"Thousands of people were your excuse," Ethan replied. "Thirty-two million dollars was your reason."
Marcus pointed at the envelope. "Open it. You are all celebrating a bluff. Julian never had the authorization page."
Nora tore the envelope. It contained blank paper.
Marcus's smile returned.
"A confession obtained by fraud," he said. "A competent lawyer will bury it."
Detective Lena Ortiz stepped from the library. "Not the kidnapping, arson, bribery records, or the original dashcam file already delivered to my office."
Ethan held up Maple's memory card.
Marcus's smile vanished.
Ortiz handcuffed him. "Marcus Vale, you are under arrest."
Charles stared at the floor. "I want immunity."
"You want another locked door," Evelyn said. "For once, you will receive what you earned."
As officers led them away, Marcus turned back.
"You still don't know who told me about the key," he said. "Someone in this house called me before the eighth chime."
Nora looked around the room.
One final betrayal remained.
Chapter 5 - The Eighth Chime
Detective Ortiz sealed Harrow House before midnight. Every guest, employee, and relative from the birthday party was questioned in the drawing room where the cake still stood beneath a glass cover.
"Marcus is trying to divide us," Nora said.
Ethan shook his head. "He knew the exact time Julian told Lily to open Maple. Someone heard it before today."
Lily sat beside Evelyn, wrapped in a blanket.
"Grandpa only told me," she said. "But I told someone else because I was scared I would forget."
Nora knelt. "Who, sweetheart?"
"Mr. Charles. He said he would help me count the clock."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
Ortiz placed Charles's confiscated phone on the table. "His call history was erased, but the estate's private exchange kept a routing log. At seven fifty-three this morning, Charles called Marcus's office."
"Then there is no unknown traitor," Ethan said. "Marcus lied to make us suspect one another. Charles gave him the key, the time, and Lily's fear."
Lily looked at Evelyn. "Is Uncle Charles bad?"
Evelyn took the child's hands. "He did terrible things, and he will answer for them. Loving someone does not require us to hide what they chose."
Nora sat across from Ethan. "I hid what I chose."
"You were threatened."
"I was also ashamed. Marcus's threat explains my silence. It does not repair it."
Ethan watched her struggle to keep her voice steady.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
"Nothing I have not earned. I will correct my testimony. I will tell Lily the truth in words she can understand. I will accept whatever custody arrangement makes her feel safe, even if that means she lives with you."
Lily slid from the sofa. "I want both of you to stop deciding things without me."