Chapter 6 - The Warning at the Nursery
Arthur Voss learned about the investigation before noon.
By two o'clock, he had requested a private meeting with Dominic.
By three, he had begun making mistakes.
Dominic received a message from the nursery supervisor reporting that an unfamiliar man had asked whether Ellie would be attending the estate's weekend family luncheon.
The man claimed he was arranging transportation.
The supervisor had refused to give him any information.
When Vincent showed Dominic the description, Dominic's expression changed.
“Is he connected to Arthur?”
“We're checking. His name appears on a visitor list submitted by Arthur's office.”
Dominic rose from his chair.
“Where is Clare?”
“In the staff cottage with Ellie.”
“Keep them there. Nobody enters without being identified.”
Vincent left immediately.
Dominic called Clare himself.
“Has anyone approached you today?”
“No.”
“Has Ellie mentioned seeing a stranger?”
Clare paused.
“She said a man was standing near the nursery fence this morning. I assumed he was one of the gardeners.”
“Did you see him?”
“No.”
Dominic's grip tightened around the phone.
“Clare, I need you to stay inside the cottage until Vincent arrives.”
“Mr. Vale, what's happening?”
“I don't know yet.”
It was the truth, and he hated how inadequate it sounded.
“I won't let anyone frighten Ellie,” he added.
Clare's voice softened.
“Thank you.”
When Vincent reached the cottage, the man had already left the grounds.
Security recovered footage of him standing near the nursery fence. He had not approached Ellie, but he had watched the cottage for nearly twelve minutes.
The visitor's name was Peter Lang.
The same technician connected to the payment from Arthur's consulting firm.
Dominic stared at the screen.
“Find him.”
“He's already agreed to meet the independent investigator,” Vincent said. “But after the nursery incident, he says he wants a lawyer present.”
“Good. Let him have one.”
Vincent looked surprised.
Dominic continued, “If he altered my brace, I want him to tell the truth. If Arthur paid him, I want records that establish it. Nobody threatens him, nobody offers him a deal on my behalf, and nobody touches his family.”
“You think he'll cooperate?”
“I think people are more likely to tell the truth when they aren't afraid of what happens after they speak.”
That evening, Peter Lang arrived at a solicitor's office downtown for a recorded interview.
He admitted that Arthur had hired him to inspect Dominic's brace.
Arthur had claimed the equipment was causing discomfort and that Dominic wanted the lower strap adjusted discreetly.
Peter said he had been instructed to reverse the buckle's orientation and increase the tension slightly.
“Did you know the adjustment could harm him?” the investigator asked.
Peter looked down.
“I knew it wasn't the manufacturer's recommended configuration.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Money. And Arthur told me the doctor had approved it.”
“Did you verify that?”
“No.”
Peter's lawyer interrupted the interview to request a break.
The investigator agreed.
Outside the room, Peter asked to speak privately with his lawyer.
He had one more thing to disclose.
Arthur had told him that if Dominic's recovery stalled, the council would transfer executive authority.
Peter had believed the adjustment would cause discomfort, not serious injury.
But he had also understood that the worsening symptoms would make Dominic appear less capable.
The investigator recorded the statement.
It was not yet a complete case, but it was no longer a suspicion based solely on a child's observation.
Dominic read the preliminary report at midnight.
Then he went to the staff cottage.
Clare opened the door cautiously.
“Is something wrong?”
“No,” he said. “I wanted to thank Ellie.”
The little girl appeared behind her mother, clutching her wooden toy.
“Did you fix your leg?”
“The doctor is fitting a new brace tomorrow.”
“Is it the right way now?”
Dominic crouched carefully, keeping his injured leg supported.
“It will be.”
Ellie considered that.
Then she nodded with the solemnity of a tiny engineer.
“Good.”
May you like
For the first time in eleven weeks, Dominic felt something close to hope.
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