Standing behind Leonard was Detective Elias Mercer, the same investigator who had briefly spoken to our family after Claire died. Seeing him there made my stomach drop. He explained that Claire had contacted him privately two weeks earlier after discovering unauthorized transfers from one of her investment accounts. She believed someone close to her had obtained access to her passwords and financial records, but she had refused to make a formal accusation until she had proof.
That afternoon, I ignored Gavin’s messages about “estate paperwork.” Instead, I gave Elias everything Claire had sent me during the previous month, including several strange texts I had dismissed at the time. Leonard turned over the original files Claire had stored at work. By evening, investigators had secured copies of her financial records before anyone else could alter or remove them.
Three days later, Gavin called again. This time, his calm voice was gone. He wanted to know why detectives had visited his house and why several accounts had been frozen. I told him only one thing: Claire had prepared better than he realized. Then I ended the call. I still didn’t know exactly what had happened to my sister, and I refused to pretend otherwise. But for the first time since her funeral, I knew one thing for certain—Claire had not left us with questions alone. She had left a trail.
