Chapter 4: The Voice Recording From a Dead Woman
Lily screamed.
Richard pulled her into his arms. “Stay behind me.”
Rosa’s voice shook in the darkness. “Sir, someone cut the power.”
Monica laughed softly. “Maybe the house is tired of hearing lies.”
Richard grabbed his phone and turned on the flashlight. “Do not move.”
Monica was gone.
Rosa gasped. “She ran upstairs.”
Richard looked at Lily. “Rosa, take Lily to the pantry and lock the door.”
Lily cried, “No, Daddy!”
“I will be right back.”
“No! She said people who go after secrets don’t come back!”
Richard held her face. “Listen to me. Your mother left this for us. We are not running anymore.”
He handed Lily to Rosa and picked up the voice recorder from the blue box.
A sound came from upstairs.
Glass breaking.
Richard ran.
In the study, Monica was pulling files from Grace’s old cabinet and throwing them into the fireplace.
Richard shouted, “Step away!”
She turned, holding a lighter. “You don’t understand what Grace was going to do.”
“She was going to expose you.”
“She was going to destroy this family.”
“She was my wife!”
“She was going to take Lily and leave you!”
Richard froze.
Monica smiled through tears. “You didn’t know that, did you?”
Richard pressed play on the recorder.
Grace’s voice filled the room.
“Richard, if you’re hearing this, I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner. Monica has been stealing from your company. But the money isn’t for her. She is paying someone named Carter.”
Richard looked at Monica.
The recorder continued.
“I found messages between Monica and Detective Carter. They planned to make my death look like a crash if I gave the files to the police.”
Monica whispered, “Turn it off.”
Grace’s voice trembled.
“And Richard… Carter said Lily is not safe because she saw him in the garage.”
Richard’s blood ran cold.
Lily saw him?
Monica suddenly threw the lighter into the fireplace.
Flames caught the documents.
Richard shoved her aside and grabbed the burning papers with a cushion, beating out the flames.
Monica crawled toward the door.
A deep male voice spoke from the hallway.
“Leave the papers, Richard.”
Detective Carter stood there with a gun in his hand.
May you like
Richard slowly stood.
Carter smiled. “Grace should have stayed quiet.”
