The Trial Before the Funeral
Chapter 04 - The Trial Before the Funeral
There was no body, but public opinion did not need one.
Victor told investigators that Noah had argued with Celia about money. Helena produced a statement claiming Celia planned to file for annulment. A neighbor reported hearing raised voices the night before she vanished.
The argument had been real. Noah wanted Celia to stay home instead of meeting an unknown source alone. Celia accused him of trying to control her. Their final conversation ended with the apartment door slamming.
Now every angry word sounded like motive.
Noah was charged with financial fraud and questioned about Celia’s disappearance. He refused Victor’s offer to make the charges disappear in exchange for signing a confession that blamed everything on a “marital dispute.”
Lily visited him at the courthouse holding a folder of hospital invoices.
“Victor never paid these,” she said. “You did.”
“I still married Celia because of his offer.”
“You made a terrible choice,” Lily replied. “That does not mean every choice after it was terrible too.”
Margaret Sloan, the attorney who had requested the meeting, also vanished. Her office was searched, and all client files related to Arthur Eden were missing.
Without the ledgers, Noah had only copies. Victor’s lawyers called them fabricated. Helena took control of the family trust and announced a memorial service for Celia.
Noah was not invited.
He stood outside the church in the rain while guests mourned a woman they had refused to believe. From the steps, Victor watched him with the calm expression of a man whose plan had worked perfectly.
Then an elderly housekeeper named Mrs. Bell approached Noah. She had served the Eden family for forty years.
“Miss Celia left something with me on her wedding morning,” she whispered. “She said I should deliver it only if everyone turned against you.”
Mrs. Bell handed him a small brass key.
“What does it open?”
“A box in the old courthouse archive.”
Before Noah could ask more, two men emerged from a black car. Mrs. Bell slipped into the crowd, and Noah ran through the cemetery to escape them.
The key carried an engraved number: 417.
The following day, Noah’s financial hearing began. Helena, Victor, board members, and former employees filled the cold government room.
An official placed a worn cream-colored case on the table.
Across its lid, written in faded script, were the words:
Celia Eden.
May you like
Noah stared at the box.
The case had been sealed with Arthur Eden’s private mark—and the only person legally authorized to open it was Celia’s husband.
