Chapter 19 - The Empty House CleanseA week after the gala, I returned to my Oak Brook mansion on a crisp, sunlit Saturday morning.
The house was completely quiet—but it was no longer the heavy, suffocating quiet of the past. It felt light, clean, and filled with fresh air.
I hired a team of high-end estate restorers and interior designers to completely purge and redesign the guest wing where Nicole and Diane had stayed. Every piece of furniture they had touched was donated or replaced. The carpets were pulled up and replaced with rich, dark walnut flooring.
In place of Nicole's former bedroom, I constructed a state-of-the-art private architectural studio and library, complete with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, warm leather armchairs, and a grand piano.
As the workers carried out the last old cabinet from the guest room, Arthur Vance walked in carrying a small wooden box.
"We found this tucked behind the built-in closet in Miss Miller's old room during the final clearance," Arthur said, placing it on the coffee table.
I opened the box. Inside was Nicole’s old collection of counterfeit designer jewelry, a few maximum-limit credit card bills stamped DECLINED, and a framed photograph of Daniel, Diane, and Nicole taken at a resort three years ago—a photo where they were all smiling, calculating their next target.
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I picked up the photo, walked out to the grand stone fireplace in the living room, and tossed it into the crackling flames.
I watched as the paper curled, blackened, and turned into harmless ash, floating up the chimney and disappearing into the sky.
