Chapter 7 - The Detective Who Closed the Case
Detective Robert Warren had retired to a small town two hours north of the city.
By noon, investigators had confirmed something disturbing.
Three days after Claire’s death, a company linked to Ethan transferred four hundred thousand dollars to a trust controlled by Warren’s wife.
The payment had been disguised as consulting income.
I stared at the documents inside the police station.
“He bought the investigation.”
The detective sitting across from me did not disagree.
Claire’s death had officially been ruled an accident caused by mechanical failure.
No criminal investigation had followed.
The damaged brake line had been listed as ordinary wear.
Now an independent forensic mechanic reviewed the old photographs.
His conclusion came within hours.
The brake line had almost certainly been cut.
I felt physically sick.
While police prepared a warrant for Warren, another problem arrived.
Mercer Holdings’ board called an emergency meeting.
Ethan had filed a motion to temporarily remove me as CEO.
His argument was simple.
I was emotionally compromised.
I was involved in a domestic scandal.
Police had been called to my home.
And I was accusing my own brother of murder.
The petition Victoria and Ethan had prepared against my parental fitness suddenly made sense.
They were attacking my family and company at the same time.
My attorney, Rachel Kim, placed a folder on the table.
“This was planned months ago.”
“How bad?”
“Bad enough that if Ethan gets the board, he can freeze your authority.”
“Can he touch Noah’s trust?”
“Not directly.”
She paused.
“Unless you’re declared incapacitated.”
I stared at her.
“That was the goal.”
“Yes.”
Grace sat beside me.
“And if Daniel died?”
Rachel’s face tightened.
“Ethan becomes one of the temporary trustees until Noah reaches majority.”
The room became quiet.
Everything Claire had warned me about was real.
The wedding had never been the finish line.
It was part of the mechanism.
Victoria would marry me.
She would become Noah’s stepmother.
My mental health would be attacked.
My authority would be stripped.
Then, if something happened to me, Ethan and Victoria would gain a path toward the trust.
My phone rang.
It was the hospital.
I frowned.
The voice on the line spoke quickly.
“Mr. Mercer, your brother Ethan was brought in twenty minutes ago.”
I stood.
“What happened?”
“Possible poisoning.”
Everyone in the room froze.
“Is he conscious?”
“Barely.”
The doctor hesitated.
“He asked for you.”
We arrived under police escort.
Ethan lay in a hospital bed with monitors surrounding him.
He looked smaller than I remembered.
I stood near the doorway.
“You poisoned yourself?”
His eyes opened.
A weak smile appeared.
“You really think I’m that dramatic?”
“Who did it?”
His eyes moved toward Grace.
Then back to me.
“Victoria.”
Grace shook her head.
“She’s in custody.”
Ethan coughed.
“Victoria isn’t the person you should be afraid of.”
I stepped closer.
“Then who?”
He struggled for breath.
“Claire found three people.”
“You.”
“Victoria.”
“And someone else.”
May you like
Ethan’s face twisted with fear.
“The third person is the one who ordered me to stop Claire.”
