Chapter 12 - What the Camera Recorded
Daniel stood in the driveway staring at the belongings arranged across the garden.
Gloria shouted from the doorway.
“This is your house.”
Claire held up the deed.
“No. His name has never been on it.”
When Simon’s sedan arrived, Daniel tried to recover his confidence.
He straightened his jacket and looked toward the neighbors gathering behind curtains and garden gates.
“This is a private marital dispute,” he said.
The investigator beside Simon showed her identification.
“It is now part of a fraud investigation.”
Gloria scoffed.
“Fraud? Claire has been emotionally unstable for months.”
Simon opened the sealed folder.
“You mean according to Dr. Lawrence Pike?”
Gloria’s expression flickered.
“He examined her.”
“No, he did not. Dr. Pike has admitted he signed the declaration without meeting Claire.”
Daniel looked at Gloria.
“You said she attended.”
Gloria ignored him.
Simon removed another document.
“The notary seal on the trust transfer is fraudulent. The identification number belongs to a notary who died nine years ago.”
Daniel stepped backward.
Claire watched him.
“Did you know that?”
He looked at the pavement.
“Daniel.”
“No.”
Gloria moved between them.
“He is under enormous stress. You have manipulated him from the beginning.”
Claire raised her phone.
“Then perhaps the camera misunderstood him too.”
Lena remotely activated the exterior speaker beneath the garden light.
Daniel’s recorded voice filled the driveway.
“I can convince Claire.”
Then Gloria’s voice answered.
“You’ve had seven years to convince her.”
The neighbors could hear every word.
The recording continued.
“I’m not declaring her incompetent,” Daniel said.
“You don’t have to,” Gloria replied. “You only have to make her doubt herself long enough to sign.”
Daniel’s face collapsed.
“Turn that off.”
Claire did not move.
“And if she refuses?” Daniel asked in the recording.
“Then we use the recording.”
Gloria lunged toward Claire’s phone, but the investigator stepped between them.
“Do not touch her.”
Claire played the next file.
Gloria’s voice came through clearly.
“Daniel is no longer useful. Once Claire signs, do whatever you want with him.”
Daniel turned toward his mother.
“What is that?”
Gloria looked at Simon.
“That recording has been altered.”
Lena answered from the doorway.
“The original file and metadata have already been secured.”
Daniel grabbed Gloria’s arm.
“You told them I was no longer useful?”
“Let go of me.”
“Who were you speaking to?”
“This is not the time.”
“Was it Victor?”
Gloria tried to pull away.
Daniel held on.
“Was it Adrian?”
At the name, Simon became still.
Claire noticed.
“So you do know Adrian Cross,” she said.
Daniel released his mother.
“I know the name.”
“You said you didn’t.”
“My mother told me Adrian could erase the debt.”
Gloria glared at him.
“Be quiet.”
Daniel looked at Claire.
“She said Hawthorne Holdings would release my company if you signed the transfer.”
“And you believed her?”
“I believed I could repair everything afterward.”
Claire almost laughed.
“You were going to give away my home and repair it afterward?”
“I never wanted you harmed.”
“You spent nearly two years building evidence to call me unstable.”
“My mother said it was insurance.”
“Against your wife?”
“Against losing everything.”
Claire looked around the garden.
Daniel’s suits moved softly in the wind.
“You lost everything the moment you decided my life was easier to steal than your pride was to surrender.”
The investigator stepped toward him.
“Mr. Mercer, we need you to answer questions regarding forged financial documents.”
Daniel looked at the street.
The black sport utility vehicle had stopped at the curb.
The rear window lowered.
A photograph was taken.
Then the vehicle drove away.
Daniel’s terror returned.
“Claire,” he whispered. “You need to leave the house.”
“No.”
“You don’t understand. They don’t care who owns it.”
“Who are they?”
Before Daniel could answer, Gloria slapped him across the face.
Everyone froze.
Daniel slowly turned toward her.
Gloria’s hand trembled.
“You weak, foolish boy,” she said. “You were supposed to keep her calm.”
The investigator took Gloria by the arm.
“You need to step away.”
Gloria pulled free.
Claire approached her.
“What is inside this house?”
Gloria looked toward the library window.
“Something Eleanor stole.”
“The certificates?”
Gloria’s eyes widened.
That was the first honest answer she gave all day.
She had not known Claire understood that much.
Claire continued.
“The compartment was empty.”
Gloria’s fear sharpened.
“Then your grandmother moved them.”
“Where?”
Gloria smiled again, but her voice shook.
“Ask Miriam.”
Simon stepped forward.
“We would, if you told us where she was.”
A phone rang inside Gloria’s handbag.
She tried to ignore it.
The investigator removed the phone.
May you like
The screen displayed one word.
ADRIAN.
