Chapter 5 - The Family Name
The technician, Jules Barlow, met Julian and Elena in a conference room at the estate. He had been hired to assemble the tower, not to maintain it, and he looked sick with worry.
"The pedestal has a locking brace and a release pedal, used only when the structure is empty. The cover should have been locked during the event. My four o'clock photo shows it in place; the later photo doesn't."
"Who could have removed it?" Julian asked.
"Anyone with access to the base. But the cover uses a small security screw. It wasn't broken. Someone had the right tool."
Julian rubbed his forehead. "Could the tower have fallen if the pedal was pressed?"
"If the locking pin was already removed, yes. The pedestal would shift, and the top tiers would pull the rest down. Whoever did it would have known the tower was unstable."
The room seemed colder. Elena remembered Noah's words: the shiny thing with his shoe.
Julian asked Jules to preserve every work photo and provide the names of anyone who entered the terrace after setup. Then he called his younger brother.
Adrian arrived wearing a navy suit and the same silver falcon cufflinks he had worn at the gala. He looked irritated, not frightened.
"A display failed. The boy is shaken. We should be helping guests, not staging a family trial."
"Noah says you pressed the pedal," Julian replied.
Adrian laughed once. "Noah says the moon follows our car. He's five."
"Did you go near the pedestal?"
"I walked across the terrace. So did half the staff."
"Did you access the service corridor?"
Adrian's smile faded. "Are you interrogating me?"
"I'm asking you a question."
"Then ask the police. I won't sit here while you let a housekeeper put words in your son's mouth."
He stood to leave. As he passed Elena, he leaned close enough that Julian could not hear.
"You should have stayed out of family business," he whispered.
Elena met his eyes. "Your nephew almost died. It became my business when I caught him."
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Adrian's face tightened, and he walked out.
Julian watched him go. Then he looked at Elena and said, "I think my brother just made the biggest mistake of his life.
