Chapter 4 - Emily's Last Week
Daniel left the hospital the next afternoon.
Not because he was fully recovered.
Because he refused to stay away from Lily.
Rosalie brought her into the room before they left.
Lily ran straight into Daniel's arms.
"Daddy."
He held her so tightly Rosalie had to remind him to let the child breathe.
"I'm okay."
Lily touched his chest.
"Nora medicine."
Daniel looked at Rosalie.
"Don't question her."
"I haven't."
He contacted a child-development specialist.
Lily was too young for formal testimony in the way an older child might give it.
But simple observations still mattered.
The specialist allowed Lily to identify objects.
A cup.
A medicine bottle.
A photograph of Nora.
A photograph of Emily.
Lily repeatedly pointed to Nora when shown medicine.
Then Emily.
It wasn't proof by itself.
But it was enough for investigators to dig deeper.
Emily's medical records were reviewed.
One detail stood out.
During the final three weeks of her life, she had suffered repeated unexplained low blood pressure and irregular heart rhythms.
Daniel sat across from Detective Mills.
"Could it have been the same medication?"
"We don't know yet."
"Can you find out?"
"We're trying."
Then Daniel remembered something.
Emily had kept a diary.
Not a private emotional journal.
A simple planner where she recorded Lily's meals, doctor visits, bills, and household notes.
Daniel hadn't opened it since her death.
Rosalie found it in a storage box.
The final pages were mostly ordinary.
Then a pattern appeared.
**Tuesday — Nora brought tea. Felt dizzy after lunch.**
**Thursday — Nora picked up prescription. Strange metallic taste.**
**Saturday — Daniel away. Nora stayed late. Heart racing again.**
Daniel's hands began to shake.
Michael read over his shoulder.
"She noticed."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
Then Daniel turned the page.
One final entry.
Written three days before Emily collapsed.
**I think someone is putting something in my drinks. I don't want to scare Daniel until I'm sure.**
Daniel covered his mouth.
He couldn't breathe.
Michael looked away.
There was more.
**Nora keeps asking what happens to Lily if something happens to both of us. I told her Rosalie would take her. Nora looked angry.**
Daniel stared at that sentence.
Not sad.
Not concerned.
Angry.
Why would Nora care who raised Lily?
Detective Mills answered that question two hours later.
Because the hidden pantry drawer contained another document.
A copy of Emily's life insurance policy.
Beneficiary:
Daniel.
And beneath it, a handwritten calculation.
**Emily → Daniel → Lily.**
Then another line.
**If Daniel gone before guardianship updated = Rosalie. Problem.**
Michael leaned back.
"Guardianship."
Daniel looked at Mills.
"Nora didn't just want money."
May you like
The detective nodded.
"She wanted Lily too."
