Chapter 19 - What Emily Left Behind
The amendment was dated three weeks before Emily died. It claimed she had agreed to let a future spouse manage Lily's trust if I became incapacitated. The signature looked close to hers, but Ben found a problem: the notary listed on the document had retired two years before the date on it.
The county investigator matched the signature to a scan from an old charity filing. Someone had copied it. The amendment had never been valid, but it explained the plan. Celeste and Owen had been trying to create the appearance that Emily wanted them to control the trust. If I married Celeste and later signed the power of attorney, she could have moved money through Rosebridge without raising immediate alarms.
The old dispatch audio finally arrived. It showed that Emily had called for help herself, then lost consciousness before the ambulance arrived. There was no evidence that Owen had caused her medical emergency. But the recording also captured Emily saying, faintly, that she had locked the blue folder in the study and that someone had taken her keys.
The investigator reopened the financial fraud inquiry connected to Rosebridge. Owen agreed to cooperate after being confronted with the access logs. He admitted he had helped Celeste copy documents and disable the pool camera, but claimed he thought the plan was only to frighten Lily and make Nora look careless.
I didn't believe that made him innocent.
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When I told Lily the investigation was moving forward, she asked whether Celeste would come back. I promised I would not let anyone force her into a room or near a pool again. It was a promise I would have to prove every day.
Ben told me the financial review would take months, and the criminal case longer. There would be hearings, paperwork, and days when the truth seemed to move backward. I told him I understood. For once, I was prepared to wait for proof instead of demanding a quick ending.
