Jerome peered at the door numbers as he walked down the charming streets of Carmel by the Sea. He could understand why it's a beloved holiday home destination for the wealthy, even if this second home economy was slowly killing the real estate prices around beautiful areas.

The address led him to a lilac house and Jerome rang the doorbell, adding a sharp knock on the door for good measure. He tucked his hands in his jacket pocket and waited. Light footsteps sounded from inside and the door swung open gently to reveal the former White butler.

"Detective," Nelson greeted him, looking thoroughly unsurprised. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Jerome was impressed that Nelson remembered him. "I'm here on behalf of the FBI," he said, flashing his badge. "I have a few questions. It'll only take a moment of your time."

Nelson nodded and stepped aside to let him in. The decor was straight out of an interior design magazine. Jerome didn't miss the photo of the Whites in a corner as Nelson led him into a cozy kitchen. It was one of Candice when she was young with Richard and Lynette. Strange that Nelson hadn't taken it off.

"Would you like a cup of tea? I'm afraid I don't have any coffee," Nelson said and Jerome shook his head. He was here for semi official business and he planned to be in and out.

But the former butler went to the stove anyway, taking his time boiling water and prepping a teapot. Jerome studied the kitchen, making a mental note of where the knives were. Nelson wasn't supposed to be dangerous, but he had come to expect the unexpected when it came to this case.

"I only have chamomile, I hope it's okay with you," Nelson said, shuffling back a few minutes later with a full pot of tea. Jerome nodded his thanks, clasping his hands on top of the table. Nelson had always been impeccably dressed in uniform and blended into the background whenever he met him, and it was a little jarring to see him seated like an average grandfather.

Pouring a cup of tea for himself, Nelson turned to Jerome. "How might I help you, detective?"

When Jerome said he was here on FBI business, he might have fudged the truth a little. The evidence Candice had gathered that led to the arrest of Vivienne and Howard White had enough material to close the case. But there were some things that were still left unexplained. And Jerome had a feeling that the long-term butler of the Whites knew the answers.

"Did you know that Vivienne and Howard White weren't dead?" Jerome asked. Their trial had caused a media sensation given the high profile nature and the dramatic twists. Even if Candice hadn't asked for a new identity, they probably would have to give her one due to the incessant coverage.

Nelson took a sip of the tea, completely unfazed by the question. "I suspected that perhaps they were not dead. But Richard had become the head of the house and it was my duty to take care of the family."

Jerome grimaced. This was a perfect politically correct statement. "Did they ask you to do anything that was out of the ordinary, or did you notice anything strange working for them all these years?"

This earned him a dry look. "It is not my position to notice or ask questions, but simply to make their life easier," Nelson replied. Jerome had taken a look at his record and he was trained from a butler school, one with a lengthy code of conduct. Who even knew that it was still a thing?

Just as Jerome thought the trip was a complete waste of time, Nelson turned to him. "We have 

to sign a non-disclosure agreement which bar us from saying anything. There are a few loopholes.

"Did you ever find that safety deposit box that Lynette has?" Nelson asked. Jerome raised his eyebrows. Candice mentioned it briefly and it had been something that they were aware of. But he wasn't sure if a warrant was issued to clear it or if anyone bothered to actually do that.

Jerome made a mental note to get someone to check it. "Did you send the two men to chase Candice from her university?"

Nelson gave him an appraising look. "I helped leaked the information. I hope that it helped alert her in some way, or keep her out of the whole thing."

If what Candice told him was correct, it was what had prompted the whole on the run thing. It was difficult to say even with hindsight whether that was helpful, but it certainly was instrumental in setting off the entire chain of events. Jerome wished Candice could hear this but she was under heavy identity protection.

"What about Candice's identity?" Jerome asked. They managed to trace Eva's origin to a family in Sacramento, where the fake nanny had arranged to adopt her in secret with a large sum of money. But it seemed that any kind of trail for Candice's adoption had been destroyed. Given that Meredith was the true daughter, Candice's origin didn't really matter.

"I'm afraid that's all I can tell you, detective," Nelson said, twirling the cup of tea in his hands. "Our retirement contract is just as binding."

Jerome knew that Nelson knew so much more. He could tell. But there wasn't anything he could do to get him to talk. Him coming here really was just for a few more answers. To tie up loose ends.

"Thank you for your time," Jerome said with a nod, pushing his cup of tea away from him. The White seniors had confessed that they had staged the kidnapping of Candice and Eric but denied that David rescuing them was a part of the plan even though everyone knew it was. 

Finding Candice on the highway running from a gardener's van was Eva's doing, which was the one crime she was charged with. But her psychiatric evaluation meant that she was recommended to a mental hospital instead of a prison sentence, and Eric Goodman had managed to be cleared of all charges.

As Jerome bid the elderly butler farewell, he considered, again, if he should find a way to tell Candice everything. He had hoped to find out about her birth parents for her, but that remained a dead end. If Eva's origin was any indication to go by, she was likely just an orphan or secretly adopted from a family that needed money. Perhaps closure was overrated.

The best thing for her to do was simply to move on. But Jerome knew that he would forever remember this case.

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And that's a wrap! I like how I ended the story but it did turn out differently than my initial thought. But stories always have a way of taking a life of their own! Let me know if you have more questions on Candice or the White family.