Chapter 4 - WHAT ANNA KNEW
Anna had died two years earlier after a sudden brain aneurysm.
There had been no suspicious circumstances.
No unexplained accident.
No mysterious stranger.
One moment she had been making coffee in our kitchen.
The next she was on the floor.
She never woke up.
For two years, I had forced myself to accept that some tragedies had no villain.
Now someone was telling me Anna knew money was disappearing before she died.
Detective Collins studied the photograph.
“Do you recognize where this was taken?”
“Sloan & Mercer Legal.”
“Our family attorney’s office.”
“Robert Sloan?”
I nodded.
Robert had handled Anna’s parents’ estate.
He had also helped me manage the trust after Anna died.
Collins looked at Reed.
“Contact him.”
I called first.
Robert answered on the second ring.
His familiar voice almost made me feel safe.
Almost.
“Daniel, I heard about Lily.”
“Is she all right?”
“She’s alive.”
“Thank God.”
“Robert, did Anna know money was missing from Lily’s trust before she died?”
Silence.
Not confusion.
Silence.
That terrified me more than anything.
“Who told you that?”
“You didn’t answer.”
Robert lowered his voice.
“This is not a conversation we should have over the phone.”
“That sounds like yes.”
“Daniel.”
“Did my wife know?”
“Yes.”
One word.
And suddenly the room felt smaller.
Robert explained that Anna had noticed irregular transfers six weeks before her death.
At first, she suspected an accounting error.
Then she discovered paperwork bearing signatures she had never made.
“She was furious,” Robert said.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“She asked me not to.”
“Why?”
“Because Michael was involved.”
I stopped breathing.
Robert continued.
“She confronted him.”
“He claimed someone had stolen his login information.”
“Anna didn’t believe him.”
“She planned to remove him from every document connected to Lily’s inheritance.”
I looked at Collins.
“When?”
“The following Monday.”
Anna died Saturday morning.
The room went silent.
Robert seemed to realize how that sounded.
“Daniel, her death was natural.”
“I know.”
“The medical examiner confirmed it.”
“I know.”
But grief has a terrible way of making coincidence feel like conspiracy.
Collins shook her head subtly, reminding me not to jump beyond the evidence.
“What happened to the investigation into the transfers?” I asked.
Robert hesitated.
“Evelyn convinced me to wait.”
My jaw tightened.
“Why?”
“She said Anna had been under emotional strain.”
“She said pursuing the issue immediately after her death would destroy the family.”
“And you listened?”
“I made a mistake.”
“No, Robert.”
“You made a choice.”
Before he could answer, Lily stirred in the bed.
She opened her eyes.
“Dad?”
I moved beside her.
“I’m here.”
She looked toward Detective Collins.
Then at the photograph of Anna and Michael.
Her face changed.
“I’ve seen that picture.”
I froze.
“Where?”
“Uncle Mike has one.”
She rubbed her eyes.
“It was inside his blue folder.”
May you like
“What blue folder?”
“The one he told me never to touch.”
