Chapter 7 - Darius's Watch
Darius claimed the watch had been stolen.
Police did not arrest him.
Not yet.
The watch contained DNA from the intruder.
Not Darius.
The match came back to Peter Lane.
The retired security deputy.
He had returned from Florida two days earlier.
Police found him at a motel.
He admitted altering Catherine's estate access logs.
Howard Kell paid him.
Then Darius paid him again to steal Elena's laptop.
"Why?"
Detective Maya Chen asked.
Peter looked toward Nolan.
"Because the nurse copied the ledger."
"Did you kill Elena Mercer?"
Nolan stopped breathing.
Peter shook his head.
"No."
"Who did?"
"I don't know."
"Was her aneurysm natural?"
Peter looked away.
That was not an answer.
He admitted placing a tracking device on Elena's car before her death.
Howard wanted to know whom she met.
The night before Elena died, she met Catherine.
Then she met someone else.
Grant.
Nolan turned toward him.
Grant stared back.
"I never met her."
Peter insisted.
"Your car was there."
Grant checked his calendar.
He had been in Boston.
Corporate aircraft records proved it.
Someone used a company car registered to him.
Who?
Darius had access.
Then Peter revealed the red-door apartment had a camera system.
Howard removed the recorder after Catherine died.
He never destroyed it.
He kept it for leverage.
"Where?"
Peter whispered.
"His lake house."
Grant stood.
Nolan stood too.
Maya stopped them.
"You are not going anywhere."
Then her phone rang.
May you like
Howard Kell's lake house was already burning.
