Chapter 4 - The Missing Radio
Maren did not tell Celestine what she had discovered.
She told exactly three people.
Claire.
A private investigator named Owen Reese.
And Adrian’s former marina manager, Ben Walsh.
Ben stared at the recovery photograph for a long time.
“That radio shouldn’t be missing.”
“You remember it?”
“Adrian was obsessive about safety.”
“Could it have washed overboard?”
“Maybe.”
His tone said he didn’t believe it.
Then Ben zoomed in on the photograph.
“Wait.”
He pointed to a small mounting bracket near the cockpit.
“The bracket isn’t broken.”
Maren leaned closer.
“So?”
“If a wave ripped the radio off, this would probably be damaged.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means someone may have unclipped it.”
Maren felt cold.
Owen investigated the marina logs.
Adrian had sailed alone at 6:40 a.m.
But security records showed another Mercer vehicle entering the marina at 6:17.
Celestine’s SUV.
The camera footage itself was gone.
Automatically overwritten after ninety days.
But the electronic gate log remained.
Celestine had told police she was home that morning.
“Could someone else have driven her car?” Maren asked.
“Sure,” Owen said. “Which is why this proves nothing by itself.”
Another not yet.
Still, the pieces were changing shape.
Then something happened that frightened Maren more than any courtroom loss.
Celestine canceled her next visit with Elodie.
No explanation.
Maren called.
No answer.
She contacted the visitation coordinator.
Celestine claimed Elodie had a fever.
Maren requested the pediatrician’s confirmation.
None came.
The following week, another visit was canceled.
“Family travel.”
Then another.
“Scheduling conflict.”
Maren understood.
Celestine knew she was digging.
And Elodie was the punishment.
Maren drove to Mercer House during the third canceled visit.
She remained outside the property line.
She didn’t want to violate the order.
Through the iron gates she saw Elodie playing near the garden with a nanny.
“Elodie!”
The little girl turned.
For half a second, she stared.
Then she dropped her toy and ran.
“Mommy!”
Maren’s eyes filled.
She crouched outside the gate.
Elodie reached the bars.
Their fingers touched through the iron.
“I miss you,” Elodie whispered.
“I miss you too.”
Then Celestine appeared.
“Elodie.”
The child flinched.
Maren saw it.
A tiny reaction.
But unmistakable.
Celestine grabbed Elodie’s wrist.
“Inside.”
“Stop pulling her.”
Celestine smiled.
“You don’t get to give instructions here.”
“Mama C, please—”
“Inside.”
Elodie began crying.
Maren gripped the gate.
“Celestine.”
Celestine stopped.
Maren kept her voice low.
“If you’re hurting her—”
“What are you going to do?”
Celestine walked closer.
Only iron separated them.
“Call the court?”
She smiled.
“Tell them another story nobody can prove?”
Maren said nothing.
Celestine’s expression hardened.
“You should have taken Victor’s advice.”
Maren’s heart kicked.
Victor had supposedly never told Celestine about the call.
“What advice?”
For one instant, Celestine realized her mistake.
Then she recovered.
“I assume he told you to stop embarrassing yourself.”
She turned away.
But Maren had heard enough.
That evening, Owen called.
“I found the notary.”
Maren stood.
The permanent guardianship document carried the seal of retired notary Samuel Pierce.
According to court records, Pierce had notarized Maren’s signature at St. Catherine’s Hospital on March 14 at 2:35 p.m.
There was one problem.
Samuel Pierce had been in Denver on March 14.
He had airline records.
Hotel receipts.
And photographs from his granddaughter’s wedding.
Maren’s knees nearly gave out.
“Then the seal—”
“Was used without him.”
“Will he testify?”
“He already said yes.”
For the first time in eighteen months, Maren felt something she barely recognized.
Hope.
Then Owen added:
“There’s more.”
“What?”
“Pierce says he notarized a different document for Celestine two weeks earlier.”
Maren stopped breathing.
“What document?”
“He doesn’t remember exactly.”
“But he remembers one thing.”
“What?”
May you like
“It had Adrian’s name on it.”
👉 The same stolen notary seal used to take Elodie had apparently been connected to Adrian before his death—and Maren was finally close to discovering how.
