Chapter 4
I spent the next morning in my attorney's office.
Lily was safe at the guesthouse with Claire and Nia.
A nurse recommended by the hospital was checking on her, and I had spoken to her twice before breakfast.
She sounded cheerful.
She wanted pancakes.
She wanted her stuffed rabbit.
And she wanted to know whether I would come home before bedtime.
I promised I would.
Then I turned my attention to the documents spread across Michael's desk.
My mother's signature appeared throughout the paperwork.
Trust amendments.
Financial authorizations.
Correspondence with unfamiliar companies.
And several requests for information about my business assets.
I stared at the stack.
“How long has she been doing this?”
Michael adjusted his glasses.
“We're still reviewing the records. But some requests go back several months.”
I leaned back.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Some were sent through an outside attorney. Others were presented as preliminary inquiries.”
He paused.
“Your mother claimed she had your authorization.”
I closed my eyes.
“She didn't.”
“I understand.”
He pushed a different document toward me.
“This is what concerns me most.”
It was a letter from a private financial firm.
The firm had received an application for a substantial loan secured against assets associated with the Bennett family.
I frowned.
“What loan?”
Michael pointed to the amount.
Eight hundred thousand dollars.
My stomach dropped.
“I never requested this.”
“The application was incomplete, and no funds were released. But the firm had enough concerns to contact us.”
I stared at the signature section.
Again, my name appeared.
Again, the handwriting was wrong.
My mother had spent years telling me she wanted to protect our family legacy.
Now she appeared to be using that legacy as collateral for plans I knew nothing about.
“Who was supposed to receive the money?”
Michael turned another page.
“A company called Silverbrook Holdings.”
I had never heard the name.
“Who owns it?”
Michael looked grim.
“Your mother is listed as a manager. There is another person involved.”
“Who?”
He hesitated.
“Victor Lang.”
The name sounded familiar.
Then I remembered.
Victor had attended several dinners at our house over the past year.
My mother introduced him as a financial adviser.
He was a tall, polished man in his fifties who always wore expensive suits and spoke about investments as though success were guaranteed.
I never liked him.
Something about the way he studied our home made me uncomfortable.
He asked too many questions.
About the property.
The company.
My insurance.
But Evelyn insisted he was trustworthy.
“He helped your father years ago,” she told me.
I had no evidence that was true.
“Victor was working with her?” I asked.
Michael nodded.
“Apparently.”
I stood and walked toward the window.
Below us, cars moved through downtown Atlanta.
People went to work.
Bought coffee.
Argued about traffic.
Ordinary lives continued while mine seemed to be collapsing.
My phone rang.
It was Detective Carter.
“Mr. Bennett, we have an update.”
I put the call on speaker so Michael could listen.
“We interviewed both housekeepers. Their statements are consistent with the recording.”
I swallowed.
“What about my mother?”
“She has spoken with investigators. She denies intentionally endangering Lily.”
I stared at the table.
“What does she say happened?”
“She claims she was repairing a loose seam in the jacket.”
I felt anger rise.
“With a needle?”
“That's her explanation.”
“And she put Lily into the water afterward?”
“Yes.”
I shook my head.
Even if she had been repairing the jacket, why hadn't she checked whether it was safe?
Why had she told Lily to keep the needle a secret?
Why had she tried to erase the footage?
Carter continued.
“We're having the jacket examined by a specialist. We also want to understand whether any flotation material was removed.”
I nodded.
“Do whatever you need.”
Then she asked another question.
“Mr. Bennett, does your mother have access to any medication or household chemicals that could affect someone's alertness?”
My heart began pounding.
“Why?”
“We're reviewing the circumstances of the incident and some statements about your daughter's behavior before she entered the pool.”
I gripped the phone.
“What statements?”
“Claire said Lily seemed unusually sleepy earlier that afternoon.”
I remembered the call from Nia.
The fear in her voice.
The way Lily had clung to me at the pool.
I closed my eyes.
“Was my daughter given something?”
“We don't know that. We're reviewing medical records and speaking with the care team.”
I swallowed hard.
“Please tell me as soon as you know.”
After the call, Michael looked at me.
“Arthur, this is serious.”
“I know.”
“You need to make sure Lily is somewhere your mother cannot reach.”
“She is.”
“And you need to review who has access to her medical information and school records.”
I nodded.
We spent the next hour making arrangements.
I informed Lily's school that Evelyn was no longer authorized to collect her.
I changed the security codes at the estate and guesthouse.
I instructed my household staff not to allow my mother access to Lily.
And I asked Michael to begin the process of protecting my assets from unauthorized transactions.
By late afternoon, I was exhausted.
I wanted nothing more than to hold my daughter.
When I arrived at the guesthouse, Lily was sitting at the kitchen table drawing.
She looked up.
“Daddy!”
I opened my arms.
She ran toward me.
I lifted her carefully, mindful of the soreness she still felt after the pool incident.
“What are you drawing?”
She held up a picture.
It showed a small house surrounded by flowers.
Three people stood beside it.
One was me.
One was Lily.
The third was Grace.
My throat tightened.
“That's beautiful.”
Lily pointed at the drawing.
“Mommy is watching us.”
I kissed her forehead.
“I think she'd be proud of you.”
She smiled.
Then her expression changed.
“Daddy, do we have to go back to Grandma's house?”
I sat down.
“Not right now.”
She looked relieved.
“Can we stay here?”
“For as long as we need.”
She leaned against me.
“Good.”
I held her quietly.
Later that evening, after she had fallen asleep, Claire approached me.
“Mr. Bennett, there's something I've been afraid to tell you.”
I looked up.
“What is it?”
She twisted her hands together.
“About three weeks ago, Mrs. Bennett asked me to take Lily to the pool without her life jacket.”
My chest tightened.
“What?”
“I refused. I told her you had strict rules about water safety.”
“What did she say?”
Claire looked frightened.
“She told me I was being insubordinate.”
I stood slowly.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“She threatened to fire me. She said you'd believe her over me.”
I closed my eyes.
My mother had used my authority against the people trying to protect my child.
Claire began crying.
“I'm sorry, sir.”
I shook my head.
“No. You protected Lily.”
I took a breath.
“That's what matters.”
Then she whispered something that made my blood run cold.
“Mrs. Bennett also said Lily wouldn't need the pool rules much longer.”
I stared at her.
“What exactly did she say?”
May you like
Claire swallowed.
“She said, ‘That little girl won't be my problem for much longer.’”
