Victoria: That camera... that camera was turned off months ago!
Daniel: I turned the entire estate security system back on yesterday morning when Elena's lawyer called me.
Victoria: Lawyer? What lawyer?
Daniel: Mr. Vance. The family probate attorney who handled my father's original trust fund files.
Victoria took a step back, her heels clicking loudly against the wet flagstones. She pressed her hand against her chest, her breathing turning shallow and fast.
Victoria: Why would Vance call you? Your father's estate was settled three years ago!
Daniel: Vance told me that Elena deposited a private vault key and a metal decoding drive into a safety deposit box at the bank before she was admitted to the ICU.
Victoria: A decoding drive? What does that have to do with me?
Daniel: She told Vance that if anything happened to her, the drive would prove who really altered my father's final will.
Daniel walked over to the edge of the pool, looking down into the clear blue water. Resting on the bottom tiles near the drain was the silver Great Seal necklace, gleaming under the bright Texas sun.
Sophie: Daddy... the silver thing has a button on the back... mommy showed me...
Daniel: A button, sweetie?
Sophie: Yes! You push the star, and the little card pops out!
Daniel didn't hesitate. He kicked off his wet shoes and jumped right back into the pool, reaching the bottom in two smooth strokes. He grabbed the heavy silver pendant, broke through the surface, and pulled himself back onto the deck.
Victoria: Daniel, give me that! That's personal property!
Daniel: Get back!
Daniel pushed the small silver star on the back of the Great Seal pendant. With a quiet click, the metal casing slid open, revealing a tiny micro-SD storage drive hidden inside the hollow center.
Daniel: Elena wasn't wearing this as jewelry. She was hiding the evidence on her own daughter.
Victoria: It's fake! Whatever is on that drive is forged! Elena was trying to frame me!
Daniel: You haven't even seen what's on it yet, Victoria. Why are you already claiming it's a frame-job?
Victoria: Because I know how your sister operated! She was jealous of my position in this family from the day I married you!
Daniel: Elena didn't give a damn about your position! She was trying to protect Sophie from being stripped of her legal heritage!
Daniel picked up the small metal security decoding device resting on the wet stone ledge—the same device Victoria had brought outside earlier. He slotted the micro-SD card directly into the side port. The small screen lit up with a sharp digital beep, displaying a list of encrypted document files.
Daniel: "Sterling_Estate_Revision_Final.pdf... Signatures_Verified_2023..."
Victoria: Shut that off! You have no right to look through those files without my legal representative present!
Daniel: This is my father's estate account! I have every right in the world!
Daniel tapped the screen, opening the primary document. As he read the lines of text displayed on the small digital monitor, his face turned completely pale, his jaw clenching in disbelief.
Daniel: You... you forged my father's signature on the codicil...
Victoria: I did no such thing!
Daniel: It's all here, Victoria! The bank transfer logs, the digital audit trail from the notary public, the emails between you and the corrupt loan officer in Houston!
Sophie: Daddy... is the bad lady going away now?
Daniel: Yes, Sophie. She's going away for a very long time.