Chapter 11 - The Dead Woman Walks In
Nobody moved for several seconds.
Then Richard stood so quickly his chair rolled backward.
"Amelia."
His voice sounded almost convincing.
He stepped toward me with tears already forming.
"Oh my God. You're alive."
I held up one hand.
"Don't touch me."
The room changed.
Richard saw it happen.
Two sheriff's detectives entered behind me.
Daniel tried to leave through the side door.
An officer blocked him.
Richard recovered faster.
"There was an accident. She fell."
"Interesting," I said. "Because the pilot says you paid him."
His eyes flicked toward Daniel.
Tiny mistake.
Everyone saw it.
I sat at the head of the table.
"Before anyone votes on removing me, I'd like the board to hear what Richard did forty-three minutes after my supposed death."
We displayed the access logs from my estate portal.
Then the forged proxy.
Then Claire's emails.
Richard's face hardened.
"This is fabricated."
"All of it?"
"You are emotional. You just survived trauma."
That sentence made something inside me settle.
For years he had used concern as a leash.
Not anymore.
The detectives arrested Daniel for conspiracy and financial crimes tied to the forged documents. Richard was detained for questioning while prosecutors reviewed the attempted murder evidence.
As officers led him toward the door, he leaned close enough for only me to hear.
"You think you won?"
I looked at him.
He smiled.
"Ask Evelyn what she changed in your trust."
Then he was gone.
May you like
I turned toward Evelyn.
She had gone completely still.
