RICHARD: "These are the transfers that occurred shortly after Frank's hospitalization."
Margaret enlarged the records.
MARGARET: "Yes. We need the original authorization documents for these."
Isabella looked at the dates.
Again, they matched a period when she had been trying to contact her father.
She remembered sitting in a hotel room after a long assignment, calling the estate and being told that everything was fine. She remembered sending money because Victoria had said that the family needed additional support.
Now she was looking at the same period from an entirely different perspective.
ISABELLA: "Can you identify who initiated the transfers?"
MARGARET: "The bank records identify the account used, but we need the access logs and authorization history to establish who submitted the instructions."
RICHARD: "I have already requested those."
MARGARET: "Good. We should also obtain the company's internal accounting records. The public filings will not be enough."
Isabella looked at the company name again.
ISABELLA: "Alexander always said the business was doing well."
Margaret did not comment.
Richard turned to the next document.
RICHARD: "There is another matter. The property valuation for Harbor House was changed shortly before the proposed transfer."
Margaret opened a separate report.
MARGARET: "The original valuation was significantly higher than the figure used in the transfer documents."
ISABELLA: "How much lower?"
Margaret showed her the comparison.
The difference was substantial.
ISABELLA: "Why?"
MARGARET: "The report used for the transfer appears to have excluded certain improvements and land features. We need to determine whether that was a legitimate valuation method or whether the property was deliberately undervalued."
Richard looked toward Isabella.
RICHARD: "If the property was transferred at an artificially low value, the protected arrangement may have suffered an additional loss."
Isabella looked at the photograph attached to the report.
It showed Harbor House from the garden, with the old stone walls and the trees that her father had planted.
She remembered the house exactly.
It had always seemed more valuable than any number written on a page.
Her father had never spoken about it as an investment. To him, it was a place where the family could return when the outside world became too complicated.
She felt an unexpected sadness.
ISABELLA: "He wanted to keep that place."
Richard nodded.
RICHARD: "Yes. That is clearly stated in his instructions."
Margaret closed the valuation report.
MARGARET: "I recommend that no further property transaction take place until the ownership structure and the original authorization are reviewed."
RICHARD: "That is already being addressed."
Isabella sat quietly.
The morning had become a series of discoveries, each more troubling than the one before it. The money, the signature, the property transfer, the missing notifications, and the unanswered calls were beginning to form a single picture.
But she still lacked one important piece.
Who had actually controlled the process?
Victoria had insisted that she was simply managing the family affairs. Alexander had claimed that the transfers were business investments. Yet neither had provided a complete explanation.
Isabella turned toward Richard.
ISABELLA: "I want to speak to the person who administered the fund."
Richard looked at Margaret.
MARGARET: "That would be appropriate. We have requested an interview, but the administrator has not yet confirmed."
ISABELLA: "Who is it?"
Richard hesitated.
RICHARD: "A man named Thomas Reed. He worked with your father for several years and continued managing certain estate records after Frank became ill."
Isabella searched her memory.
She vaguely remembered Thomas. He had been present at several family meetings when she was younger, usually carrying files and speaking very little.
ISABELLA: "Did he know Father personally?"
RICHARD: "Yes. He was trusted with administrative responsibilities."
ISABELLA: "Then I want to hear what he has to say."
Margaret made a note.
MARGARET: "We will contact him again."
The meeting continued for another hour. They reviewed the original trust, the bank statements, and the property records. Margaret identified several transactions that needed additional documentation, while Richard explained the legal restrictions governing the estate.
By the time they finished, Isabella had a list of questions longer than the one she had arrived with.
Before leaving, she asked Richard for a copy of the timeline.
RICHARD: "I'll have it prepared."
ISABELLA: "And I want the original records kept secure. Nobody should be able to change or remove them."
RICHARD: "They are already protected."
Isabella nodded.
As she walked out of the building, her phone vibrated.
A message from Alexander appeared on the screen.
ALEXANDER: "You have no idea what you're doing. Stop listening to Richard before you destroy everything."
Isabella read it twice.
Then another message arrived.
ALEXANDER: "You were never supposed to be involved in the estate. Dad knew that."
She did not respond.
A third message appeared.
ALEXANDER: "If you care about Mother at all, you'll leave this alone."
Isabella locked her phone.
For years, she had allowed messages like that to make her question herself. Alexander had always known how to turn a disagreement into an accusation. If she challenged him, she was jealous. If she asked for an explanation, she was difficult. If she refused to follow Victoria's wishes, she was ungrateful.