But fear had already broken their discipline.
Adrian pointed toward my room.
“She has spent years twisting everything I say.
She watches my accounts.
She photographs private papers.
She hires strangers to follow me.”
“I followed the money,” I said.
Martin removed a second packet.
The late-night withdrawals were listed by date and amount.
Beside them were copies of Vivian’s messages to Adrian.
Is the problem handled?
She is asking too many questions.
You said the railing would end this.
Adrian stared at the printed words.
His mouth opened, but nothing came out.
Vivian looked at him with naked fury.
“You deleted those.”
“From my phone,” he said.
Martin answered for me.
“Not from Elena’s screenshots.”
Adrian’s shoulders sagged for half a second.
Then he tried anger.
“This proves nothing.
People say things when they are upset.
‘The problem’ could mean anything.”
Martin slid the missing balcony invoice from the folder.
The original had disappeared from our home office two days before my fall.
Martin had obtained a duplicate directly from the company that inspected the railing.
The invoice showed that the balcony had been flagged for immediate repair.
The company had warned that the mounting hardware was unstable and advised that no one use the balcony until reinforcement work was completed.
The repair appointment had been canceled from Adrian’s phone.
The cancellation occurred forty-eight minutes after I refused to sign the insurance increase.
Adrian stared at the invoice.
“That railing was old,” he said.
“Elena knew that.”
“I knew it needed maintenance,” I replied.
“I did not know you canceled the repair.”
Vivian looked at her son.
“You said there would be no record.”
Adrian’s restraint disappeared.
“You were the one behind her,” he hissed.
Vivian stepped toward him despite the officer holding her arm.
“Because you lost your nerve.”
The words landed harder than any accusation Martin could have made.
Adrian went pale.
The investigators did not interrupt.
The recorder was still running.
Vivian realized it a moment too late.
She looked toward Martin’s hand.
“Turn that off.”
“No.”
“You cannot stand there and collect private family conversations.”
Martin’s expression remained calm.
“You are discussing an attempted murder outside the room where you attempted another one.”
Vivian pulled against the security officer.
“I never meant for her to survive the balcony.”
