Chapter 7 - THE GUESTS UPSTAIRS
Detective Quinn interviewed every party guest separately.
Rachel had invited fifteen people.
Five were relatives.
Three were social-media professionals.
Four had connections to Royal Way customers or lenders.
Two were local political donors.
One was a physician named Dr. Samuel Hale, who described himself as an old family friend.
Hale had left the party ten minutes before police entered.
His vehicle exited through a secondary gate not listed on the security map.
He was the man Rachel’s posts referred to as Ethan’s private addiction doctor.
Ethan had never been his patient.
Dr. Hale operated a concierge medical practice and had previously treated Arthur.
His license remained active, but the state medical board had disciplined him for prescribing controlled medication without adequate documentation.
Police searched his office under warrant.
They found empty boxes matching the vials in Arthur’s basement case.
They also found a draft letter:
Mr. Ethan Miller experienced a severe relapse accompanied by delusions, violence, and compulsive misuse of prescription opioids. Restraint was applied temporarily for family safety.
The letter was dated January second.
It described an examination that never occurred.
Hale’s attorney said the document was a hypothetical template prepared from information supplied by Rachel.
The physician surrendered his passport but was not yet charged.
Vanessa Cole, the social-media consultant, gave police access to her messages.
Rachel hired her to manage “crisis communications” beginning December twenty-eighth.
Instructions included:
Capture Ethan appearing impaired if possible.
Do not show restraints.
Emphasize prior addiction.
Prepare memorial assets.
Vanessa claimed she believed Ethan was receiving treatment at home.
“Why prepare a memorial?” Quinn asked.
“Rachel said his condition was terminal.”
“From addiction?”
“She said his organs were failing.”
No hospital had diagnosed that.
Two guests recalled seeing Arthur carry a black medical case downstairs.
One assumed Ethan was sick.
Another heard a muffled scream but believed it came from the band’s speakers.
Diane Vance told police she had no idea Ethan was in the basement.
She claimed Rachel said he was at a private clinic.
The scarf around her neck belonged to my late wife, Margaret.
I asked where she obtained it.
“Rachel gave it to me.”
That scarf had been stored in Ethan’s bedroom closet.
Rachel had been distributing possessions before his planned death.
Diane returned it through her attorney.
She also gave police a sealed envelope Rachel asked her to mail on January first if “the worst happened.”
Inside was a signed resignation letter from Ethan’s regional company.
The signature looked genuine.
Ethan could not remember signing it.
The document transferred control to Rachel temporarily and authorized Gavin Shaw to negotiate a sale.
Helen found a flaw.
The letter referred to a warehouse incident that did not occur until after Ethan was chained.
Someone drafted the future into the document.
Then the basement-camera company provided its subscriber record.
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The account was not registered to Rachel or Arthur.
It belonged to Royal Way Transport.
