Chapter 13: The Fire in Lorraine's Study
The smoke was visible before we reached the estate.
A thick black column rose above the roof of the west wing, twisting into the night sky. Red emergency lights flashed across the front gates. Firefighters were already running hoses through the garden.
I jumped out before the car had fully stopped.
“Lorraine's study!”” I shouted.
“The west wing!””
A firefighter blocked my path.
“Sir, you can't go inside.””
“My wife's documents are in there.””
“There's a fire in the building. Nobody goes in until it's safe.””
I grabbed his arm.
“Those documents could prove who started all of this.””
He looked at me, then toward Detective Hayes.
“Keep him back.””
Hayes caught my shoulder.
“Arthur, listen. You won't help anyone if you become another victim.””
I stared at the burning windows.
For eleven months, that room had been the only place where I could still feel close to Lorraine. Her books remained on the shelves. Her reading glasses sat beside the lamp. A small vase of dried lavender stood on the desk.
Now flames were consuming it.
Mrs. Collins came running from the garden.
Her face was pale.
“Mr. Carter!””
I turned.
“Are you hurt?””
“No, sir. I was in the kitchen when I smelled smoke.””
“Did you see anyone?””
She nodded.
“A man.””
“Who?””
“I couldn't see his face. He came through the side entrance wearing a dark jacket. He had something in his hand.””
“What was it?””
“A metal container.””
Detective Hayes stepped closer.
“Did he leave through the same entrance?””
Mrs. Collins shook her head.
“No. He went toward the garage.””
Hayes spoke into his radio.
“Check the garage exits. Get the perimeter secured.””
Mrs. Collins gripped my sleeve.
“There was something else.””
“What?””
“Before he left, he said something.””
I leaned toward her.
“What did he say?””
She swallowed.
“He said, ‘Tell Arthur the papers are gone.’”
I looked at the fire.
My chest tightened.
“Did you recognize his voice?””
She hesitated.
“I believe it was Marcus.””
The firefighters contained the flames after forty minutes.
The west wing was badly damaged, but the main structure remained standing.
Hayes and two investigators entered once the fire commander declared the area safe.
I followed them.
The hallway smelled of wet ash and melted plastic. Pieces of the ceiling had fallen onto the floor. The framed photographs along the wall were blackened.
When we reached Lorraine's study, I stopped.
The door was hanging from one hinge.
Inside, the curtains were gone. The desk had collapsed. Her books had burned into dark, twisted shapes.
I walked toward the place where she used to sit.
“Arthur,” Renee said quietly, “don't touch anything.””
I nodded.
The safe beneath the desk was still there.
Its outer surface was scorched, but the lock appeared intact.
Renee knelt beside it.
“Do you remember the combination?””
I did.
It was our wedding anniversary.
The safe opened with a click.
Inside were several folders, a jewelry box, and a small envelope.
The original trust agreement was missing.
So were two property certificates.
But the envelope remained.
My name was written across it.
Arthur. Open only if the original agreement is gone.
I opened it with trembling fingers.
There was a single page.
My love,
If you are reading this, someone has found the documents I hid in the study. I hoped I was wrong about our children. I wanted to be wrong.
The original agreement is not the only copy.
The trustees have a sealed duplicate, but there is one final document you must find before anyone can claim control of the property.
Look in the place where we began.
The key is with the person who has never asked you for anything.
I read the final sentence again.
“The person who has never asked me for anything,” I whispered.
Renee looked at Mrs. Collins.
The housekeeper's eyes filled with tears.
“Lorraine gave me something,” she said.
She reached into her apron pocket and removed a small brass key.
“She told me to keep it safe. She said I would know when to give it to you.””
I stared at the key.
“Why didn't you tell me?””
“Because she told me not to, sir. Not until the study was destroyed or the original papers disappeared.””
Renee took the key carefully.
“Where does it belong?””
Mrs. Collins looked toward the back garden.
“The old garage.””
I closed my eyes.
The place where Lorraine and I had started.
The place where I had parked my first delivery truck.
The old garage stood at the edge of the estate, untouched since we built the main house.
Inside, dust covered the workbench and the shelves. My first delivery truck was long gone, but I had kept its original brass license plate.
Mrs. Collins walked toward the back wall.
“Your wife came here often during her last months,” she said.
I looked at her.
“Why?””
“She said she wanted to remember where your life together began.””
She pointed to a narrow cabinet beneath the workbench.
The key fit.
Inside was a metal document case.
Renee opened it.
There were three sealed envelopes, a second copy of the trust agreement, and a small digital recorder.
Hayes examined the recorder.
“Is this the original recording Lorraine mentioned?””
Mrs. Collins nodded.
“She said it was the one thing nobody could edit or erase.””
Renee checked the trust agreement.
“This is a certified duplicate.””
She turned the final page.
The three independent trustees had signed it.
Arthur's attorney.
Lorraine's financial adviser.
And the retired federal judge.
Hayes opened the first envelope.
Inside was a list of bank accounts and transfers connected to Meridian Development Partners.
The second contained copies of the original mineral rights documents.
The third had a handwritten label.
For Arthur. Listen before you decide what to do with our children.
I pressed the button on the recorder.
Lorraine's voice filled the garage.
“Arthur, if you've found this, then I was right to be afraid.””
My throat tightened.
“I don't know whether you'll ever hear this while I'm alive. I hope you do. I hope we have time to laugh about how suspicious I became.””
There was a pause.
Then she continued.
“Daniel believes money can solve every problem. Marcus believes loyalty means obedience. Brielle believes that if she stays quiet, the people she loves will protect her.””
I closed my eyes.
“But none of them understands what they've done.””
A second voice appeared.
Daniel's.
“Where is the original trust agreement?””
Lorraine answered.
“You'll never find it.””
“Mom, don't make this difficult.””
“It's already difficult. You made it that way.””
Another voice.
Marcus.
“Daniel, we should leave.””
Daniel ignored him.
“Tell us where the documents are.””
Lorraine's voice became firmer.
“No.””
Then came a sound.
A chair moving.
And Daniel's next words.
“If you won't protect this family, we'll find someone who will.””
The recording stopped.
I looked at Hayes.
“That's enough to arrest them?””
“It's significant evidence. We'll need to authenticate it and establish the circumstances, but combined with the other records, it strengthens the case considerably.””
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke quietly.
“Mr. Carter, this is Dr. Voss.””
I looked at Renee.
“Why are you calling me?””
“Because I think Daniel has gone too far.””
“You helped him.””
“I know.””
“You signed a false medical assessment. You forged your way into my wife's records.””
“I can explain.””
“Then explain it to Detective Hayes.””
There was a long silence.
Then Voss whispered:
“Daniel wasn't the one who arranged Lorraine's final medication order.””
I felt the air leave my lungs.
“Who was?””
Voss took a breath.
“Your son didn't act alone.””
Before I could answer, the line went dead.
Hayes immediately called his team.
“Locate Dr. Voss. We need him alive and under protection.””
I stared at the recorder.
For eleven months, I had believed the worst thing my children had done was steal from their mother.
May you like
Now I was beginning to understand that someone else had helped them.
And that person might still be close enough to hurt us.
