Chapter 5 - The Voicemail
By 8:00 P.M., I was sitting in a private conference room at the Boston Police Department headquarters, flanked by Detective Ray Vance and Assistant District Attorney Sarah Lin.
Across the hall, behind two-way mirror glass, Marcus sat in an interrogation room. He had lost his arrogant demeanor; his designer shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his hair disheveled, sweating under the harsh white lights while his high-priced criminal defense lawyer paced behind him.
"Marcus is refusing to answer questions about the Succinylcholine," Sarah Lin informed me, flipping through a stack of police reports. "His lawyer is claiming that Dr. Arthur Vance acted alone and that Marcus had no knowledge of the sedation."
"Dr. Vance is a coward," I replied coldly. "He'll break the moment you offer him a plea deal. But we don't need Arthur to break Marcus. We have Elena's phone."
I pulled a small plastic evidence bag from my jacket pocket, containing Elena's cracked smartphone, which Ray's forensics team had recovered from the trash chute behind the family estate earlier that afternoon.
"Did your tech guys manage to extract the deleted audio files?" I asked.
Ray pulled out a laptop and plugged in a blue USB drive. "The physical phone was damaged, but the cloud backup was intact. Three days ago, at 11:42 P.M., Elena recorded a thirty-second voice memo on her phone before she was attacked."
Ray clicked Play.
The room fell silent as Elena's trembling voice filled the air, laced with static and heavy breathing:
"Danny... if you're listening to this, I'm hiding in the study pantry. Marcus and your mother... they found out about the audit. I heard them talking in the library. Marcus bought stolen medical drugs from a clinic in New York. They signed my name to the bank papers, Danny! They're going to put the money in my accounts and—oh god, someone's coming—"
A sudden loud crash echoed through the recording, followed by Marcus's distinct, cruel voice: "Give me the phone, Elena!"
Then, Elena's terrified scream: "Get away from me! Danny, help—"
The recording cut out with a sharp burst of static.
I closed my eyes, gripping the edge of the conference table so hard the wood groaned. Hearing my wife's terror, hearing the moment my own brother attacked her, tore through my soul like a jagged blade.
Sarah Lin stared at the laptop screen, her jaw set in absolute disgust. "That recording establishes premeditation, felony assault, kidnapping, and attempted murder. Combined with the forged corporate documents, Marcus and Victoria are looking at mandatory life sentences."
"What about my mother?" I asked, opening my eyes. "What is she saying?"
"Victoria is currently in a separate holding cell," Ray said. "She hasn't said a word. She demands to speak to you personally."
I stood up, adjusting the cuffs of my uniform shirt. "Take me to her."
Two minutes later, the heavy steel door of Holding Cell 3 unlocked.
Victoria sat at a cold metal table, her black velvet dress rumpled, her diamond earrings removed. When I stepped into the room, she looked up, her face pale, but her eyes still burning with that stubborn, arrogant pride that had defined her entire life.
"Daniel," she said, her voice strained. "Finally. Tell these ridiculous officers to release me. This entire situation is an embarrassing tragedy that should be handled within the family."
I didn't sit down. I stood over her, looking at the woman who had brought me into the world, feeling nothing but a vast, cold emptiness.
"You knew she was alive," I said softly.
Victoria flinched slightly. "Daniel, you don't understand the pressure we were under. The business was failing! Marcus made bad investments! If the audit went public, the family name would have been ruined! We would have lost everything!"
"So you decided to murder my wife and my child to save your reputation?" I shouted, my voice echoing off the concrete walls.
"It wasn't supposed to be like that!" Victoria argued defensively, her voice cracking. "Marcus said the drug would just make her sleep peacefully! We were going to transfer the stolen money, declare her dead from natural causes, and move on! We were protecting the family!"
"Elena was my family!" I roared, leaning down until my face was inches from hers. "My son is my family! You and Marcus are nothing to me. You are monsters."
Victoria stared at me, realization finally dawning on her that no amount of money, influence, or motherly manipulation was going to save her.
May you like
"Tomorrow morning," I whispered, "you and Marcus will be formally arraigned for attempted murder. And I will personally ensure that neither of you ever sees the light of day again."
I turned my back on her and walked out of the cell, leaving her crying in the dark.
