Chapter 7: The Weight of Forty-Seven Seconds
Roy Castillo was not what Nora had expected.
He was younger than Daniel by at least fifteen years, with a quiet, methodical way of speaking that made everything he said feel like it had already been decided.
He met her in Daniel's conference room the following morning with a yellow legal pad, a pen, and no laptop.
"Walk me through the night in sequence," he said.
"Don't skip anything because you think it's small."
She walked him through it.
The migraine.
The early return.
The sounds from the bedroom.
The gloves, the bag, the stick.
Kristina's whisper.
The decision to go downstairs.
The conversation in the hallway.
Edgar and Heather at the door.
The divorce papers.
The camera footage.
Roy wrote steadily.
He didn't interrupt.
When she finished, he looked up.
"The camera.
Where is the footage stored?"
"Cloud backup.
Automatic.
I can pull it from my phone."
"Don't pull it yet.
I want our tech person to retrieve it directly from the service so the chain of custody is clean." He made a note.
"Heather Perkinson.
Has she agreed to cooperate formally?"
"She sent everything to Daniel last night.
Fourteen months of texts, three voicemails from Warren Perkinson, and the text from Kristina."
Roy's pen stopped moving.
He looked at Daniel.
"Kristina's text is the cleanest piece," Daniel said.
"'Tonight.
Don't worry about the details.
Just be there.
Everything will be resolved by morning.' Sent the afternoon of the incident."
"That's consciousness of guilt," Roy said.
He wrote something, underlined it.
"Combined with the footage, that's a strong foundation." He turned back to Nora.
"Edgar.
What's your read on his involvement?"
"He knew something was going to happen.
He brought Heather to the house on Perkinson's instruction.
Whether he knew specifically about the snake—" She paused.
"I don't think he did.
I think he told himself he didn't need to know the details.
Which is its own kind of choice."
Roy nodded slowly.
"That distinction matters for criminal exposure.
It matters less for civil." He looked at Daniel.
"Asset division?"
"The house, the vehicles, and the business are all pre-marital or funded entirely through Nora's income.
Edgar's name is on the mortgage as co-borrower but the down payment and every subsequent payment came from Nora's accounts.
We have twelve years of bank records."
"Good." Roy set down his pen.
"Here's what I want to do.
I want to bring the footage and Kristina's text to the DA's office this week.
I want to let them build the criminal case independently.
The moment Kristina is formally charged, Edgar's position becomes untenable — he either cooperates with prosecutors or he goes down with her.
That pressure is useful for the divorce proceedings."
"And Perkinson?" Nora asked.
Roy looked at her steadily.
"Warren Perkinson is a more complicated problem.
The voicemails Heather saved — what do they say exactly?"
Daniel slid a printed transcript across the table.
Roy read it.
His expression didn't change, but he read the second page twice.
"He's careful," Roy said.
"He doesn't say anything explicit.
'Make sure Edgar handles his responsibilities.' 'Kristina knows what to do.' 'This will be over soon.'" He set the transcript down.
"It's suggestive.
It's not a confession."
"Can we get more?" Nora asked.
"Possibly.
If Heather is willing to make a recorded call to her father—"
"She'll do it," Nora said.
"She already offered."
Roy picked up his pen again.
"Then we move carefully and we move in the right order.
Kristina first.
Edgar second.
Perkinson third." He looked at Nora.
"This is going to take longer than you want it to."
"I know."
"And it's going to be public.
Once the DA files charges, it won't be containable."
"I know that too."
Roy nodded.
He closed his legal pad.
"One more question.
The insurance policy — the beneficiary change is done?"
"Yesterday afternoon," Daniel said.
"Good." Roy stood.
He extended his hand to Nora.
"Then we have everything we need to start."
She shook it.
Walking out through Daniel's reception area, Grace stopped her with a quiet word.
"Mrs.
Preston.
There's a message for you.
It came in about twenty minutes ago." She held out a folded note.
"The caller wouldn't leave a name.
He said you'd know who it was."
Nora unfolded it.
Four words, handwritten: *Back off.
Last warning.*
She handed it back to Grace.
"Keep that.
It's evidence."
May you like
Then she walked to the elevator and pressed the button for the lobby.
Her hands were completely steady.
