Chapter 7 - The Voice on the Recording
The audio was eleven minutes and twenty-three seconds long.
The first four minutes sounded like an ordinary business call.
Then another man said, “You need her signature.”
Jason answered, “I know.”
“Then convince her.”
“I tried.”
“Try harder.”
“She hired an attorney.”
Silence.
Then the unknown man cursed.
Jason lowered his voice.
“She’s been copying records.”
“How much does she know?”
“Enough.”
“About Red Cedar?”
“Yes.”
“And the insurance?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
My mother gripped Dad’s arm.
The unknown man said, “Then this needs to disappear.”
Jason answered, “I’m handling Lily.”
My stomach twisted.
The recording continued.
The second man sounded older.
Educated.
Calm.
I couldn’t recognize him.
Neither could Rachel.
Then he said something strange.
“You were supposed to control your wife, not turn this into a homicide investigation.”
The room froze.
The recording had been made before Lily died.
Daniel stared at the speaker.
Detective Alvarez immediately replayed the line.
Again.
And again.
Dad whispered, “Who is that?”
Rachel shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Alvarez looked at her.
“You worked at the same company as Jason.”
“Yes.”
“Who knew about the transfers?”
Rachel hesitated.
“Jason’s boss might have.”
“Name.”
“Charles Whitmore.”
I knew the name.
Everyone in Bellhaven did.
Whitmore Construction.
Highways.
Shopping centers.
City contracts.
Charles Whitmore donated to hospitals, schools, Little League teams.
Jason was the company’s chief financial officer.
Daniel leaned back.
“That explains Red Cedar.”
“What?”
“Lily told me she believed Jason wasn’t only stealing from her.”
Alvarez narrowed her eyes.
“Go on.”
“She suspected he was moving money through shell companies for someone else.”
Rachel went pale.
“No.”
“What?”
“Jason used to joke that Charles owned half the county.”
“That’s not evidence.”
“No, but…”
She rubbed her arms.
“There was a night at the office. Jason thought I’d left. Charles came in. They were arguing.”
“About what?”
“I only heard part of it.”
“What part?”
Rachel closed her eyes.
“Charles said, ‘If your wife opens her mouth, we all burn.’”
Silence filled the room.
I suddenly understood why Lily had been so afraid.
This wasn’t just an affair.
It wasn’t just stolen inheritance.
She had found something larger.
Something worth silencing her over.
Alvarez stood.
“We need a warrant for Whitmore’s communications with Jason.”
Daniel nodded.
“And Lily’s remaining files.”
Priya had spent the afternoon recovering more data from the private server.
She called ten minutes later.
Her voice sounded tense.
“I found the second camera.”
Everyone leaned toward the phone.
“Where was it?”
“Not inside the house.”
“Where?”
“Lily installed a dash camera in her SUV with remote upload.”
Alvarez’s expression sharpened.
“Does it have footage from the night she died?”
“Yes.”
My chest tightened.
“Was the car outside?”
“Yes.”
“What can it see?”
“The driveway.”
“And?”
Priya paused.
“It shows someone arriving at Lily and Jason’s house twenty-eight minutes before she fell.”
Alvarez asked, “Who?”
“I’m sending you a still image.”
Her email arrived seconds later.
Alvarez opened it.
My mother whispered, “Oh my God.”
A dark sedan sat behind Jason’s truck.
A man was stepping out.
Silver hair.
Expensive coat.
Distinctive limp.
I had seen him on television a hundred times.
Charles Whitmore.
But the next image was worse.
He wasn’t alone.
A second person got out from the passenger side.
Daniel zoomed in.
My heart almost stopped.
I knew her.
We all did.
She had stood beside my sister’s casket that morning and cried louder than anyone.
May you like
Jason’s mother.
Margaret Reed.
