Tide and Timber
After surviving a studio scaffolding accident, art conservator Nora Vance discovers her husband is fabricating medical incompetency records to seize her family's coastal estate trust. Guided by an unalterable server audit log, she uncovers the truth.
Fictional story. Contains themes of spousal betrayal, emotional distress, and financial deceit.Chapter 1: The Shadow in the Gallery
The morning air inside the Dunmore Heritage Restoration Studio always carried the dry, comforting scents of aged cedar, beeswax, and crushed linseed oil. For twelve years, those scents had meant safety to Nora Vance. Today, however, they were overwhelmed by the sharp, metallic tang of industrial solvent and the throbbing ache behind her temples.
Three hours earlier, a heavy scaffold crossbar had slipped from an overhead gallery beam, striking Nora across the shoulder and side of her head. The village physician had diagnosed a mild concussion, bound her shoulder in tight linen, and ordered complete rest in the adjoining private study. Everyone believed she was sound asleep beneath the wool blanket.