THE LITTLE GIRL POINTED AT GRANDMA'S HANDBAG AND THE ENTIRE FAMILY FROZE

"I knew Mom wanted to scare Sofia."

Marcus sat in Vittorio's study.

Nora had returned.

Detective Mercer was on speakerphone, recording the conversation with Marcus's knowledge.

Helena had refused to participate and left the mansion with an attorney.

Marcus stared at his hands.

Vittorio sat across from him.

"What does scare mean?"

Marcus shook his head.

"Calls. Threats. Maybe following her. I don't know."

"You expect me to believe you didn't ask?"

"I didn't want to know."

"That's not innocence."

"I know."

For once Marcus did not defend himself.

He looked older than thirty-seven.

"When Sofia found the vendor accounts, she confronted me. I panicked. Some of the signatures were mine."

"Some?"

"Most."

"How much money?"

Marcus whispered, "Twenty-six million."

Nora remained expressionless.

Vittorio felt as if someone had dropped a stone into his chest.

"Twenty-six million dollars."

"Over four years."

"Where is it?"

"Some went into investments. Some paid debt. Some Mom moved."

"Your mother?"

Marcus nodded.

Vittorio leaned back.

Helena had always enjoyed wealth.

He had never imagined she would steal from the company carrying their family name.

"Why?"

Marcus laughed bitterly.

"Because nothing was ever enough."

Vittorio studied him.

"That sounds like an excuse."

"It's not."

Marcus rubbed his face.

"I wanted what you had without spending forty years building it."

At least that answer was true.

"What happened the night before Sofia died?"

"She told me she was leaving."

"With Elsie."

"Yes."

"What did you do?"

"I begged her not to."

"Did you threaten her?"

"I told her I'd fight for custody."

"Did Helena threaten her?"

Marcus looked away.

"Yes."

"How?"

"She said Sofia would regret embarrassing the family."

"Did you know about Mason Reed?"

Marcus hesitated.

Nora said, "This is the point where lying becomes extremely expensive."

Marcus swallowed.

"I knew his name."

Vittorio's fingers tightened around the chair.

"Why?"

"Mom said Mason could make Sofia's car unusable for a day."

Silence.

Vittorio's voice dropped.

"Unusable."

"She said he would disconnect something so Sofia couldn't leave before the board meeting."

"And you agreed?"

"I didn't stop her."

"Did you give Mason access to the garage?"

Marcus closed his eyes.

"Yes."

Vittorio stood.

Nora immediately looked at him.

He did not touch Marcus.

He walked toward the window.

Outside, Elsie's birthday decorations were being removed from the lawn.

Blue ribbons moved in the wind.

"You let a stranger tamper with your wife's car."

"I thought he'd disable the ignition."

"You thought."

"I swear."

Vittorio turned.

"Did Sofia know?"

"No."

"You took her phone after the crash?"

Marcus looked at the floor.

"Yes."

"Explain."

"I got to the hospital before you did. A state trooper gave me a bag with personal items recovered from the scene. Her phone was inside. Damaged, but there."

"And you hid it."

"I took it home."

"Why?"

"I was scared about what she'd recorded."

"You had just lost your wife."

Marcus began crying.

It did nothing to soften Vittorio.

"I know."

"No," Vittorio said. "I don't think you do."

Marcus wiped his face.

"Mom took the phone. She told me she'd destroy it."

"But she didn't."

"No."

"Why?"

Marcus shook his head.

"I don't know."

Nora leaned forward.

"Leverage."

Marcus looked at her.

Nora continued.

"Helena kept evidence that implicated you because it gave her control over you."

Marcus stared.

Vittorio thought about Helena's handbag.

She had carried Sofia's phone to Elsie's birthday party.

Not hidden in a safe.

Not buried.

Close to her body.

A weapon.

A guarantee.

If Marcus ever turned against her, she controlled the evidence.

Marcus whispered, "She said the phone was gone."

Vittorio sat again.

"Did you ever ask where the stolen money went?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"She wouldn't tell me all of it."

Nora exchanged a glance with Vittorio.

Another mystery.

Twenty-six million dollars had disappeared.

Only nine million could be traced to assets connected to Marcus.

The rest remained missing.

"What about my medical evaluation?" Vittorio asked.

Marcus hesitated.

"Mom wanted the board to believe you had early dementia."

"Dr. Bell agreed to falsify a diagnosis?"

"He said he'd word things carefully."

"Carefully enough to steal control."

Marcus nodded.

"The plan was to petition for temporary financial guardianship if you resisted retirement."

"And Elsie?"

Marcus's face changed.

"What about her?"

"Elsie heard you discussing her trust."

Marcus slowly looked up.

"I never wanted her money."

"She heard Helena say that when you got Elsie, you got the money."

Marcus became pale.

"What?"

"You didn't know?"

"No."

Vittorio watched him closely.

For the first time during the confession, Marcus's surprise appeared genuine.

Nora asked, "Who becomes managing custodian of Elsie's voting shares under the trust if Vittorio is incapacitated and Marcus has sole legal guardianship?"

Marcus stared.

Then understanding reached him.

"My mother."

Nora nodded.

Helena had designed the family trust structure years earlier with an outside attorney.

If Vittorio were declared incompetent and Marcus controlled Elsie's custody, Helena could position herself as temporary family representative to the trust.

Twenty-six million dollars was suddenly no longer the largest amount at stake.

Elsie's shares were worth hundreds of millions.

Marcus stood.

"She used me."

Vittorio's expression did not change.

"You volunteered."

Marcus looked as if he had been struck again.

The study door opened.

Owen entered.

"Nora."

She stood.

"Detective Mercer found Mason Reed."