Chapter 8 - The Man He Called Brother

Miles Carver had been Adrian's best friend since seventh grade. He'd helped buy Adrian's first truck, stood beside him at his first wedding, and held Poppy when she was born. When the marriage collapsed, Miles brought groceries.

Now he stood at a ballroom table pretending to study the seating cards.

"Miles," Adrian said, "walk with me."

Miles smiled automatically. "This day is turning into a nightmare, huh? Simone's beside herself."

"Did you know Elise was auditing the Morrow House Fund?"

The smile vanished. "I knew she complained about the books. She complained about everything."

"What books?"

"Invoices. Scholarships. She thought people were making up vendors."

"And were they?"

Miles looked toward the exit. "You want to have this conversation here?"

Adrian remembered Elise at the kitchen counter with a yellow folder, showing him a company that billed for both meals and roof repairs at a youth shelter. He'd said Miles would explain. Elise had begged him not to call Miles.

"Did you tell Simone about Elise's concerns?" he asked.

Miles lowered his voice. "I was trying to keep everyone out of trouble."

Marisol entered with a second officer. "Mr. Carver, we'd like you to come to the station voluntarily and answer some questions."

"Do I need a lawyer?"

"You may want one."

Miles looked at Adrian, not the detective. "Before you decide I'm the villain, remember I was the one who told you where her car was found."

Adrian's stomach tightened. The motel manager had called police after seeing the abandoned car; that was what Miles had said at the time. But the police report listed Miles as the person who reported it.

"How did you know where to look?" Adrian asked.

Miles didn't answer.

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When Marisol led him away, Adrian handed the memory card to a digital-evidence technician. The technician placed it into a protected reader. Most of the files were encrypted. One short audio recording opened immediately.

A woman's voice said, "If anyone finds this, my name is Elise Ward. I did not abandon my child. And the first person who helped them was my husband."