Chapter 5: The Man Outside
His name was Carter Briggs.
Elena had hired him herself — a private investigator she'd found through her attorney six weeks ago, before the cameras went in, before Detective Ruiz was involved, before any of it became official.
She had told no one.
Not Richard.
Not her attorney.
Not Ruiz.
Carter was supposed to be gone by now.
She had paid him through the end of last week.
His job was finished.
The evidence he'd gathered had already been passed to Ruiz through a clean chain.
So why was he still outside?
"Who is he?" Richard asked.
They were alone now — the cousins gone, the staff retreated, Mrs.
Howard sitting quietly in the next room with the door half open.
Elena sat across from her husband at the long dining table.
Ruiz stood near the window, giving them space but not leaving.
"He's an investigator I hired," Elena said.
"Before I came to you.
Before I came to anyone."
Richard was quiet for a moment.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I didn't know yet how far it went." She looked at him.
"I didn't know if it was just Vanessa.
I didn't know who else was involved.
I needed to be sure before I said anything to anyone."
"Including me."
"Including you."
He absorbed that.
His hands were flat on the table.
"And now?" he said.
"Now I don't know why he's still here.
He should have left days ago."
Ruiz turned from the window.
"I can bring him in."
"Don't," Elena said.
"Not yet.
Let me call him first."
She took out her phone.
Carter picked up on the second ring.
"You were seen," she said.
A pause.
"I know.
I'm sorry.
I should have pulled back sooner."
"Why are you still there?"
Another pause.
Longer this time.
"Because three days ago I found something that wasn't part of the original job," Carter said.
"And I didn't know how to hand it over without explaining why I was still looking."
Elena's hand tightened on the phone.
"What did you find?"
"There's a second person," Carter said.
"Someone who's been feeding Vanessa information from inside the house.
Not staff.
Not family." He stopped.
"Someone with access to Richard's personal accounts.
His calendar.
His travel schedule.
That's how she always knew when he was leaving.
That's how she knew when the house would be empty."
Elena looked at Richard.
He was already watching her.
"Carter," she said carefully.
"Who is it?"
The name he said made her set the phone down on the table without ending the call.
Ruiz stepped forward.
"Elena.
What is it?"
She looked at Richard.
"Your attorney," she said.
"Graham Lyle."
Richard stood up slowly.
"Graham has been my attorney for eleven years," he said.
"I know."
"He handled the property authorization.
He handled the trust documents.
He handled—" Richard stopped.
His jaw tightened.
"He knew about the cameras."
"Yes," Elena said.
"He did."
The call was still open on the table.
Carter's breathing was audible in the silence.
May you like
Ruiz picked up his radio.
And somewhere across the city, in an office on the fourteenth floor of a building with Richard Howard's name on the lease, Graham Lyle's phone began to ring.
