Chapter 13 - THE OLD ACCIDENT
Desmond’s first wife, Rachel, had died in a car accident twelve years earlier.
The official report blamed wet roads.
Desmond had spent years believing there was nothing anyone could have done.
Celeste entered his life seven years later as a charity consultant.
She listened when he spoke about Rachel.
She remembered anniversaries.
She helped him appear happy again.
Now Owen claimed Celeste had known Rachel through Cresswell.
Detective Vance reopened the old file carefully.
There was no immediate evidence that Rachel’s death had been murder.
But investigators found a connection.
At the time of Rachel’s accident, she had been reviewing property purchases made by her father’s investment company.
One property was Fairbridge Market.
Rachel opposed selling it to Cresswell because vendors held protected long-term leases.
A junior employee working on Cresswell’s acquisition team had contacted Rachel repeatedly.
Her name was Celeste Marlow.
Celeste’s surname before marrying Desmond.
Desmond sat in the interview room staring at the employment records.
“She never told me.”
Prescott examined the dates.
Celeste had attended a charity event with Desmond only four months after Rachel’s death, though she later claimed they first met years afterward.
A photograph proved she had been in the room.
This did not prove she caused Rachel’s accident.
But it proved she had built their marriage on a lie.
Police searched the hidden Cresswell office Owen identified.
Inside were financial ledgers, copied vehicle records, and boxes of surveillance photographs.
One box carried Rachel’s name.
Desmond could barely open it.
The contents documented her movements during the month before her death.
Her office.
Her home.
Her car.
The folder also contained an inspection report noting wear on her brake system.
The report was dated six days before the crash.
The mechanic who signed it had died years earlier.
Detective Vance refused to make an unsupported accusation.
“We need forensic evidence or a living witness.”
Desmond nodded, but grief had already reopened.
Celeste may not have entered his life by chance.
She may have studied him first.
Linda learned about the discovery through Prescott.
She felt sympathy for Desmond.
But sympathy did not erase responsibility.
Celeste had deceived him.
Desmond had still chosen not to investigate Linda.
Both truths could exist together.
At the safe apartment, Toby listened while adults spoke quietly in the kitchen.
He approached Desmond.
“Was the other lady your family?”
“Yes.”
“Did people believe you when you said you were sad?”
Desmond looked at him.
“Most people did.”
Toby hugged Captain tighter.
“They didn’t believe me.”
“No,” Desmond said. “They should have.”
The child’s words made the difference clear.
Desmond’s wealth had surrounded his grief with support.
Toby’s poverty had made his terror look suspicious.
Detective Vance then received the forensic report from the hidden office.
A laptop contained recent searches for private airports and countries without immediate extradition agreements.
Celeste was preparing to leave.
One reservation had been booked under Rachel’s maiden name.
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👉 Celeste had used a dead woman’s identity to arrange her escape—and the flight was scheduled to depart before sunrise.
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