Chapter 15 - The Wedding That Wasn't Going to Happen
The flight was booked for a private charter departing at 10:40 that night.
Adrian stared at the itinerary.
"Our wedding is Sunday," he said.
Naomi watched him understand what it meant.
"She wasn't planning to marry you," Naomi said gently.
"She was planning to leave before the ceremony."
The reservation dated back three weeks. Celeste had booked it the same day Evelyn refused the first trust proposal.
For weeks, Adrian had been planning vows while Celeste arranged her escape.
He sat down hard.
"She told me she loved the way I took care of Mom."
"You stopped taking care of her when Celeste told you not to worry," Evelyn said from her bed. "That was the part I couldn't understand."
Adrian wiped his eyes.
"I thought I was making your life easier."
"You made it quieter," Evelyn answered. "There is a difference."
Naomi stood to leave them alone, but Evelyn stopped her.
"Stay. You're part of this conversation."
Then Evelyn described something she hadn't told the detective yet. Before the unexplained sleeping spells began, Celeste had insisted on filming a series of interviews about the foundation. She would ask a long question, wait until Evelyn lost her place, then start again.
"She wanted me to look foolish," Evelyn said. "But one time she forgot to stop recording."
"Where is that footage?" Adrian asked.
"On the little tablet I used for video calls. She gave it back when she thought I couldn't operate it."
Naomi remembered charging that tablet in Evelyn's sitting room. Marcus had secured it with the estate devices.
Brooks arranged for investigators to collect it for examination.
That night, she called with the first result.
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The full recording showed Celeste rehearsing Evelyn's answers, interrupting whenever Evelyn spoke clearly, then saying to someone off-camera:
"We only need thirty seconds that make her look gone."
