Chapter 11 - The Flight That Never Happened
Richard had been in London when the final transfer was supposedly approved. His passport, flight records, and company calendar confirmed it. Someone had used his electronic signature to authorize the payment.
Elaine contacted the bank's fraud team. The transfer was flagged before it cleared, and the funds were frozen pending review. The scheme was no longer only a family dispute. Someone had impersonated Richard to move money.
The security team found that his login token had been accessed from a tablet in Victoria's dressing room. Peter had arranged the device when they first married. Richard had assumed it was used for charity events and household scheduling.
That evening, Victoria appeared at the door of his office. “Peter says you've frozen the foundation accounts.”
“Peter should speak to investigators.”
“You're going to destroy the work Eleanor cared about.”
“Eleanor cared about helping people. She did not care about paying fake companies.”
Victoria stepped closer. “You think this makes you a better husband? You were never here. You barely knew what happened in your own house.”
Richard didn't deny it. “You're right. I wasn't here enough. That's why I should have listened to Maya sooner.”
The answer seemed to surprise her. She had expected him to defend himself or apologize for questioning her.
Instead, he opened the office door. “Stay away from Maya while the investigation is underway.”
“You can't keep me from her.”
“I'm making a safety decision until professionals assess what happened.”
Victoria walked away without another word.
Minutes later, Grace called from upstairs. Maya had found something else in Eleanor's music box: a small photograph with a date written on the back.
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It showed Peter leaving the hospital on the night Eleanor died.
And beside him stood Victoria, months before she claimed to have met the family.
