Chapter 11 - The Photograph in the Envelope
The photograph was old, taken at the lake cottage the summer before Emily died. She stood barefoot beside the water, one hand on Lily's shoulder and the other holding a folder against her hip. On the back, in Emily's handwriting, were four words: If anything happens, Ben knows.
Ben Carter came to the house that afternoon. He studied the image, then asked me to show him every message sent from my account while I was away. There were more than I had expected: requests for trust documents, a note to the school asking that Lily be removed from the after-school program, and a draft letter saying I had concerns about Nora's judgment.
"I never sent any of these," I said.
"Someone has access to your email, or to a device that stays logged in. We can prove that. But we need to know why."
He took the photograph to the window and tilted it toward the light. The folder in Emily's hand had a blue tab. I remembered it. She had been collecting records for a charity she planned to launch for children who had lost a parent. After her death, I had assumed the folder was part of the paperwork handled by the estate.
"What if this is not about Lily's trust?" I asked.
Ben looked at me. "Then we need to find out what Emily was trying to protect."
That evening, I searched the locked cabinet in my study. The blue folder was gone. In its place lay a new document, neatly signed with my name, granting Celeste temporary access to the family accounts.
May you like
The signature looked like mine.
Emily had talked about the charity as if it were a second child, something small she hoped to leave behind that would keep helping people after she was gone. I had never followed through on the project. Someone else had taken the name, the accounts, and the good intentions and turned them into cover.
