings, signed off by Grant Whitmore.

"He stole from kids," she said.

Footsteps sounded outside. The chapel door swung inward, and Celeste stood in the opening in a charcoal coat, her blonde hair tucked beneath a scarf. Without the gown, she looked younger and more human. Two security men waited behind her.

"Give me the cylinder," she said.

Nora held it tighter. "You knew where it was?"

Celeste's gaze flicked toward the angel. "I've been looking for it since I was seventeen."

"Then tell me what was in that envelope the night of the fire."

"I didn't know what it was." Her voice had lost its practiced sweetness. "Grant told me it was a message for Eleanor."

"And you believed him?"

"He was my father's lawyer. I was a stupid kid who wanted his approval."

One guard stepped forward. Adrian blocked the aisle. Celeste raised a hand to stop him.

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"You don't understand," she told Nora. "Grant isn't trying to win a lawsuit. He's trying to bury everyone who saw what he did."

A sharp crack came from outside. One of the chapel windows shattered, and the guard nearest Celeste dropped to the floor.