Chapter 17 - Marianne Keene Had Access Before Walter Ever DidMarianne Keene had been almost invisible in the Hartwell story.
That was precisely why she mattered.
She attended funerals.
Christmas galas.
Foundation events.
Always beside Walter.
Never involved in business.
At least, that was what everyone assumed.
Cordelia remembered differently.
"Joanna hired Marianne in 1998."
Malcolm had been a teenager.
"She managed your mother's correspondence, charitable accounts, travel."
Cassandra frowned.
"I remember her."
"Did Mom trust her?"
"At first."
"What changed?"
Cordelia thought.
"Joanna discovered Marianne had shared internal foundation paperwork with Walter before they were married."
Malcolm stared.
"So Walter's access began through her."
"Possibly."
"Why wasn't she fired?"
"She was."
"When?"
"Months before your mother's diagnosis."
Malcolm had no memory.
Family staff changed constantly in those years.
"Then she married Walter."
"Yes."
"Did Dad know why Mom fired her?"
"I think so."
"Then he kept Walter as counsel anyway."
Cordelia nodded.
Again, Frederick's fatal confidence in containment.
Investigators examined old records.
Marianne had access to Frederick's signature scans through Joanna's files.
Walter later gained legal-system access.
Together, they could bridge personal and corporate records.
But did Marianne still participate years later?
Financial records answered.
Meridian's first distribution did not go to Walter's children.
It went to a trust established for Marianne.
$250,000.
Then more.
Over the years, millions.
Walter's letter said find the first recipient.
Marianne.
She had been benefiting since the beginning.
Detective Pierce located her at a family residence in Maine.
She returned with counsel.
She denied switching Frederick's medication.
Denied involvement in forged amendments.
Admitted receiving money.
"Why?" investigators asked.
Walter told her the payments were deferred compensation.
"For what work?"
Historical consulting.
No contracts.
No invoices matching amounts.
Then investigators asked about Joanna.
Marianne's composure changed.
Joanna had discovered her sharing documents.
Why?
Marianne claimed Walter asked because he represented Frederick.
"But you were Joanna's employee."
"Yes."
"You gave her husband's attorney private records without her consent."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I thought family business was shared."
Again, boundaries treated as inconveniences.
Then the twelve-million-dollar attempt.
Marianne admitted she provided Walter with the source signature file used in the authorization.
"Did you know Frederick hadn't approved?"
"I thought he had."
"Who told you?"
"Walter."
The same structure.
Everyone claiming Walter said it was legitimate.
Then:
"Did you visit Frederick the week before he died?"
Marianne hesitated.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"He asked me to."
"About what?"
"Joanna."
Malcolm's chest tightened.
"What did he want?"
"He had found her old binder."
"The one in Cassandra's house?"
"Yes."
"He believed I had been part of the original transfer."
"Were you?"
"I gave Walter documents. I did not know what he intended."
Possible.
Then Frederick's line:
You already took enough from Joanna.
"What did he mean?"
Marianne's eyes filled.
"He blamed me for destroying their marriage."
Malcolm frowned.
His parents hadn't seemed separated.
But Cordelia later explained.
During Joanna's final year, she and Frederick had fought constantly over his refusal to expose Walter.
Joanna believed Frederick chose reputation over her trust.
Marianne became the symbol.
"Did you touch his medication?"
"No."
"Did Walter?"
"I don't know."
But then investigators confronted her with security footage recovered from a pharmacy-adjacent office camera.
Walter entering his office carrying Declan's pharmacy bag.
Marianne arriving fifteen minutes later.
Both leaving.
The bag with Walter.
She looked at the image.
Then closed her eyes.
"What?"
Detective Pierce asked.
"I saw the bottle."
Malcolm's pulse changed.
"What happened?"
"Walter took it out."
"Why?"
"He said Frederick wanted him to verify the label for a legal-capacity issue."
"Did he open it?"
"Yes."
"What did he do?"
Marianne's attorney intervened.
She requested a break.
When she returned, she changed her answer.
"Walter replaced the bottle in the bag."
"Did you see him alter the contents?"
"No."
"Did he have another container?"
Marianne looked down.
"I don't remember."
That could be true.
Could be fear.
Investigators had enough to increase pressure.
Walter remained missing.
Then Marianne offered something unexpected.
"I know where he is."
Malcolm stared.
"Where?"
"He has a house in Vermont under another name."
Detective Pierce arranged coordination.
Before officers left, Marianne asked to speak privately through attorneys.
She looked at Malcolm.
"Walter didn't mean for Frederick to die."
Malcolm's body went still.
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"How?"
"Because the pills weren't meant to kill him."
The room froze.
Malcolm's voice lowered.
"Then what were they meant to do?"
Marianne began crying.
"Make him confused."
No one asked how.
No operational detail was needed.
"Why?"
"So Walter could argue Frederick lacked reliable memory if he challenged the amendment."
Malcolm felt sick.
"Did Walter put them in the bottle?"
Marianne shook her head.
"I didn't see him do it."
"But you knew?"
"Later."
"When?"
"After Frederick died."
"What did Walter say?"
"That everything had gone wrong."
Malcolm stared.
"Who changed the medication?"
Marianne whispered:
"He said he had someone do it."
"Who?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I swear."
Then Cassandra asked the question Malcolm hadn't considered.
"Why did Walter need Frederick confused after the amendment was already filed?"
Marianne looked at her.
"Because Frederick was going to prove the signature was fake."
Silence.
"He didn't need Frederick to sign anything," she continued.
"He needed everyone to doubt Frederick when he said he hadn't."
That was more believable than a dramatic forced signing.
Alter memory.
Undermine testimony.
Then Frederick fell.
Accident after intentional impairment.
If proven, the legal consequences would still be enormous.
Marianne covered her face.
"I should have told someone."
Malcolm stared.
"Yes."
Then Detective Pierce received an update from Vermont.
Walter's property had been found.
Walter was not there.
But officers discovered a locked cabinet.
Inside—
Frederick's missing Meridian drive.
Samuel Price's laboratory report.
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And a stack of unsigned letters.
The top one was addressed to Harrison.
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