Chapter 7: Thursday
The Edinburgh solicitor's name was Margaret Cairn.
She arrived on Tuesday, two days before Warren Holt's meeting with Gerald Foss, with a leather briefcase and the particular composure of someone who had seen worse than this and expected to see worse again.
She sat across from Daniel and Eleanor at the long table in the estate's study and laid out three documents in a row.
"The forged transfer application," she said, touching the first.
"The original signature samples — thirty-one documents spanning twenty-eight years." She touched the second.
"And a sworn statement from the estate's former groundskeeper, who witnessed Warren Holt on the property twice in the past four months, on dates when no visit was scheduled or recorded."
Daniel looked at the third document.
"Who is the groundskeeper?"
"His name is Arthur Benn," Margaret said.
"He retired eighteen months ago.
He came forward on his own when he heard there were questions about the estate."
Eleanor looked at the statement.
"I didn't know Arthur was still in the area."
"He never left," Margaret said.
"He lives in the village.
He said —" she glanced at the statement — "that he didn't feel right staying quiet.
That this was your home."
Eleanor was still for a moment.
She pressed her hand flat against the table, briefly, and then lifted it.
"What do we do with Foss?" Daniel asked.
"We let Thursday happen," Margaret said.
"We allow Warren Holt to arrive for his meeting.
We allow Foss to begin the finalization process.
And then we present the forgery evidence directly — with a representative from the Solicitors Regulation Authority present to receive Foss's response in real time."
"Foss will deny everything."
"He may," Margaret said.
"But Cassandra told you he has recordings.
If those recordings exist, Warren Holt made them as insurance against Foss.
And if Warren Holt made them as insurance against Foss —"
"He made copies," Daniel said.
"People like Warren Holt always make copies," Margaret said.
Nora was sitting near the window with her daughter asleep in a travel cot beside her.
She had been quiet through most of the meeting.
Now she looked up.
"What does Cassandra get out of this?" she asked.
Margaret looked at her.
"In what sense?"
"She gave us Foss.
She walked away without a fight.
She's not the type to do either of those things without a reason." Nora looked at Daniel.
"She's positioning herself as a cooperating witness.
Which means she's already spoken to someone.
Probably before she even left the building."
The room was quiet.
"She had her phone," Daniel said slowly.
"She had her phone," Nora said.
Daniel looked at Margaret.
"Is there a way to know if she's already made contact with a prosecutor's office?"
"Not directly," Margaret said.
"But if she has, it changes our timeline.
It means Warren Holt may already be under active investigation — and Thursday's meeting may already be monitored."
"Is that good or bad for us?" Eleanor asked.
"It's good," Margaret said.
"It means we're not the only ones building a case." She gathered the documents back into a neat stack.
"It means someone else has already decided he's worth pursuing."
She looked at Daniel.
"Be at the Foss offices at nine on Thursday," she said.
"Bring your mother.
Don't bring anyone else."
Daniel nodded.
"One more thing," Margaret said.
She reached into her briefcase and produced a fourth document — smaller, a single page.
"This is a restraining notice.
It prevents any transfer, sale, or modification of estate assets pending the forgery investigation.
It was filed this morning." She slid it across the table to Eleanor.
"The estate is protected.
Whatever happens Thursday, no one can touch it."
Eleanor picked up the document.
She read it once, carefully.
Then she set it down on the table in front of her and left her hand resting on top of it.
May you like
She didn't say anything.
She didn't need to.
