Chapter 9 - The Money in Lucille’s AccountLucille arrived at the mansion at 6:05 a.m. with Detective Bell.
Not arrested.
Not yet.
She had agreed to answer questions.
Camryn waited in Nolan’s study.
Avery remained upstairs.
Lucille entered.
Her eyes immediately moved to the open blue-drive files.
“You found it.”
Camryn laughed softly.
“You knew about the drive?”
“No.”
“Your face says otherwise.”
Lucille sat.
Detective Bell remained near the door.
Rachel placed the bank records on the desk.
“Six hundred twenty thousand dollars.”
Lucille didn't touch them.
Camryn asked:
“What did Everett pay you for?”
“He didn't.”
“Money from the same consulting network paying him entered your account.”
“It was family money.”
“For what?”
Lucille looked away.
Camryn's anger rose.
“You drugged me.”
Silence.
“You filed for guardianship.”
Silence.
“You hurt Avery.”
Lucille flinched.
“And now I find out you were receiving money from the company Everett wants us to merge with.”
“It wasn't payment for Avery.”
“What was it payment for?”
Lucille finally looked at her.
“My shares.”
Rachel frowned.
“You sold shares?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“A future agreement.”
Crestline promised Lucille a personal advisory payment after the merger.
The $620,000 were advances.
She had told herself the money was legitimate consulting compensation.
Camryn almost laughed.
“What did you consult on?”
“Family governance.”
“You mean how to get me out.”
Lucille’s face tightened.
“I believed the merger was necessary.”
“Why?”
“Because Nolan was destroying the company with fear.”
“He found hidden safety data.”
“I didn't know that.”
“Did you ask?”
Lucille didn't answer.
Camryn leaned closer.
“Did you ask Everett why someone was paying you hundreds of thousands of dollars?”
“No.”
“Because you didn't want the answer.”
Lucille's eyes filled.
“I have spent forty years protecting this family.”
Camryn felt no sympathy.
“You almost destroyed your granddaughter to protect a company.”
Lucille looked toward the hallway.
“Don't call her that.”
The room went still.
Camryn stared.
“She is your granddaughter.”
Lucille shook her head.
“Nolan may be her father.”
“May?”
“The test proves it.”
“I know what it proves.”
“Then what is wrong with you?”
Lucille stood.
“You think blood is the only thing that makes family?”
Camryn almost laughed at the hypocrisy.
“Coming from you?”
Lucille's expression twisted.
“Nolan changed after he met you.”
“Good.”
“He stopped listening.”
“To you.”
“He abandoned everything his father built.”
“He became his own man.”
“He gave control to a woman who had no idea how the company worked.”
Camryn stepped closer.
“He trusted me more than he trusted you.”
That landed.
Lucille's eyes flashed.
“And that is why he died leaving chaos.”
Camryn froze.
“What did you say?”
Detective Bell looked up.
Lucille realized the phrasing.
“I meant—”
“What did you mean?”
“Nolan died and left a mess.”
“No.”
Camryn's pulse raced.
“You said that is why he died.”
“I misspoke.”
Rachel watched Lucille carefully.
Nolan died in a highway crash.
His SUV hydroplaned on a stormy interstate.
No evidence of foul play.
Camryn had never questioned it.
Until now.
“Did Everett have anything to do with Nolan's accident?”
Lucille looked genuinely shocked.
“No.”
“Did you?”
“No!”
The force sounded real.
Camryn believed it.
For now.
Lucille sat again.
“Nolan's death was an accident.”
“You're sure?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Because Everett was with me when it happened.”
That didn't prove anything.
But Lucille continued.
“We were at a charity dinner. Hundreds of people.”
“Could someone else—”
“No.”
Lucille's face softened for the first time.
“I lost my son too.”
Camryn hated that they shared that grief.
It was still true.
Then Lucille looked toward the blue files.
“Nolan should have told me.”
“What?”
“The Crestline evidence.”
“You would have told Everett.”
Lucille didn't answer.
Exactly.
Camryn returned to the important question.
“Why Avery?”
Lucille's jaw tightened.
“What about her?”
“You didn't need to hurt her to file against me.”
Silence.
“You could have fabricated evidence and gone to court without ever touching her.”
Lucille looked down.
“So why did you?”
The answer came slowly.
“Because she knew.”
“Knew what?”
Lucille’s fingers tightened together.
“She heard Everett and me.”
Avery had overheard the conversation about making Camryn appear unstable.
Lucille realized it yesterday.
Avery confronted her.
Not understanding corporate details.
Only that Grandma and Uncle Everett were “doing something bad to Mom.”
“She said she was going to tell you.”
Camryn felt sick.
“So you punished her.”
“I panicked.”
“You terrorized her.”
“I didn't intend—”
“Stop.”
Camryn's voice shook.
“You don't get to turn what you did into an accident.”
Lucille began crying.
“I wanted her to understand she couldn't repeat everything she heard.”
“She is eight.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Camryn pointed toward the hallway.
“If you knew, you would have been the adult.”
Lucille cried harder.
Camryn didn't care.
Then Detective Bell's phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
His expression changed.
“Gerald’s escort just reached Tennessee.”
Rachel stood.
“Good.”
Bell held up a hand.
“No.”
Everyone froze.
“What?”
“They found his car.”
Camryn's stomach dropped.
“Where's Gerald?”
“Gone.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“Vehicle abandoned near the state line.”
“Was there blood?”
“No.”
“Phone?”
“Inside.”
Rachel's face tightened.
“The documents?”
Bell shook his head.
“Not in the car.”
Camryn looked at Lucille.
Lucille went pale.
“I didn't do anything.”
Camryn believed her.
Everett.
May you like
The original Section Twelve was now missing.
And the board vote began in less than three hours.
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