Chapter 4
The police took the recorder as evidence.
Daniel demanded to hear the rest first.
The officer refused.
“It may be connected to fraud or child endangerment. We need to preserve it.”
“Then tell me whether my daughter is in danger.”
The officer looked at Lily.
“She should stay somewhere Vanessa and Patricia cannot reach.”
We went to my house.
Daniel canceled the reception, the honeymoon, and every account Vanessa could access.
Then he called the bank.
His savings account had been drained that morning.
Eighty-seven thousand dollars was gone.
The bank representative said Daniel had approved the transfer with a security code sent to his phone.
But his phone had been inside his tuxedo jacket while Vanessa helped him dress.
“She planned this,” he whispered.
Lily sat at my kitchen table with untouched soup in front of her.
I knelt beside her.
“When did Vanessa start hurting you?”
She looked toward Daniel.
He had heard the question.
His face crumpled before Lily even answered.
“After Daddy asked her to marry him.”
“How often?”
“When I talked about Mommy. Or when I didn’t call her Mom.”
Daniel covered his mouth.
“I left you alone with her.”
Lily climbed down and wrapped her arms around him.
“She said you would send me away if I told.”
“I would never do that.”
“She showed me the school papers.”
The residential program.
Daniel held her so tightly that she squeaked.
He released her at once and apologized.
A car stopped outside.
We froze.
A woman in a gray suit walked up the driveway.
She introduced herself as Nora Bell from Child Protective Services.
A report had been filed accusing Daniel of abusing Lily.
The complaint said he had struck the child during the wedding.
“That is insane,” I said.
Nora remained calm.
“I need to speak to Lily privately.”
Daniel refused at first.
I persuaded him to cooperate because fighting the investigator would only help Vanessa.
Lily and Nora went into the living room.
Twenty minutes passed.
Daniel paced across the kitchen.
Then Nora returned.
“Lily has described repeated abuse by Vanessa.”
Daniel exhaled.
“But she also described an incident involving you.”
He stopped moving.
“What incident?”
“Three weeks ago, you grabbed her hard enough to leave bruises.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I was in Denver three weeks ago.”
Nora checked her notes.
“Lily said her father did it.”
Lily appeared in the doorway.
“I didn’t say Daddy.”
Nora frowned.
“You said he told you to call him Father.”
Lily nodded.
“Vanessa’s friend.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
“What friend?”
“The man who came when Daddy traveled. Vanessa said he would be my new father if Daddy disappeared.”
Daniel’s phone rang.
It was Detective Ruiz.
He had listened to part of the bedroom recording.
Vanessa and Patricia had discussed a man named Cole.
Cole had been paid to pose as Daniel during several staged incidents.
They planned to create witnesses who would claim Daniel drank, shouted, and hurt Lily.
“Why?” Daniel asked.
“To challenge your fitness as trustee,” Ruiz said. “If Vanessa became Lily’s adoptive mother before you were removed, she could seek control of the trust.”
Daniel looked at his daughter.
“How much did Emma leave her?”
“According to the recovered documents, nearly twelve million dollars.”
I had known the trust was significant.
I had never known the full amount.
Ruiz continued.
“There is another problem. Cole’s car was seen near the wedding venue an hour ago. We haven’t found him.”
A shadow moved outside my kitchen window.
Then the lights went out.
May you like
Lily screamed.
Someone had cut the power.
