Chapter 7 - The Sister’s Key
Ethan’s sister Lila called at 2:17 a.m. She had not spoken to Madison since the birthday dinner, when Patricia had accused Madison of trying to isolate Ethan from his family.Madison answered from the hospital chair beside Rowan’s incubator.“Are you alone?” Lila asked.“No.”“I mean, is Ethan there?”“No.”Lila exhaled. “I need to tell you something.”“Then tell me.”“I saw him leave the house.”Madison sat straighter. “What morning?”“The morning you went to the hospital.”“Where?”“At the house.”“You were there?”“I came because Mom forgot the birthday seating cards. Ethan said he’d left before dawn, but I saw him in the garage.”“What time?”“Around six-forty.”Madison’s pulse quickened. “He told me he was already on the road.”“He was wearing a gray hoodie. He had a black case.”“Did he see you?”“I don’t know.”“Lila.”“I’m scared.”“Of Ethan?”The silence answered.Lila began to cry. “He called me after you were taken to the hospital. He said I needed to confirm he’d been at the party all morning if anyone asked.”“Were you?”“No. I didn’t go to the party until eight-thirty.”“Why would you lie for him?”“Because he said if I didn’t, Mom would lose the house.”Madison closed her eyes. “What does that mean?”“The trust.”“Patricia’s trust?”“Dad left the majority of the Mercer property to the grandchildren. Not Ethan. Not me. A child has to be born for the clause to activate.”Madison looked at Rowan through the glass. “Rowan.”“If you and Ethan divorce before the trust is settled, Mom can challenge the inheritance. Ethan needs control of the company and the family property.”“That still doesn’t explain trying to hurt me.”“It might if he thought the baby would die.”The words settled between them.“Lila, what did he say?”“He said a child would complicate everything. He said you’d take half the company if you divorced.”“We have a prenup.”“The prenup excludes assets acquired during the marriage. Nestor’s valuation tripled last year.”Madison had never seen the full agreement. Ethan had insisted the lawyer was a family friend and that the document was routine.“Did you know he was planning this?”“I knew he was meeting someone.”“Who?”“Dr. Hart.”Madison felt dizzy. “Why?”“I don’t know. I saw them in the parking garage at the clinic.”“When?”“The day before your appointment.”“Did they argue?”“Ethan gave him an envelope.”Madison stood too quickly. The chair scraped the floor.“What was in it?”“I couldn’t see.”“Where are you now?”“In my car outside your house.”Madison’s fear turned to anger. “Why are you outside my house?”“Because Ethan told me to retrieve something.”“What?”“He gave me a key.”“You have a physical key?”“The backup key for the service panel.”“Don’t touch anything. Leave.”“I can’t.”“Lila, leave now.”“Madison, there’s a woman in the house.”Madison went cold. “What woman?”“I saw her through the upstairs window.”“Is she Patricia?”“No.”“Call the police.”“She just opened the front door.”Madison heard a faint metallic sound through the phone, followed by Lila’s sharp breath.“She’s coming out.”“Describe her.”“Dark hair. Green coat. She has something in her hand.”“What?”“A bottle.”The line went dead.Madison called Reyes. She answered on the second ring.“I’m sending a patrol.”“My sister-in-law is outside my house. Someone entered.”“Is she injured?”“I don’t know.”“Stay at the hospital.”“I’m going there.”“Absolutely not.”“My evidence is in that house.”“Your safety is more important than evidence.”“My daughter’s safety is connected to that house.”Reyes’s voice sharpened. “Madison, if you go there, Ethan can say you violated the order.”“There is no order against me.”“There will be if you give him a reason.”Madison forced herself to breathe. She watched the hospital corridor until two officers appeared at the far doors. Twenty minutes later, Reyes called back.“Your sister-in-law is safe,” she said. “The woman was gone.”“What did Lila see?”“A bottle in the foyer. We found no bottle.”“Check the service panel.”“Why?”“Because Lila had a key.”Reyes paused. “How do you know the key opens it?”“Ethan’s system has a physical override.”“Does he have access to it?”“He designed it.”Another silence.“Madison,” Reyes said, “the patrol found a message written on your kitchen wall.”“What message?”“It says, ‘Ask what happened to Owen.’”Madison gripped the edge of the incubator.Owen Mercer had been Ethan’s cofounder.He had died in a boating accident six months earlier.
