Chapter 8 - The Recording in the Walls
The bracelet had belonged to Theo’s preschool class, but Mara knew that because she had tied it around his wrist three days earlier. She had taken it off before bed and placed it on the kitchen counter. It could have been stolen from the house, planted in the mud, or carried by someone who wanted her to believe Theo had been taken.
She refused to let fear choose the meaning.
“Call the house,” she said. Omar did.
The neighbor who had taken Theo answered immediately. He said the boy was safe, watching a movie in his living room. Charlotte was not there. Mara nearly collapsed with relief.
Rhea searched the boathouse and found tire tracks leading toward the old county road. A black sedan had been parked near the river, but the plates were covered. The only confirmed fact was that someone wanted Mara to panic. Jennifer gave Omar the memory card.
“The file is encrypted.” “Can you open it?” “I can try.” They moved to a police office where technicians copied the card without altering the original. The video showed footage from a camera mounted near the river eight years earlier.
The image was grainy, but the date and time were clear. Victor Reed stood on the dock, arguing with someone outside the frame. A second figure entered. The face was hidden by a hood.
Then Charlotte appeared. She ran toward Victor and grabbed his arm. Victor pushed her away. The hooded figure moved between them.
The camera angle caught a flash of silver at the figure’s wrist. The same kind of cuff link found in Gideon’s room. Victor fell backward into the river. Charlotte did not call for help.
She stood frozen while the hooded figure walked away. Then she picked up a folder from the dock and left in the opposite direction. Mara watched the footage twice.
“That is not proof Charlotte killed him,” Nia said.
“No,” Mara replied.
“But it proves she lied about being nowhere near the river.” Jennifer sat with her arms wrapped around herself.
“Charlotte said Victor was threatening to confess. She told me he had become unstable.” “When did you meet her?” Mara asked.
“After Solomon and I began seeing each other.
She asked me to help search the house.” “Did she know about the affair?” “She encouraged it.” The answer was so strange that Mara stared at her. Jennifer swallowed.
“She said you were planning to sell the house and abandon Solomon. She wanted him to have a reason to stay close to you.
She thought if he became indispensable, you would sign over control.” Mara felt the pieces slide into a new arrangement. Charlotte had not merely concealed the affair. She had helped manufacture the conditions around it.
“Why did she need the trust?” Mara asked.
“Because the trust protects the property from anyone but you and your father. Solomon believed there was a cash reserve attached to it.” “Was there?” Jennifer looked at Nia.
Nia opened a file.
“There is a protected account, but its beneficiary is a medical charity. Gideon created it after your mother’s treatment.
The house is the only asset available to the family.” Mara thought of her mother’s letter and Gideon’s fear.
“What is in the recording that Roane wants?” The technician called them into the next room. The recovered file had been restored enough to play another segment.
The hooded figure turned toward the camera after leaving the dock. The face was still obscured, but the voice carried.
“Gideon will blame you,” the figure said to Charlotte.
“If you want Solomon safe, you will say Victor fell alone.” Charlotte answered, “You promised no one would be hurt.” The figure laughed.
“You were the one who told me where he would be.” Mara’s hands went cold. Charlotte had not killed Victor, but she had delivered him to the person who did.
The audio ended with a second voice shouting from farther down the river. Gideon. He was alive that night. He had seen the hooded figure’s face.
The technician isolated the sound, and Gideon’s younger voice rang through the speakers.
“Caleb, stop!” Mara covered her mouth. Roane had been there.
Gideon knew him. Charlotte knew him. Solomon had spent years being blackmailed by him. But the video had one more surprise.
After Roane left, Charlotte returned to the dock carrying the blue folder. She opened it, removed a single envelope, and placed the folder beneath a loose plank. The camera zoomed automatically as the water level rose. The envelope bore Mara’s name.
“She took the letter,” Jennifer whispered.
“What letter?” Mara asked. Jennifer pointed to the screen.
“The one from your mother.” Mara felt grief rise through the anger. Her mother’s final words had been stolen before Mara was old enough to ask for them.
Charlotte had kept the letter for eight years, using it as leverage over Gideon and perhaps over Solomon. Nia’s phone rang. She listened, then handed it to Mara. It was Charlotte.
“I know you saw the video,” Charlotte said.
“Where are you?” “Somewhere Solomon cannot find me.” “Did you give Roane my son’s bracelet?” “No.” “Did you kill Victor?” Charlotte began to cry.
“I told him where Victor would be.” “Why?” “Because Roane said he would kill Solomon if I did not.” “And you believed him?” “He had already killed one person.” “You let him.” Charlotte’s voice broke.
“I thought I could save my son.” Mara closed her eyes.
May you like
“Where is the letter?” Charlotte was silent. Then she said, “Ask Gideon what happened to your mother after the river.” The call ended.
Rhea entered the room with a new report. Gideon had been found alive in a motel two counties away, sedated but breathing. Beside him, police had found a woman’s purse. Inside was a faded hospital bracelet bearing the name Elise Ellison.
