Chapter 8 - THE FUNERAL GUEST IN RED
Three days before the funeral, Daniel called the family.
He said Celeste would attend.
Their mother looked confused.
“Why would an employee come to the private service?”
“She helped Maya with the company.”
Lena stared at him.
“Maya barely knew her.”
Daniel’s expression remained calm.
“Celeste is grieving too.”
The words landed heavily.
Their mother understood first.
Her hand rose to her mouth.
Daniel did not admit the affair.
He did not need to.
Lena asked him to leave.
Instead, Daniel approached her.
“You will not create a scene at Maya’s funeral.”
“You’re bringing your mistress.”
“She was my wife.”
“Then honor her.”
“I am organizing the service.”
“With her money?”
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
Most of the funeral expenses had been charged to the company account.
He had also scheduled an emergency board meeting for the morning after the burial.
The agenda included confirming him as permanent chief executive.
Daniel expected grief to keep Maya’s family from objecting.
He expected Celeste to become his financial partner openly once the funeral ended.
He expected everyone to accept the story of a tragic fall.
But Lena had one advantage.
Daniel believed she was acting only as a grieving sister.
He did not know the homicide team had reopened the case.
He also did not know the red fabric from Maya’s hand had been sent for specialized testing.
The result arrived that evening.
The fabric was a luxury Italian blend from a limited production run.
Only fourteen dresses made from that material had been sold in the state.
One purchase was traced to Celeste.
A store security photograph showed her buying the dress two months earlier.
The dress was red.
When police requested it, Celeste claimed she had donated it.
She could not identify the charity.
Then Lena found a photograph on Celeste’s deleted social media account.
It had been taken inside the lake house.
May you like
Behind her was the staircase where Maya died.
👉 Celeste had been inside the house before, but the timestamp on the deleted photograph placed her there on the night of Maya’s death.
