Chapter 5 - MARGOT’S FIRST LIEMargot’s first lie had been simple.
“I never went near garage.”
Everything after grew around it.
Elise agreed to see her mother on day six.
Not Cedarwick.
Attorney office conference room.
Officer not present because not interrogation.
Elise brought Declan but asked him wait outside.
Margot wore no lavender suit.
Gray slacks.
White blouse.
No pearls.
She looked older.
Elise sat.
“No touching.”
Margot nodded.
“I understand.”
“Start with lie.”
“I was afraid.”
“No.”
“Start facts.”
Margot swallowed.
“I hired Theresa Mallory, who called herself Tamsin Reed.”
“I asked her investigate Declan.”
“Why?”
“I distrusted him.”
“Because?”
“He wanted you to change prenuptial structure.”
Elise frowned.
Declan had suggested independent lawyers revise because current trust penalized marriage? He wanted protect Elise too. Margot framed.
“He suggested fair agreement.”
“I thought he was positioning.”
“You always think people want Cedarwick.”
Margot looked away.
“What then?”
“She found nothing concerning.”
“I became frustrated.”
“So you asked her create something.”
“Yes.”
“What?”
“An incident showing event security weakness.”
“Poppy?”
Margot cried.
“I did not initially say Poppy.”
“Initially.”
“I said perhaps an unattended bag, gate, stranger entering.”
“Theresa said those were easy to dismiss.”
“She said real fear would change your mind.”
Elise stared.
“What did you say?”
“I told her absolutely no harm.”
“Did you say she could involve my daughter?”
Margot hesitated.
Elise stood.
“Answer.”
“Yes.”
The word crushed.
Margot began:
“I thought she would lead Poppy around garage and return immediately.”
“You authorized stranger to take my four-year-old from party.”
“I thought it would look like wandering.”
“You wanted me to believe she disappeared.”
“For minutes.”
Elise laughed without humor.
“You wanted me to feel what I felt.”
Margot cried.
“No.”
“You wanted fear.”
“Same thing.”
“I did not expect cloth.”
“Restraints.”
“Bin.”
“But you watched Poppy walk with her.”
“Yes.”
“And did nothing.”
“Yes.”
“Why first lie?”
“Because once I saw how she was found, I knew plan had become something criminal.”
“It was already.”
“Yes.”
Margot finally.
“What did Nolan do?”
Margot looked down.
There.
“You’re still protecting.”
“He told me he wanted wedding postponed.”
“Why?”
“He said Declan would gain influence over Cedarwick trust.”
“Elise laughed.
“Declan has zero control over Wexler family trust.”
“Nolan believed marriage triggered trustee shift.”
“Does it?”
Margot:
“Some provisions.”
“What provisions?”
“When you marry, your share becomes independently administered by outside trustee rather than family-managed structure.”
Elise stared.
She knew some but not significance.
Currently Nolan had management authority over certain family properties as co-trustee with Margot.
After Elise marriage, her share segregated and an independent bank trustee would replace Nolan in decisions over assets attributable to her.
Nolan losing leverage.
“How much debt?”
Margot closed eyes.
“What debt?”
“Nolan.”
“I don’t know exact.”
“That’s lie.”
Margot whispered:
“Six million.”
Elise felt floor.
“What?”
“Loans.”
“Business investments.”
“He used expected management fees and family asset access.”
“Did he pledge trust property?”
“Not legally.”
“He represented future control to lenders.”
“And my marriage threatens.”
“Yes.”
“So he needed delay.”
“Yes.”
“Did he pay Theresa?”
“I learned morning party.”
“How?”
“He told me.”
“When?”
“On path.”
The photograph.
“He said he’d given Theresa additional instructions.”
“What?”
Margot’s voice shook.
“To make incident more convincing.”
Elise’s hands went cold.
“What does that mean?”
“He wouldn’t tell.”
“I told him cancel.”
“Did you?”
“I told him right there.”
“Then why not run to Poppy?”
“I saw Theresa with her.”
“Nolan said she’d return in five minutes.”
“I believed.”
Elise stared.
“You believed son who just admitted altering plan.”
“Yes.”
“Because?”
Margot cried.
“Because I wanted believe nothing terrible could happen.”
Elise stood.
“That is cowardice.”
“Yes.”
“Then Poppy disappeared.”
“You still said nothing.”
“I panicked.”
“Who were you protecting?”
“Nolan.”
The word came.
Finally.
Elise’s eyes burned.
“Not Poppy.”
Margot’s face collapsed.
“No.”
“You were more afraid Nolan would be arrested than Poppy had just been tied in a bin.”
“I was terrified for both.”
“But you chose silence for one.”
“Yes.”
Elise walked toward door.
Margot called:
“Elise.”
She stopped.
“I am sorry.”
Elise turned.
“Sorry is not answer.”
“What do you want?”
“The truth before police drag it out.”
“You have.”
“Not all.”
Margot knew.
Elise saw.
“What else?”
Margot whispered:
“Nolan said Theresa had another client.”
“Who?”
“He wouldn’t say.”
New.
Someone beyond?
Or bluff.
Elise left.
Outside, Declan stood.
She told.
He asked:
“Do you believe another client?”
“I believe Mom believes.”
“Same not fact.”
“Yes.”
Good.
Police later determined Nolan himself was second payer.
No third client.
He had told Margot “another client” to hide his role.
Margot suspected but chose not press.
Again.
Her first lie was not only to police.
It was to herself:
May you like
I can control consequences after manipulating fear.
She could not.
Related Stories
