Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
Three days after the patio incident, Vincent received a phone call from an unfamiliar number.
“Mr. Stallone?” a woman asked. “My name is Denise Walker. I used to work as a nanny for Daniel and Claire.”
“Why are you calling me?”
“Because I saw things I should have reported.”
Vincent asked to meet her in a public place. He informed Rebecca of the call and agreed to follow her guidance before taking any action.
Denise arrived at a quiet café carrying a folder.
She looked nervous.
“I left because Claire told me I would never work in this city again if I talked about what happened in that house.”
“What happened?”
Denise opened the folder. Inside were copies of text messages, notes about Mia’s daily routine, and several photographs of the red room.
“I was hired to care for Mia,” she said. “But Claire wanted me to teach her not to cry.”
“How?”
“She told me to ignore her when she was upset. She said a child who receives comfort becomes manipulative.”
Vincent’s jaw tightened.
“Did you see Claire strike her?”
Denise hesitated.
“I saw her slap Mia's hand away when she reached for food. I saw her grab her arm. I heard her shout at her. I didn't see everything, and I can't tell you what happened when I wasn't there.”
“Why didn't you report it?”
“Because I was afraid. Claire said she knew people in the courts. She told me Daniel would lose his daughter if I made trouble.”
Denise's shame was evident.
“I should have done something sooner.”
Vincent did not excuse her failure, but he understood that fear could silence people who wanted to help.
“Will you tell Rebecca what you've told me?”
Denise nodded.
“I will.”
She also revealed that Claire had been pressuring Daniel to change his will and his daughter's guardianship arrangements.
“She said Mia needed a stricter home,” Denise explained. “She wanted to send her to a residential school when she turned five.”
“Why?”
“I don't know. But she kept talking about money.”
Daniel had inherited a substantial trust from his mother. The trust was intended to provide for Mia's education and welfare, with Vincent serving as an independent adviser until Daniel reached a certain age under the estate's original terms.
After Margaret's death, Daniel had become the primary trustee.
Vincent had never questioned his son's decisions.
He had assumed the trust was being managed properly.
That afternoon, he contacted the independent attorney who administered Margaret's estate.
The attorney reviewed the latest documents and discovered several proposed amendments. If approved, they would have granted Claire considerable influence over decisions involving Mia and the trust.
The amendments had not been finalized.
But the signatures and dates raised questions.
“Did Daniel request these changes?” Vincent asked.
“We need to verify that,” the attorney replied. “Some of the documents appear to have been prepared by an outside firm.”
“Which firm?”
The attorney gave him the name.
It belonged to a company owned by Claire's brother.
Vincent closed his eyes.
The family had not only failed Mia emotionally. Someone might also have been trying to gain control of the money intended for her future.
When Rebecca interviewed Denise, the former nanny's account supported several concerns already raised by Mia. It did not establish every allegation, but it gave investigators another reason to examine the household's practices.
Daniel reacted furiously.
“You're destroying my family!” he shouted at Vincent over the phone.
“No, Daniel. I'm refusing to pretend nothing happened.”
“You always thought I was weak.”
“I thought you were better than this.”
Silence followed.
Then Daniel said, “You don't know what Claire has done for me.”
Vincent leaned against his desk.
“Then tell me.”
His son hung up.
That evening, a courier delivered a letter from Claire's attorney demanding that Vincent cease contacting Daniel and refrain from discussing the family with anyone.
Vincent read it twice.
He then forwarded it to Rebecca and his own lawyer.
He would not threaten Claire, and he would not use his influence to bypass the process.
But he would not disappear again.
The next morning, Denise called with one more piece of information.
“Mr. Stallone, I found an old voice message on my phone. I think you need to hear it.”
The recording began with Claire's voice.
May you like
Then Daniel spoke.
And what he said changed Vincent's understanding of his son completely.
