Chapter 3 - Tapes and Toxins
The sound of distant police sirens echoed up the long winding driveway of the Sterling estate.
Ethan didn't wait for the officers to arrive. He marched straight into Margaret's private study across the hall, slamming the heavy mahogany door behind him. He walked up to the oil portrait of his late father, swung the frame open, and revealed the wall safe.
He didn't know the combination, but he didn't need to. He grabbed a heavy metal paperweight from the desk and smashed the keypad panel until the electronic solenoid exposed the override latch. Using a letter opener, he forced the mechanism open.
Inside lay three black digital micro-recorders, a binder full of offshore bank transfers, and a stack of forged medical conservatorship documents waiting for Ava's forced signature.
Ethan grabbed the first recorder and hit play.
Margaret's sharp voice filled the quiet room through the small speaker:
"...increase the dosage to three pills a day, Doctor. She needs to appear mentally incompetent by the end of the month. If she can't speak clearly during the board assessment, the voting rights to her father's forty percent share in Sterling Enterprises will automatically revert to me as her legal guardian."
A male voice replied on the tape: "Mrs. Sterling, prolonged high doses of this compound cause permanent brain damage. If her husband orders an independent blood test—"
"My son believes whatever I tell him," Margaret’s recorded voice cut in coldly. "He thinks she's just depressed because of the wheelchair. Just make sure the liquid form can be mixed into her morning juice without leaving a taste."
Ethan fell back into the desk chair, the breath forced completely out of his lungs.
Every single morning for the past eight months, Margaret had brought Ava her breakfast. Ethan had believed it was a mother's loving attempt to bond with a daughter-in-law who had lost the use of her legs. He had thanked his mother for her kindness. He had embraced her.
In reality, his mother had been systematically poisoning his wife to steal her family's corporate legacy.
The door opened behind him. Two police officers and an emergency medical team stepped into the study, led by Lena.
"Mr. Sterling?" the lead officer asked. "The maid told us there was an assault."
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Ethan slowly stood up, holding the digital recorder in his palm. His face was devoid of color, his eyes burning with a dark, terrifying resolve.
"Officer," Ethan said, his voice flat and steady. "I need you to arrest my mother for forced drugging, corporate fraud, and physical assault. And I need a forensic toxicologist to test every bottle in this house immediately."
