Chapter 8 - AN ACCOUNTANT WHO VANISHED
The disappearance of Warren Pike transformed a family dispute into a case that frightened even the people collecting evidence.
Pike had submitted tax returns for the garage, managed certain payroll filings, and advised Ethan on the failed restaurant ventures.
According to the records Nora obtained, his small firm had also processed payments to Northstar.
He was the connection between money that left Dad's accounts and invoices designed to make it look legitimate.
Mercer placed an alert for Pike while investigators reconstructed the trail.
On Thursday, someone accessed my cloud storage account from an unfamiliar device.
The security notice came while I was sitting in Helena's office.
I changed my passwords with her help and preserved the access logs.
Then the emails began arriving.
One accused me of stealing from my father.
Another claimed Dad had been incompetent for years.
The last included a draft petition to place me under emergency guardianship.
It had not been filed.
But my name and medical history were scattered across its pages, distorted into descriptions of instability.
I called Martin with numb fingers.
"They were preparing to take control of me," I said.
"They were preparing documents," he replied carefully.
"That does not mean they could have succeeded."
"They wanted to make sure I couldn't say no."
He did not contradict me.
At dusk, Daniel appeared outside the garage carrying a grocery bag and looking as though he had not slept.
I stayed behind the locked glass door while Nora spoke to him through her phone.
"I want to help," Daniel said.
"Then speak to Detective Mercer," she answered.
"Ethan will ruin me if I do."
"You need independent legal counsel, Daniel. Not promises from Lydia."
Daniel set the bag on the concrete and backed away.
Inside were seven prepaid phones and a handwritten list of dates.
One date matched the night Dad collapsed.
Next to it were two initials, E and W, followed by the phrase "garage camera off."
Daniel sent a message from a new number.
May you like
"There were three of us there."
