Chapter 13 - The Housekeeper's ConfessionHelen Carter had not slept.
She sat alone in the mansion's staff kitchen, staring at a cup of untouched tea.
The mansion was quieter than she had ever known it.
The birthday decorations had been removed from the garden after officers finished documenting them. Only the enormous cake remained in refrigerated storage, untouched.
At ten the next morning, Helen asked Detective Brooks for another interview.
Sarah and Daniel were not present.
Helen wanted to tell the truth without worrying how they would react.
“I helped Mrs. Evelyn,” she began.
Brooks sat across from her.
“How?”
“I carried furniture into the west-wing room. I washed the blankets. I brought children's books from the attic.”
“Did you know Mia would be confined there?”
“Not at first.”
“When did you suspect?”
Helen wiped her eyes.
“Last Thursday.”
She explained that Evelyn had instructed her to prepare the room for a prolonged stay.
When Helen asked why a child needed a lock on the outside of a bedroom door, Evelyn said the room was being adapted for a behavioral treatment program.
Helen had questioned it.
Evelyn threatened to dismiss her and cancel a supplemental retirement benefit funded through the estate.
Helen had worked for the family for twenty-six years.
She was sixty-one, unmarried, and caring for a younger brother with serious disabilities.
Losing the benefit frightened her.
“So I kept quiet,” she whispered.
Brooks waited.
Helen stared at her hands.
“On Friday, I heard Mrs. Evelyn speaking to Mr. Mercer in the hallway.”
“What did they say?”
“Mr. Mercer said the financing documents weren't enough. He said Daniel could refuse to sign.”
“And Evelyn?”
“She said Daniel would sign anything if he believed it would protect his daughter.”
Brooks wrote down her answer.
“Did she explain how?”
“No. But then she said she was tired of Sarah interfering with the family's future.”
Helen began crying.
“I should've told someone.”
Brooks gave her a moment.
“Did you hear anything else?”
Helen nodded.
“Mrs. Evelyn mentioned a place called Bellweather.”
Brooks looked up.
“Bellweather?”
“Yes. She said it had to be ready before the party.”
“Is that a town?”
“I don't know.”
The detective asked Helen to describe everything she remembered.
By noon, investigators were searching for properties, businesses, and locations connected to the name.
At the same time, Daniel was meeting privately with Rebecca Shaw.
She had brought copies of the company's latest financial statements.
The situation was worse than he realized.
Several questionable consulting fees had been paid to businesses associated with Andrew Mercer.
Some were legitimate service payments.
Others lacked supporting invoices or identifiable work.
Daniel studied the amounts.
“Two hundred thousand dollars. Another hundred and eighty. Why didn't I see this?”
Rebecca looked at him.
“Because you delegated vendor approval authority to Andrew.”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“I trusted him.”
“You trusted him because your mother recommended him.”
Daniel said nothing.
Rebecca continued.
“Trust isn't an internal control.”
He looked at the table.
He had spent years believing that keeping his family comfortable was the same as protecting them.
Now his refusal to confront unpleasant truths had endangered everything he loved.
His phone rang.
It was Sarah.
“They found Bellweather,” she said.
Daniel stood.
“Where?”
“It's a private estate owned by an investment company connected to Mercer.”
“Is Mia there?”
Sarah's voice broke.
“The police are going now.”
For a moment, Daniel felt hope.
May you like
Then Sarah added something that stopped his heart.
“Daniel, they also found an invoice for soundproofing work.”
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