Chapter 5: The Man Who Managed the Money
Richard Calloway had always been the kind of man who made other people feel slightly underdressed.
He wore good suits on Saturdays.
He corrected waiters on wine temperatures.
At Claire's funeral, he had delivered the eulogy with the practiced grief of someone who had rehearsed it twice and wanted you to know it.
Daniel had never liked him.
Claire had loved him.
That had always been enough.
It wasn't enough now.
Marcus spread the documents across Daniel's dining room table the following morning.
Nora was in the guest room — Daniel had locked it from the outside, a thing he felt strange about and did anyway.
He'd called the police the previous night.
They had taken the sealed cup and Nora's details and told him someone would follow up.
The officer's tone had suggested that follow up was doing a lot of work in that sentence.
So Daniel had Marcus instead.
"Claire's estate," Marcus said, pointing to the first document.
"Total value at time of death — approximately two point four million.
House, investments, the trust her father left her." He moved to the next page.
"Richard was named executor.
Standard for a sibling when the spouse has no legal background.
You didn't contest it."
"Claire asked me not to," Daniel said.
"She said Richard was good with money."
"He is," Marcus said.
"He's very good with money.
Specifically, he's good at moving it." He laid down a third document.
"Over the past fourteen months, approximately nine hundred thousand dollars has been transferred out of the estate trust in increments small enough to avoid automatic reporting flags."
Daniel stared at the page.
"That's Lily's inheritance."
"Yes."
"He's been stealing from his dead sister's estate."
"The legal term will depend on how the transfers were structured.
But yes." Marcus sat back.
"And if you had d*ed from whatever was in that tea, the remaining estate would have passed to the next of kin under Claire's original will."
Daniel looked up.
"Which is?"
"Richard.
Claire wrote her will before Lily was born.
She never updated it." Marcus paused.
"You were left a spousal provision — the house and a monthly sum.
The remainder of the estate, including the trust, reverts to her brother if you predecease Lily or if Lily is a minor at the time of your death and no guardian has been formally named."
The room was very quiet.
"He needed me gone," Daniel said.
"He needed you gone before you looked at the trust statements," Marcus said.
"Which, as far as I can tell, you haven't done in fourteen months."
Daniel pressed both hands flat on the table.
"I trusted him.
He was her brother.
He came to Lily's birthday.
He brought her a stuffed rabbit."
Marcus said nothing.
There was nothing useful to say.
"Does Nora know all of this?"
"I don't think she knows the full picture," Marcus said.
"I think she was hired to do a job and told enough to do it.
Not enough to understand what she was part of."
Daniel stood and walked to the window.
The garden was bright and ordinary outside.
Lily's bicycle was leaning against the fence where she'd left it two days ago, before any of this.
"Can we prove it?" Daniel asked.
"The financial transfers — yes.
The paper trail is there, he just assumed no one would look." Marcus gathered the documents into a neat stack.
"The rest depends on what was in the cup and what Nora is willing to say."
Daniel turned from the window.
"Then let's go talk to Nora."
He was halfway to the door when his phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
Richard Calloway.
He answered it.
"Daniel." Richard's voice was warm, unhurried.
"I heard there was some trouble at the house yesterday.
Are you and Lily all right?"
Daniel looked at Marcus.
Marcus gave a single slow nod.
"We're fine," Daniel said.
"Everything's fine.
Actually — I was just about to call you.
Can you come over this afternoon?
I need to go over some of the estate paperwork with you."
A half-second pause.
Almost nothing.
"Of course," Richard said.
"I'll be there at three."
The line went quiet.
Daniel set the phone down.
"He already knows," Marcus said.
May you like
"Yes," Daniel said.
"He does."
