Chapter 6 - THE FILE IN THE GREENHOUSE
The detective returned to the estate that afternoon with a warrant.
The search focused on Sophia’s dressing room, the medication cabinet,
and the home office she shared with Adrian during their late-night
visits.
Investigators found duplicate prescription labels, a notebook containing
dates and observations about Ethan’s symptoms, and printed emails
between Sophia and Adrian.
The emails revealed the plan.
They had intended to make Ethan appear increasingly incapable of
managing Hale Meridian. Once the board approved temporary control,
Adrian would restructure the company and transfer valuable assets into
entities he controlled. Sophia would receive a large payment and a
position on the family trust.
But the most disturbing document was a draft letter addressed to Ethan’s
physician.
It falsely described episodes of confusion that had never occurred.
The letter was intended to support a permanent incapacity petition.
The detective showed Ethan the document.
“They were building a record,” she said. “They wanted every decline to
look like proof that you could no longer make decisions.”
Ethan felt sick.
“Was the crash part of it?”
“We haven’t found evidence connecting them to the accident. We are
investigating, but I won’t tell you something we can’t prove.”
He appreciated that.
Later, he asked to see Maya and Lila.
They came to the garden with Samuel. Maya brought a small paper bag.
“I made you something,” she said.
Inside was a yellow paper star with a message written across it: KEEP
GOING.
Ethan smiled.
“I think I needed this.”
Maya looked at the greenhouse.
“Mom says they’re letting her work again.”
“Your mother was never supposed to lose those hours.”
Lila shook her head. “I only did what I thought was right.”
“And you were right.”
Samuel approached.
“There’s something else you should know. Maya told me she saw Sophia
carrying a small envelope into the greenhouse the day before she found
the pill. I didn’t mention it earlier because I didn’t know whether it
mattered.”
The detective, who had remained nearby, turned toward him.
“What kind of envelope?”
“Brown. No name on it.”
They searched the greenhouse with permission. Beneath a loose panel near
the potting bench, investigators found a sealed envelope containing a
second phone and a handwritten list of dates.
The phone held messages between Sophia and Adrian.
One message, sent two days before the crash, read:
“Once he can’t attend the review, the board will have no choice.”
The detective photographed the screen.
May you like
Ethan read it twice.
The investigation had just moved beyond the months after his accident.
