Chapter 7 - Shadows in the Manor
Two weeks later, the Sterling Estate sat silent under a heavy blanket of autumn fog.
The manicured lawns were covered in dead yellow leaves, and the warm string lights had been stripped away, leaving only dark, bare branches standing against the gray sky. The grand wrought-iron gate stood half-open, rusted and unattended.
Inside the grand study of the West Wing, Clara sat at Julian’s old mahogany desk. A fire crackled in the hearth, casting long, dancing orange shadows across the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
Sitting across from her was Detective Vance, sipping a cup of black coffee.
"The grand jury returned a true bill this morning," Vance said, placing a manila folder onto the desk. "Margaret is looking at life without parole. Richard is being indicted as an accessory after the fact for helping alter the vehicle maintenance records."
Clara nodded slowly, gazing into the flames of the fireplace. "And the DNA report?"
Vance paused, looking at her intently over the rim of his coffee mug.
"That's the interesting part, Clara," Vance said softly. "The state lab ran the sample you handed Margaret that night. The paper was real, but the lab results... they were modified."
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Clara didn't flinch. She didn't look away from the fire.
"Julian was sterile, wasn't he?" Vance continued, his voice dropping to a low, conversational tone. "Medical records from five years ago show he couldn't have children. Lily wasn't his biological daughter."
