One cold February afternoon, Daniel accompanied him to East Millbrook.
They walked through the partially repaired apartment building.
Workers were replacing damaged flooring.
An electrician inspected wiring.
A crew carried new windows upstairs.
Richard stopped outside one apartment.
He remembered Laura standing there with a clipboard.
The resident who once told him about her visit opened the door.
She recognized Daniel.
"Mr. Carter."
He smiled.
"Good afternoon."
The woman looked toward Richard.
"You're still here."
Richard nodded.
"Yes."
She glanced toward the workers.
"They finally started fixing the kitchen."
Richard looked inside.
The damaged ceiling had been removed.
New materials waited nearby.
He smiled faintly.
"I'm glad."
The woman studied him.
Then spoke quietly.
"Your wife told me something."
Richard looked up.
"What?"
"She said a promise doesn't mean much until somebody shows up to keep it."
Richard swallowed.
The resident continued.
"She came back three times before she died."
Daniel lowered his gaze.
Richard felt tears gathering.
The woman looked toward the workers.
"I hope you'll come back too."
Richard nodded.
"I will."
The older woman studied him.
Then smiled faintly.
"Good."
As they walked outside, Daniel remained quiet.
Richard looked toward the winter sky.
After a long moment, he said, "She was still trying."
Daniel turned.
Richard continued.
"Even when I thought she was pulling away from me, she was still trying to make things right."
The investigator nodded.
"Yes."
Richard looked toward the building.
Then whispered, "I wish I'd listened."
Daniel did not tell him to stop blaming himself.
He did not offer easy absolution.
Instead, he answered.
"I know."
They stood quietly.
Then Daniel added, "You can't change what you did then."
Richard lowered his head.
"But you can decide what you do with the truth now."
The words remained with him.
The next major development came from Nicole's former assistant.
She was a woman in her late twenties who had worked in the financial office during Laura's final year.
She had left the company shortly after Laura's death.
At the time, Richard barely knew her.
He remembered seeing her at the reception desk.
Remembered her quiet manner.
Remembered Adrian describing her as unreliable after she resigned.
When investigators contacted her during the financial review, she agreed to provide testimony.
She described unusual approval procedures.
Vendor records that Nicole instructed her not to question.
Invoices altered after being entered.
And one incident she never forgot.
On November seventeenth, 2020, Nicole had asked her to prepare a printout of the old Millbrook project address.
The assistant remembered because the office had not been used regularly for months.
Nicole said someone needed directions.
The assistant printed the page.
Then noticed Nicole sending a message from her work telephone.