Chapter 5 - THE LITTLE GIRL WHO HEARD EVERYTHING
Nathaniel spent the next morning with Dr. Hannah Brooks.
He explained Lily's statement without pressuring his daughter to repeat it.
Hannah advised him to document what Lily had said, preserve relevant evidence, and allow trained professionals to speak with her if an investigation required it.
The priority was Lily's emotional safety.
Nathaniel agreed.
He also arranged for a trusted relative, his sister Eleanor, to stay with them temporarily.
Lily loved Eleanor, who had been one of the few people to visit regularly after Claire died.
When Eleanor arrived, Lily finally began to relax.
She played with her dolls and drew pictures at the kitchen table.
Nathaniel watched from the doorway.
He had spent years believing that the greatest danger to his daughter was the pain of losing her mother.
He had never considered that someone might use that grief to control her.
Later that afternoon, Daniel called.
The preliminary audit had identified millions of dollars in suspicious transfers from the foundation.
Some money had passed through companies connected to Richard Sterling.
Other transactions involved a consulting firm that had received payments shortly before Claire's death.
The records were troubling, but the audit team needed bank confirmations and original approvals before reaching conclusions.
Nathaniel authorized the investigation.
Then Marcus arrived with news about Victor Hale.
Victor had been hospitalized after the banquet confrontation.
Through his lawyer, he claimed Nathaniel had attacked him without provocation.
Hotel security footage told a different story: Victor had approached Nathaniel and reached for him after Nathaniel ordered him to stay away from Lily.
The footage did not show every detail, but it supported Nathaniel's account of the confrontation.
More importantly, investigators discovered that Victor had been paid by a company controlled by Richard Sterling.
The payments began shortly before Vanessa started dating Nathaniel.
“Was Victor hired to protect Lily?” Nathaniel asked.
“His contract says he was hired to protect Mrs. Sterling,” Marcus replied. “There is no clear description of his actual duties.”
Nathaniel's expression hardened.
“Then find out what he was doing.”
That evening, Vanessa sent a message requesting to see Lily.
Nathaniel refused to arrange an unsupervised meeting while the situation remained unresolved.
Vanessa responded with a threat.
You are making a terrible mistake. You have no idea what your daughter will lose if you keep me away.
Nathaniel saved the message and sent it to Daniel.
The following day, Lily approached him with a folded sheet of paper.
“I remembered something else.”
He sat beside her.
“What is it?”
“Vanessa made me practice saying that you were angry all the time.”
Nathaniel felt a chill.
“She wanted you to say that?”
Lily nodded.
“She said if anyone asked, I should tell them you shouted and scared me. She said then I could go to the school in Switzerland.”
Nathaniel carefully asked whether Lily had told anyone else.
“No. I was afraid.”
He held her hand.
“You don't have to protect adults from the truth, Lily. You can tell me when something makes you uncomfortable.”
She studied his face.
“Even if it's someone you love?”
“Especially then.”
That night, Daniel found a draft letter in the files Olivia had provided.
It had been written by Claire and addressed to a private investigator.
The letter requested an examination of a vehicle that had been repaired after a collision several months before Claire's fatal accident.
The investigator's name was written at the bottom.
Thomas Avery.
Marcus searched the name.
Thomas had retired and moved to Arizona.
But his old case archive contained one entry marked urgent.
May you like
The title was brief.
BLACKWOOD VEHICLE — POSSIBLE TAMPERING.
