Chapter 8 - The Lake House
Police told Julian not to go.
He went anyway.
He did not go alone.
Detective Cole put a tracker in Julian's shoe, another in the document case, and officers staged two miles away. Maya stayed in the command vehicle despite Julian's argument that she had already done enough.
"Lily trusts me," she said. "If she sees me, she may stay calm."
The old Mercer lake house had been empty for years. Ava had loved it, but after her death Julian could not bring himself to return.
Now its windows looked black against the morning fog.
Julian stepped onto the porch carrying a decoy trust file.
"I'm here!"
The front door opened.
Celeste stood inside with a pistol.
"Phone on the floor."
Julian obeyed.
Maya watched through a tiny camera clipped inside his coat button.
"Where is Lily?"
"Upstairs."
"I want to see her."
Celeste waved the gun. "You want too many things."
A second figure entered the room.
Conrad Pike.
He wore the same expensive gray suit he had worn at the hospital hours earlier.
"Julian," he said, almost sadly. "You should have signed the beneficiary revision when Vivian asked. None of this would have happened."
Julian stared at him. "You forged Ava's trust."
"I corrected an outdated document."
"You planned my daughter's death."
Pike's expression hardened. "I planned a transfer of control. Vivian became emotional."
From upstairs came a crash.
Lily screamed.
Maya ripped off her headset.
"I'm going in."
Cole caught her arm. "No."
Then the live feed jerked.
Julian had lunged at Pike.
Celeste fired.
The bullet hit the wall.
Police moved.
Maya moved with them.
They entered through the rear door as officers shouted from the front. Maya ran toward the stairs and found Lily halfway down, barefoot and crying.
Behind her, Vivian appeared.
"Not again," Maya said.
May you like
Vivian grabbed Lily by the hair.
And dragged her backward toward the deck.
