Chapter 13 - The Brother She Planned to Blame
The accounts were convincing.
Adrian’s Social Security number.
Copies of his identification.
Electronic signatures.
Transfers authorized from devices registered to him.
For several hours, even federal investigators could not rule out his involvement.
Celestine had prepared a second escape route.
If anyone discovered the money, Adrian would take the fall with her.
Maybe instead of her.
Adrian was stunned.
“She used me.”
Maren almost said, Now you know how it feels.
She didn’t.
He already knew.
Investigators searched years of corporate access logs.
One inconsistency emerged.
Several transfers supposedly authorized by Adrian occurred while he was physically outside the country.
One happened while he was giving a keynote speech in London.
Another while he was hospitalized after a skiing accident.
Celestine had cloned his digital credentials.
Then Harold discovered the strongest evidence.
Elias had secretly commissioned a cybersecurity review.
The analyst found an administrative override tied to Celestine’s executive account.
Every fraudulent transaction passed through it.
Adrian was cleared.
Celestine was not.
Her attorney approached prosecutors about a plea.
The proposed agreement would have allowed her to admit financial crimes while contesting the violent charges.
Maren objected.
“So she admits stealing money and pretends Elodie never happened?”
The prosecutor shook her head.
“We are not accepting that.”
Celestine had miscalculated again.
The drone footage was too strong.
Daniel Cross’s testimony was too strong.
The laboratory fraud was too documented.
And now the financial crimes established motive.
Her attorney withdrew the offer.
Trial preparations began.
Months passed.
Maren returned to Oregon with Elodie.
Adrian did not pressure her to stay.
That mattered.
He flew west once a month.
At first, visits happened in parks.
Then restaurants.
Then Maren allowed him to attend Elodie’s preschool recital.
He sat in the back row.
Elodie found him immediately.
Afterward she ran toward Maren, then stopped halfway.
She turned.
“Adrian?”
He looked up.
“You can come too.”
He followed.
That became the rhythm.
No dramatic reunion.
No instant forgiveness.
Trust arriving in inches.
One rainy afternoon, Elodie handed Adrian a drawing.
Three stick figures.
Maren.
Elodie.
Adrian.
His label was written in shaky preschool letters.
DAD.
He stared at it so long that Elodie became nervous.
“Do you like it?”
Adrian dropped to his knees.
“I love it.”
She hugged him.
Maren turned toward the kitchen because she suddenly couldn’t see clearly.
Later that night, Adrian found her on the porch.
“She called me Dad.”
“I heard.”
“I didn’t earn that.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“But maybe you’re starting to.”
For the first time in three years, Maren smiled at him without pain.
Then her phone rang.
The prosecutor.
Celestine had made a new claim.
May you like
She said Maren had deliberately pushed her off the cliff after Elodie was already safe.
And she wanted Maren charged with attempted murder.
