Chapter 14 - The Voice on the Recording
I thought the worst part would be hearing myself fall.
It wasn't.
The worst part was hearing Sophie say, over and over, "Mommy, please move," while the two adults who were supposed to keep her safe argued about paperwork.
Ortiz stopped the recording.
"Do you want a break?"
"I want them to hear it," I said. "Every word."
She explained that the file's metadata was consistent with a continuous recording, though forensic specialists would still document its integrity and chain of custody. It was strong evidence, not a substitute for a careful investigation.
She played the last section. Margaret ordered Ethan to take Sophie upstairs. Ethan protested that I'd be seriously hurt.
"You already made the choice," Margaret snapped. "Now quit panicking."
A few seconds later came the phone call I'd remembered.
"It's done," she said. "Get the papers ready."
But then the recording captured something I hadn't heard at the foot of the stairs.
Ethan said, "I never agreed to let her die."
Margaret answered, "You agreed to make the problem disappear. Don't become sentimental now."
My fingertips went cold.
"So she planned it," I whispered.
Ortiz kept her answer measured. "We're investigating what each person planned and did. These statements are important."
Tessa put her hand on the table near mine, not touching until I reached for it.
"What happens next?" I asked.
"The district attorney will review the evidence for charges," Ortiz said. "In the meantime, we're moving to preserve every communication between them and Westbridge."
Outside the station, reporters had begun gathering. Someone had leaked news of the property dispute, and a photograph of the Maple House was circulating with a headline about a family inheritance battle.
I wanted to scream that there was a child at the center of it, not a prize for viewers to choose sides over.
Tessa guided me through a side entrance.
Her phone rang before we reached the car. She listened, then lowered it.
"The escrow company has confirmed the transfer is blocked," she told me.
Relief made my knees weak.
But Tessa wasn't smiling.
"Westbridge just sent a new demand. They say the advance money must be repaid today. Ethan and Margaret don't have it."
I looked back toward the courthouse.
May you like
"Then what do you think they'll do?"
"I don't know," she said. "And that is why we need Sophie somewhere they can't find her."
