Chapter 12 - Lake Briar
The dead accountant’s name was Peter Ellis.
Margaret’s son.
Ryan remembered him vaguely.
Twenty-six years old.
Bright.
Quiet.
Working in Mercer Development’s finance department.
He drowned at Lake Briar during a company retreat in 2009.
Celeste had been there.
So had Martin.
So had Daniel Ross.
Ryan had left early for a meeting.
“The accident report said Peter had been drinking,” Ryan told Rebecca.
Rebecca scanned the archived police file.
“Blood alcohol was point-zero-two.”
“That’s not drunk.”
“No.”
Grace read another page.
“Witness said he fell from a dock at midnight.”
“Which witness?”
Rebecca looked up.
“Celeste.”
Ryan sat back.
Everything seemed to bend toward his sister.
They located Margaret through Social Security records and a church forwarding address.
She was living with relatives in Maine.
When Rebecca reached her by phone, Margaret refused to speak until Ryan got on.
“Mr. Ryan?”
Her old voice nearly broke him.
“Margaret.”
“Claire said you might call someday.”
“What happened to Peter?”
Silence.
Then:
“My son found missing vendor payments.”
Ryan closed his eyes.
Even in 2009.
Before the current crisis.
“Celeste was stealing?”
“Small amounts then. Two hundred thousand. Three hundred. She covered gambling losses.”
Ryan froze.
“Gambling?”
Margaret exhaled.
“Private poker. Sports books. She stopped later. Or I thought she did.”
“What happened at Lake Briar?”
“Peter confronted her.”
“And?”
“I don’t know every detail.”
“Margaret.”
“Daniel saw them arguing.”
Ryan contacted Daniel Ross.
The ex-husband agreed to video call.
He looked older than Ryan remembered, sun-browned and uncomfortable.
“I was wondering when this would catch me.”
Ryan stared at him.
“Did Celeste kill Peter Ellis?”
Daniel’s face tightened.
“No.”
“Did she cause his death?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s not good enough.”
Daniel looked away.
“Peter threatened to expose her. Celeste grabbed his laptop. He tried to take it back. They struggled on the dock.”
Ryan’s stomach tightened.
“He fell?”
“He hit the rail and went into the water.”
“Did she push him?”
“I couldn’t tell.”
“Did you help him?”
“I jumped in.”
“Then why did he die?”
“I couldn’t find him.”
Daniel’s voice cracked.
“The lake was black. By the time we found him…”
Ryan said nothing.
“What happened afterward?”
“Martin arrived before police.”
“Of course.”
“He told us it was an accident. Celeste was hysterical.”
“And your affair?”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“I confessed it that same week.”
“Convenient.”
“She used it. Said if I ever talked about Peter, she’d make sure the divorce destroyed me and expose tax issues in my business.”
“Martin paid you three million.”
Daniel nodded.
“For my company shares and an NDA. I told myself Peter’s death really had been accidental.”
“Was it?”
“I don’t know.”
Ryan rubbed his face.
“Where is Margaret’s ledger?”
Daniel’s eyes sharpened.
“She still has it?”
“Claire thought so.”
Daniel said, “Then Celeste will find her.”
Ryan immediately called Margaret back.
No answer.
State police in Maine were contacted.
Officers reached the house forty minutes later.
Margaret was gone.
The back door had been forced.
No blood.
No body.
A neighbor had seen a dark SUV.
Ryan’s fear became fury.
Rebecca stopped him from calling Celeste.
“That is exactly what she wants.”
“I’m done letting lawyers tell me to wait.”
“I’m not telling you to wait. I’m telling you to think.”
Grace stood beside Emma at the hotel window.
Emma held the violin.
She had become quieter.
Ryan noticed.
“What is it?”
Emma looked at him.
“Did Aunt Celeste hurt Grandma Margaret?”
“She’s not your grandmother.”
“She felt like one.”
Ryan crouched.
“We don’t know what happened.”
Emma stared at the bow in her hand.
“Adults say that when something bad happened.”
Ryan had no answer.
His phone rang.
Celeste.
Rebecca shook her head.
Ryan answered anyway.
“Where is Margaret?”
Celeste laughed softly.
“You sound exactly like Claire.”
“Where is she?”
“I don’t have her.”
“Then why call?”
“To offer you a way out.”
“No.”
“You haven’t heard it.”
“I don’t care.”
“You should.”
Celeste’s voice became colder.
“Mercer Development’s lenders will declare default Monday. If they do, thousands of employees become collateral damage in your moral crusade.”
“You stole from Claire.”
“I kept Mercer alive.”
“You stole seven million for yourself.”
Silence.
Then Celeste said, “Evelyn talked.”
“Yes.”
“You think she understands the whole structure?”
“I think she understands enough.”
Celeste lowered her voice.
“Give up the Bellamy litigation. Resign permanently. Transfer your voting shares to a blind trust for five years.”
“And?”
“I return the seven million.”
Ryan laughed in disbelief.
“That’s your offer?”
“And Margaret goes home.”
Every person in the hotel room froze.
Ryan’s voice changed.
“You said you didn’t have her.”
Celeste said nothing.
“Let me speak to Margaret.”
A rustling sound.
Then an old woman’s frightened voice.
“Mr. Ryan?”
Ryan stood.
“Margaret.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Are you hurt?”
“I’m all right.”
Celeste came back.
“Monday. Ten a.m. You sign, or the company collapses.”
“And Margaret?”
“If you sign, she walks.”
Ryan’s hand shook.
“Where are you?”
Celeste hung up.
Grace whispered, “She admitted kidnapping her.”
Rebecca was already saving the call recording.
Ryan looked at Claire’s hidden phone.
Another file had unlocked.
This one contained no message.
Only a photograph.
A red boathouse.
Lake Briar.
May you like
On the back, Claire had written:
SHE ALWAYS GOES BACK TO THE FIRST PLACE SHE GOT AWAY WITH IT.
