Chapter 7 - THE DEVICE IN THE KEY CASEThe electronic device was no larger than a coin.
Detective Bennett sent the image to an automotive specialist.
He identified it as a wireless diagnostic transmitter.
Connected correctly, it could communicate with a vehicle’s internal control system.
Modern cars used electronic signals for braking assistance, steering, and stability control.
The device alone could not prove sabotage.
But it could have allowed someone with specialized equipment to interfere with Anna’s car.
The technician enhanced the hidden-camera footage.
Celeste’s face was clearly visible.
So was Richard’s reflection in the bedroom mirror.
He stood in the doorway giving her instructions.
Ethan turned away from the screen.
For two years, he had thanked Celeste for helping him survive Anna’s death.
She had brought meals to the house.
She had read stories to Sophie.
She had attended Anna’s memorial service and cried in the front row.
Every act of kindness had been part of a larger plan.
Detective Bennett received an update from the private airport.
Celeste and Richard had not boarded the Zurich flight.
Their luggage was found inside an empty hangar.
A charter pilot reported that Richard offered him cash for an immediate flight to Montreal.
The pilot refused because the aircraft lacked international clearance.
Celeste and Richard left in a stolen vehicle.
Police issued warrants for fraud, attempted kidnapping, and identity crimes.
Murder charges would require stronger evidence.
Ethan contacted Mercer Holdings.
The missing forty-eight million dollars had been routed through six accounts.
The final destination was a bank in Liechtenstein.
Richard had used Ethan’s executive authorization code.
Only three people knew that code.
Ethan, Richard, and Celeste.
The company’s security director, Noah Grant, traced the login.
It came from inside the mansion.
The transaction occurred while Ethan was freeing Sophie from the suitcase.
The locked child had been a distraction.
Richard transferred the money while Celeste prepared the passports.
“They expected you to come home later,” Noah said.
“Why?”
“Your return flight was scheduled for midnight.”
Ethan remembered the business trip that had brought him to Boston.
The meeting was canceled unexpectedly.
He decided to return home without informing anyone.
That decision saved Sophie.
Noah’s voice became tense.
“There is something else.”
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“Richard changed your flight reservation yesterday.”
“He placed you on an aircraft that suffered a mechanical failure this afternoon.”
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