Chapter 12: The Voice on the Recording
Nobody breathed.
My mother's voice crackled through the computer speakers.
“Michael said you'd come alone.””
Then came a sound like a door slamming.
Mom spoke again.
“Why did he tell you that?””
The man answered.
“Because he thought you'd listen to reason.””
I looked at Dad.
He had gone completely still.
“That's not possible,” he whispered.
Mr. Harrison raised one hand, signaling for silence.
On the recording, Mom's voice grew sharper.
“You told Michael I was threatening the company. You told him I was unstable. You lied to him about the money, and now you've brought me here to make me sign another document.””
The man sighed.
“Claire, please. We can settle this.””
“No. You can return what you took.””
“You don't understand what will happen if those records reach the authorities.””
“I understand perfectly.””
A pause followed.
Then the man said, “Think about Emily.””
My fingers curled against the edge of the table.
Mom answered immediately.
“Don't you dare use my daughter against me.””
“I am trying to protect her.””
“By stealing from her?””
“By keeping her father out of prison!””
Dad made a strangled sound.
I turned toward him.
“Dad, what does he mean?””
He shook his head, but his eyes never left the screen.
The recording continued.
Mom's voice softened, and that somehow made it worse.
“I gave you every opportunity to tell the truth. I begged you to fix this before it destroyed our family. But you keep choosing yourself.””
The man replied, “And you keep pretending you're the only person who has sacrificed anything.””
“Then explain the truck driver.””
Silence.
Long enough for me to hear the wind blowing through the storage facility.
Finally, the man said, “You shouldn't know about him.””
Mom gave a bitter laugh.
“I know his name. I know who paid him. And I know he was supposed to frighten me, not kill me.””
Dad staggered into the wall.
Mr. Harrison stopped the recording.
“That's enough for now,” he said.
“We need to preserve the original file and provide it to the investigators. We shouldn't speculate about the meaning of every statement until the recording is authenticated.””
I barely heard him.
My mother had known someone was planning to frighten her.
She had known a truck driver was involved.
And she'd believed the man speaking to her was connected to my father.
I turned toward Dad.
“Who is it?””
He looked at me helplessly.
“I don't know.””
“You know that voice.””
His lips trembled.
“Yes.””
“Then say his name.””
He stared at the floor.
Robert, who had followed us into the unit after receiving a call from Vanessa, suddenly spoke.
“It's mine.””
Everyone turned toward him.
He stood in the doorway, his face gray.
“The voice is mine,” he repeated.
“But I didn't kill Claire.””
Dad lunged toward him.
“You were with her?””
Robert held up both hands.
“Let me explain!””
“You told me you left before seven!””
“I lied!””
Dad grabbed his coat.
“Why were you there?””
“Because I was trying to stop her from destroying everything we'd built!””
Mr. Harrison stepped between them.
“Michael, let go of him. Robert, you need to be careful what you say. This recording may become evidence in a criminal investigation.””
Robert looked at the computer.
“I know what it sounds like.””
“It sounds like you knew about the truck,” I said.
He turned toward me.
“I knew someone had threatened her. I didn't know the truck would hit her.””
“Who threatened her?””
He swallowed.
“I arranged the meeting.””
The words seemed to drain all the air from the room.
Dad released him.
“You arranged it?””
“Yes. I wanted to convince her to delay the complaint until I could repay the money. I thought if she understood what would happen to the company, she'd give me time.””
“And the driver?””
Robert's eyes filled with tears.
“I hired a man to follow her and scare her into backing off. I told him to make it look like a warning. I never told him to hurt her.””
“You hired someone to threaten your sister-in-law?”” Susan demanded.
“I thought it would frighten her. I didn't think—”
“You didn't think?”” I shouted.
My voice echoed off the metal walls.
“You didn't think about my mother driving home alone? You didn't think about what would happen if the truck hit her? You didn't think about me waking up the next morning and never seeing her again?””
Robert's face crumpled.
“Emily, I'm sorry.””
“Don't.””
He stopped.
“You don't get to say you're sorry and expect me to make this easier for you.””
Dad stared at his brother with an expression I couldn't read.
“Who was driving the truck?””
Robert shook his head.
“I don't know. The man I hired said he had arranged for someone to follow Claire. I didn't meet the driver, and I never saw the truck before the accident.””
“Then why were you at the hospital?”” I asked.
Robert closed his eyes.
“Because I knew something had happened. I called the man after the meeting, and he told me Claire had left. When I heard about the crash, I went to the hospital.””
“You knew she might be in danger.””
“Yes.””
“And you didn't tell the police.””
“No.””
He looked at me through tears.
“I was afraid.””
“So was she.””
He lowered his head.
For a moment, I saw the uncle who used to carry me on his shoulders at the county fair. Then I remembered the forged documents, the missing money, and the years of silence.
I couldn't reconcile those two people.
Mr. Harrison secured the recording and photographed the documents.
“This will need to be turned over to the authorities immediately. Robert, you should not leave until we've established the proper next steps.””
Robert nodded weakly.
But before Susan could move toward him, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen and froze.
Dad noticed.
“Who is it?””
Robert didn't answer.
The phone rang again.
I reached for the screen, but he pulled it away.
“It's nobody.””
Then a message appeared beneath the caller's name.
I saw it before he could hide the screen.
*You promised the recording was gone. If they heard it, finish what you started.*
My stomach turned.
“Who sent that?””
Robert stared at the message.
His lips moved, but no sound came out.
Dad took the phone from his hand.
The name at the top of the conversation wasn't Vanessa's.
It wasn't the truck driver's.
It was *Michael Carter*.
My father's name.
I looked at Dad.
He stared at the screen as though he'd never seen it before.
Then another message arrived.
*Emily must never learn who was driving.*
I stepped away from him.
“Dad?””
He looked up, tears spilling down his face.
“I can explain.””
But before he could speak, Mr. Harrison examined the timestamp on the message.
His expression hardened.
“This was sent less than ten minutes ago.””
Susan immediately called the police.
I stood between my father and my uncle, holding the memory of my mother's voice in my head.
One of them had arranged the meeting.
One of them had hidden the evidence.
And someone was still trying to keep the identity of the driver secret.
Then Dad whispered the words that made the truth even more terrifying.
“Emily, I didn't send those messages.””
May you like
He swallowed hard.
“Someone has been using my name for eleven years.””
