Chapter 18 - WHEN THE CASTLE LIGHTS WENT OUTWe moved Snow into the library.
No crowd.
No music.
Only Clara, Detective Cross, a bird-behavior specialist, and me.
Parrots do not testify.
They do not understand truth, intent, or context.
Snow’s words could guide investigation.
They could not replace evidence.
The specialist advised us not to pressure him with repeated questions.
We recreated familiar environmental sounds instead.
The three-note ringtone played.
Snow lifted his head.
Nathaniel’s recorded voice said, “Come before the candles.”
The phrase had been obtained from his phone.
Snow rocked gently.
Then he responded in Dr. Hale’s voice.
“Natural at her age.”
The specialist played the classical ringtone.
Snow whistled.
“Paper first. Heart second.”
Clara closed her eyes.
Finally, the combined ringtone from Victoria’s phone played.
Snow became excited.
“Pearl glass!”
Then a male voice:
“Grandmother signs.”
Another male voice:
“What if she won’t?”
Nathaniel’s voice answered.
“Then she doesn’t wake up.”
The room became completely still.
Snow clicked his beak.
“Nathaniel knows.”
It was the first time the bird used his name.
The specialist ended the session.
“That is enough.”
The words matched recorded messages recovered from the burner phone.
Snow’s memory did not create the case.
It connected pieces investigators had already found.
Nathaniel’s own devices contained the evidence that mattered legally.
Searches uncovered transfer schedules, draft statements, the false medical report, and payment promises.
He had researched how quickly his trust distribution would occur after my death.
He had asked whether a death inside a private home required extended review.
He had instructed the doctor to discourage further examination.
No single piece told the whole story.
Together, they did.
The blackout had one final consequence.
The automatic backup system activated every castle recording device.
That included the hidden silver clock.
Although the original clock was in police custody, its network account still existed.
The backup server contained an earlier file.
Recorded two weeks before the party.
Nathaniel and Rebecca stood in the library.
My daughter asked:
“What happens if Mother refuses to sign?”
Nathaniel answered:
“Lawrence will make sure refusal doesn’t matter.”
Rebecca became silent.
Then she said:
“You told me no one would be hurt.”
Nathaniel replied:
“I told you what you needed to hear.”
My daughter had received a warning.
Not the full plan.
Enough to understand danger.
She did not tell me.
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The recording ended with Rebecca asking only one question.
“Do I still get the castle?”
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