Chapter 17 - Daniel Comes HomeDaniel Voss returned to the Hale estate at dusk with a lawyer, a bodyguard, and the smile of a man who believed money could turn locked doors into suggestions.
Security stopped him at the gate.
Noah watched the live camera feed from his office. Daniel stood beside the red Aston Martin as if he had chosen it deliberately, daring anyone to see guilt in confidence. He was handsome in the careless way Celeste was beautiful. Same sharp cheekbones. Same pale eyes. Same ability to look offended before being accused.
Renee stood beside Noah. “He wants in.”
“No.”
“He says he has personal property belonging to Celeste.”
“No.”
“He says refusing entry will look hostile.”
Noah looked at the screen. “Good.”
Avery was on the rug nearby with Ivy, building a crooked tower out of blocks. Dr. Cole had advised maintaining ordinary routines as the adult crisis intensified. Avery had taken that seriously. Blocks during legal calls. Snacks during scandal. Bath time even when reporters gathered at the main gate.
Especially then.
Children needed proof that the world continued.
Ivy looked up at the screen.
Her hand froze over a blue block.
Avery noticed immediately. “We can turn it off.”
Ivy pointed.
“Dan,” she said.
Noah went still.
Renee crouched slightly. “Ivy, you see Daniel?”
Dr. Cole, seated nearby, held up one hand. “Careful.”
Renee nodded and stopped.
Ivy placed the blue block down.
Then she picked up a red one and rolled it along the rug like a car.
Noah’s face hardened.
At the gate, Daniel removed his sunglasses and looked directly into the camera.
“He knows we’re watching,” Renee said.
Noah’s phone rang.
Celeste.
Martin had instructed him not to answer her calls without counsel. Noah sent it to voicemail.
A text arrived seconds later.
Let Daniel in. You are making this worse.
Noah stared at the words.
Another text.
Avery is not who you think she is.
Another.
Ivy will suffer if you turn this into a war.
Avery looked at his face. “What did she say?”
Noah handed her the phone.
Avery read silently.
She did not react until the last message.
Then her expression went cold.
“She keeps using Ivy as leverage.”
Noah took the phone back. “Not anymore.”
At the gate, Daniel leaned toward the intercom. His voice came through the office speaker.
“Noah, this is ridiculous. We’re family.”
Noah pressed the response button.
“No, Daniel. We are connected by paperwork and suspicion.”
Daniel’s smile thinned. “Careful.”
Renee murmured, “He doesn’t scare easy.”
Noah kept his eyes on the screen. “Where were you the day Elise died?”
Daniel laughed. “Ask my attorney.”
“I am asking you.”
“My attorney advises against indulging grief-fueled harassment.”
Ivy suddenly covered her ears.
Avery moved between her and the screen. “Too much?”
Ivy whispered, “Loud car.”
The office changed.
Daniel was still talking, but Noah no longer heard him clearly.
Loud car.
Dr. Cole’s eyes sharpened, but she did not question Ivy.
Ivy pushed the red block fast across the rug.
“Loud,” she said.
Then she slammed it into the tower.
Blocks scattered.
She flinched at the sound she created.
Avery immediately softened her voice. “That was a big sound. You made it. You’re safe.”
Ivy breathed hard.
Noah looked like he might tear the gate from its hinges with his hands.
Renee touched his arm. “Let me handle Daniel.”
“No.”
“That wasn’t a request.”
She took the intercom.
“Mr. Voss, this is Renee Cross, retained investigator for the Hale family. Your presence is documented. Your vehicle is documented. Your statements are recorded. Leave the property.”
Daniel’s face changed.
“Private investigators don’t scare me.”
“They usually don’t have to,” Renee said. “Evidence does.”
Daniel looked toward his lawyer.
Then back at the camera.
“Tell my sister,” he said, “that if she thinks I’m taking the fall for her, she should remember what I kept.”
The office went silent.
Renee’s eyes widened slightly.
Noah leaned toward the microphone. “What did you keep?”
Daniel smiled.
There was no warmth in it.
“Ask your wife.”
He got back into the red car.
The engine roared.
Ivy screamed.
Not a long scream.
A sharp one.
A memory ripped open.
Avery gathered her only after Ivy reached for her. Noah dropped to the floor beside them, helpless fury burning in his eyes.
The red car pulled away from the gate.
Renee was already moving. “We need traffic cameras, service records, Daniel’s phone data, everything.”
Martin entered the office, phone in hand. “We may have something else.”
Noah looked up.
Martin’s face was grave.
“Celeste just filed for temporary protective separation.”
“What?”
“She claims you are emotionally unstable, influenced by an unqualified caregiver, and creating an unsafe environment for Ivy.”
Avery’s face went pale.
Noah stood slowly.
Martin continued, “She is requesting emergency review of custody-related household decisions.”
The room tilted.
Celeste was not trying to win public sympathy anymore.
She was trying to regain access to Ivy.
Ivy clung to Avery, crying silently now.
Noah looked at his daughter.
Then at Avery.
Then at the empty screen where Daniel’s red car had been.
His voice was calm when he spoke.
Too calm.
“Then we stop reacting.”
Renee looked at him.
May you like
Noah picked up Elise’s recorder from the desk.
“We build the case.”
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