Chapter 15 - The Audio Replay
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Adrian looked like a cornered animal. “I… I do not understand what is happening here.”
Jonah Mercer’s mouth hardened into a thin line of disgust. “Then listen closely, Mr. Voss.”
Jonah pressed play on his phone again. This time, he let the recording run from the very beginning. Cordelia’s cold, calculating voice filled the room with terrible clarity, detailing the hired contractor, the forged signature, the insurance payout, and Adrian’s own weak complicity.
Adrian’s face drained of all color. He looked like a corpse. As his mother’s voice mentioned the seven-million-dollar policy, his hands tightened so violently around the cardboard carrier that the plastic lids popped off the coffee cups. Hot, dark liquid spilled over his knuckles and dripped onto his expensive Italian shoes, but he didn't even flinch.
Cordelia watched him, her eyes narrowing. “Adrian,” she warned, her tone laced with venom. “Do not be stupid.”
Panic destroys loyalty. Adrian’s eyes darted to the detectives, then finally to me.
“What exactly do you think I did?” Adrian asked the police, his voice rising in panic.
He didn't ask if I was hurt. He didn't ask if his mother had just tried to murder me. He only asked about his own liability.
“We are asking questions about the balcony fall, the insurance policy, and financial transfers to a contractor named Nolan Reeve,” Detective Ellison stated coldly.
Adrian shook his head frantically. “I didn't know she would do this! I thought the balcony was a structural issue! I didn't know anyone paid him!”
Cordelia turned on him, her facade entirely gone. “You pathetic coward.”
“You knew enough to sign the claim forms!” she screamed.
“I signed what you gave me! You said she would ruin us!”
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The detectives stood in silence, letting the rats eat each other.
My throat felt like it was lined with fire, but I forced my jaw to move. I looked straight at Adrian, and through the raw ruin of my vocal cords, I rasped, “I consented to the recording.”
