Mia looked at Eric.
“Because he told me Vivian had sold the house and moved abroad.”
“That’s a lie,” Eric said.
Mia pulled a bundle of returned letters from her bag.
The address was correct, but each had been redirected to a private mailbox registered to Eric’s accounting company.
“My mother found these after the investigation began,” Mia said. “Vivian wrote to me. I replied. Neither of us received anything.”
“What investigation?”
“The one Vivian started six months before she died.”
The blood drained from Eric’s face.
Mia explained that Vivian had become suspicious after learning Eric repeatedly contacted county offices about the house.
He asked about zoning, shoreline development permits, and subdivision rights.
The property was worth far more than I realized.
A luxury developer had offered nearly $2.4 million for the house and surrounding land.
Eric planned to obtain control before Vivian revealed that Mia had an ownership claim.
