Chapter 7 - WHAT CELESTE KNEW
Celeste entered protective housing after giving a statement.
She admitted helping Arthur prepare the urgent financing package.
She believed Rose had agreed before her death.
Then she saw Arthur copy Rose’s signature from an older document.
“When did you realize?” Nora asked.
“The night before the funeral.”
“Why attend?”
“He said the company would collapse if I walked away.”
Celeste’s father controlled Ward Capital, the lender that planned to finance Arthur’s development project.
If the deal closed, Celeste’s family would profit.
Her fear did not make her neutral.
She surrendered emails showing Arthur discussing our future.
Boarding schools first.
State placement if Grandpa contested.
He wrote:
Once the girls are outside the household, the beneficiary review becomes manageable.
He never used the word orphanage in writing.
He did not need to.
Celeste also identified Daniel Mercer’s location.
He had not vanished voluntarily.
Arthur had threatened to report Mercer for mishandling confidential documents and ruin his firm. Mercer closed his office and stayed with relatives while seeking counsel.
He agreed to meet investigators.
Mercer confirmed Mom discovered irregular transfers involving family trusts and company accounts.
He refused to explain the full structure before the court opened the envelope.
“The originals must speak before witnesses begin interpreting them,” he said.
Arthur’s attorneys attacked his credibility.
They produced the hotel receipt and suggested Mercer had an improper relationship with Mom.
Mercer’s calendar, notary invoice, and accountant’s notes supported a professional meeting.
Still, scandal spread faster.
Grandpa’s company share lost value as investors reacted.
Employees received notices warning of possible layoffs.
Arthur told them Grandpa and I were blocking rescue funds.
Several workers came to Grandpa’s gate carrying signs.
SAVE WILLIAMS HOMES.
April asked if we were making families homeless.
Grandpa knelt beside her.
“People in power created a problem and want children to feel responsible for fixing it.”
At midnight, someone threw a brick through the living-room window.
A note wrapped around it read:
OPEN THE ENVELOPE AND THREE HUNDRED FAMILIES LOSE THEIR HOMES.
The threat was designed to stop us.
Instead, the court advanced the opening to the next morning.
Arthur arrived with four attorneys.
The sealed envelope was placed beneath a camera.
May you like
Before Nora could cut the edge, the courthouse fire alarm sounded.
Smoke began rising from the records floor.
