Chapter 16 - The Judge
Judge Stephen Hall had presided over Ashbourne business disputes for fifteen years.
He also owed Celeste nearly two million dollars.
By sunrise, federal agents were digging through his finances.
But Celeste was already gone.
Her ankle monitor had been found strapped around a stray dog two miles from the courthouse.
"She planned the bail before she was arrested," Torres said.
Daniel almost admired the nerve of it. Almost.
Rachel didn't.
"Stop treating her like a criminal genius," she said. "She's a rich woman who spent years paying frightened men to do ugly things for her."
Daniel looked at his wife.
She was right.
Celeste's greatest trick had always been making everyone believe she was larger than life.
They decided to strip that illusion away.
Daniel called a press conference.
Against his attorneys' advice, he stood in front of Ashbourne House with Rachel beside him and told the truth.
He described the trust, the sedatives, the kidnapping, the hidden debts, and the plan to stage their deaths.
"My mother spent years protecting the Ashbourne name," he told the cameras. "Today I'm done protecting hers."
The clip exploded online.
Within hours, former employees began calling police.
A chef described Celeste ordering him to alter Rachel's food during pregnancy "to keep her weak."
A housekeeper admitted she had been paid to move objects so Rachel would think she was forgetful.
A former assistant revealed Celeste kept recordings of family arguments to use as leverage.
Rachel listened to one statement after another.
"She was trying to make me feel crazy," she said.
Daniel squeezed her hand.
Then an email arrived from an anonymous address.
Subject: SHE IS NOT RUNNING.
Attached was a photograph taken less than an hour earlier.
Celeste stood inside Ashbourne House.
Behind her was the portrait of Lillian that had disappeared from the east gallery.
On the back of the portrait, someone had written a message in red paint.
COME HOME, DANIEL.
BENEATH THIS HOUSE IS THE REST OF YOUR FATHER'S STORY.
Daniel stared at the image.
Rachel whispered, "It's a trap."
"I know."
Then another image loaded.
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It showed Martin Vale tied to a chair in the basement.
A timer beside him read 00:59:41.
