Chapter 4 - Feeling Sleepy Already
Before Detective Ortiz arrived, Margaret’s phone vibrated.
Claire had sent a message.
Did you finish your drink, Mom?
A second appeared before Margaret responded.
Please answer. We’re worried.
Margaret read the messages twice.
Claire and Evan were still inside the building.
They had not reached the charity reception.
They were standing near the entrance watching her from behind a decorative column.
Margaret typed:
Delicious. Feeling sleepy already.
Claire replied immediately.
Good. Go home and rest. We’ll handle everything tomorrow.
Margaret showed the exchange to Daniel and the restaurant manager.
The manager photographed the screen and recorded the time.
“What happens tomorrow?” Daniel asked.
Margaret remembered the unsigned power-of-attorney documents.
She also remembered Claire insisting that a mobile notary would visit the house at nine in the morning.
“They expect me to be impaired.”
The plan became clearer.
A sedated widow.
A concerned daughter.
A prepared legal document.
Perhaps a doctor or notary told that Margaret was tired, emotional, or increasingly forgetful.
If the signature was questioned later, Claire could point to months of comments about cognitive decline.
Margaret looked toward her daughter.
Claire met her eyes.
For a moment, neither woman moved.
Then Claire turned toward Evan and whispered something urgent.
Evan began walking toward the kitchen corridor.
Daniel stepped into his path.
“Sir, the detective asked everyone to remain in the dining room.”
Evan smiled thinly.
“I need the restroom.”
“The restroom is the other direction.”
May you like
The polished son-in-law disappeared.
In his place stood a man calculating how much evidence had already survived him.
