Chapter 11
“And the key?”
“I want to know what it opens.”
“That is exactly how people in mysteries end up opening doors they should leave closed.”
Claire managed a faint smile. “You came over to make sure I didn’t go back to Adrian. You didn’t agree to become my accomplice.”
“I’m your sister. Unfortunately, that includes both.”
The following morning, Daniel arranged for a title specialist to review the Lake Briar records. Claire sat across from him while Emily waited in the reception area, pretending to read a magazine and actually listening for raised voices.
“The deed is legitimate,” Daniel said. “It was filed with the county recorder eight months after your wedding. The transferor was Adrian’s grandfather’s estate.”
“Was Adrian the executor?”
“No. His aunt, Margaret Moretti, handled the estate.”
Claire looked up. “Margaret?”
“Yes. The property had been held in a family trust. When the trust was dissolved, the house and surrounding land were transferred to you.”
“Why me?”
Daniel slid a copy of the deed across the desk.
At the bottom, beneath the legal description, was a paragraph Claire had not seen in the previous documents.
The transfer is made in recognition of Claire Bennett Moretti’s independent contribution to the restoration and preservation of the Lake Briar property.
Claire read it slowly.
“I never restored anything.”
“Did you ever work on the property?”
“No.”
“Visit it?”
“No.”
Daniel tapped another page. “There are invoices attached to the trust records. Architectural plans, roof repairs, foundation work, environmental assessments.”
Claire scanned the list.
The first invoice was dated four months before her wedding.
The last was dated six months afterward.
“Who paid for this?”
“The trust.”
“And who authorized the work?”
“Your name appears on several requests.”
Claire’s heart began to beat faster.
“I never authorized repairs.”
Daniel looked at her carefully. “Did you sign anything before your wedding? Perhaps documents you believed were related to the prenuptial agreement?”
Claire remembered the months before the ceremony. Adrian had been preparing for a major expansion of one of his hotels. Their engagement had been celebrated in newspapers and business columns. His assistant had brought folders to the apartment, and Adrian had asked Claire to sign forms between dress fittings and family dinners.
“There were documents,” she said. “But I didn’t read every page.”
Daniel did not criticize her.
That made it worse.
“What did I sign?”
“We’re still trying to determine that. But the records suggest you may have been listed as a consultant on the restoration project.”