Chapter 10 - Olivia's Version
Olivia gave her statement at the police station with her attorney beside her.
Daniel watched from behind one-way glass because investigators did not want him in the room.
“I borrowed money from Caleb,” Olivia said. “Years ago. Before Daniel and I married.”
“How much?” Detective Reed asked.
“Eighty thousand dollars.”
“What for?”
“My mother’s medical bills. Rent. Debt. I was twenty-three and stupid.”
“And when did he contact you again?”
“Eight months ago.”
Olivia swallowed.
“He said the old Phoenix records still had my name on them. I signed documents for him back then. I didn’t understand what they were.”
Reed’s face remained unreadable. “And he blackmailed you?”
“Yes.”
“With Simon’s help?”
“At first I didn’t know Simon was involved. Simon approached me after Caleb did. He said he could move money from Daniel’s family trust in ways no one would notice.”
“How much did you take?”
Olivia looked down.
“Seven hundred forty thousand.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“What about the guardianship petition?” Reed asked.
“Simon’s idea.”
“Did you agree to it?”
A long silence.
“Yes.”
“And Margaret discovered it.”
“Yes.”
“Did you push her?”
Olivia’s head came up.
“No.”
Daniel leaned closer to the glass.
“She grabbed my wrist,” Olivia said. “We were arguing. She stepped backward. Ethan saw only the end.”
Reed placed a photo on the table.
It showed bruising around Margaret’s upper arm.
“You told responding officers you tried to catch her.”
“I did.”
“Then why didn’t you mention she grabbed you?”
“I was terrified.”
Reed studied her.
Olivia began to cry.
“I lied about the money. I lied about Caleb. I signed things I should never have signed. But I did not try to kill Margaret.”
Behind the glass, Daniel wanted to believe her.
That was the worst part.
He still remembered Olivia dancing barefoot in their kitchen. Olivia asleep beside newborn Ethan. Olivia sitting on a bathroom floor with Daniel after his father died, holding his hand for three straight hours.
A person could be guilty of terrible things and still be made of memories you loved.
Then Reed’s phone vibrated.
He read a message, stood, and stepped out of the interview room.
Daniel met him in the hall.
“What?”
Reed looked grim.
“The hospital just called.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
“Your mother remembers the argument.”
May you like
“And?”
“She says Olivia pushed her with both hands.”
