Chapter 2 - The Flight That Never Landed
Detective Laura Bennett waited until the nurse left before speaking again.
“Jason’s plane landed in Paris forty minutes ago.”
I stared at her.
“So arrest him.”
“We’re trying.”
“Trying?”
“He turned off his phone before takeoff.”
“He knows exactly what he did.”
Laura nodded.
“We know.”
“Then why is he still walking free?”
“Because attempted homicide across international borders becomes complicated very quickly.”
I looked at the photographs on my blanket.
Jason carrying my medication.
Jason walking calmly away from the house.
Jason wearing the same expression he used when buying groceries.
There was no panic.
No hesitation.
No regret.
Only preparation.
“Did his family know?” I asked.
“We don’t know yet.”
“They were there.”
“They claim they believed a home nurse was coming.”
“No nurse was scheduled.”
“We confirmed that.”
“What about Margaret?”
Laura’s eyes sharpened.
“What about her?”
“She looked at the empty organizer.”
“She told me the medicine was right beside me.”
Laura leaned forward.
“You’re sure?”
“I watched her look at it.”
“She knew.”
The room suddenly felt colder.
Laura opened a folder.
“Your husband increased your life insurance policy six weeks ago.”
“I know.”
“He also changed the beneficiary.”
My breath caught.
“To whom?”
“His mother.”
I stared at her.
“That makes no sense.”
“It does if Jason expected your death to create legal complications.”
“What complications?”
“You and Jason were still married.”
“So?”
“So the original beneficiary was him.”
Laura slid another paper toward me.
“He changed it to Margaret three days after your doctor documented that your condition had become medically unstable.”
My hands started shaking.
“He planned this with her.”
“We are investigating that possibility.”
“No.”
I looked directly at Laura.
“He planned it with her.”
A knock came at the door.
A uniformed officer stepped inside.
He whispered something into Laura’s ear.
Her face changed.
“What happened?” I asked.
Laura stood.
“Jason contacted the police.”
“From Paris?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
She hesitated.
“He claims you staged everything.”
My mouth fell open.
“He said the house was never locked.”
“He said you hid your own medication.”
“He also said you threatened to kill yourself if he went on the trip.”
I felt sick.
“That never happened.”
“I believe you.”
“He’s lying.”
“Yes.”
“Then why do you look worried?”
Laura placed her hand on the folder.
“Because he sent us a video.”
“What video?”
“One recorded inside your bedroom.”
She turned the laptop toward me.
The image showed me sitting on the edge of the bed.
My face was pale.
My voice trembled.
Jason stood behind the camera.
In the video, I looked directly at him.
Then I heard myself say something I had never said.
“If you leave me, I’ll make sure everyone blames you.”
The screen went black.
I stared at Laura.
“That isn’t real.”
“I know.”
“That is not my voice.”
“It sounds exactly like you.”
My heart pounded.
“How?”
“We think it was digitally altered.”
“Then prove it.”
“We will.”
Laura closed the laptop.
“But until we do, Jason is using that video to claim you fabricated the entire crime.”
I looked again at the frozen image of my own face.
Then Laura’s phone rang.
She answered.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
“What is it?” I whispered.
Laura slowly turned toward me.
“The airline says Jason never boarded the connecting flight to Rome.”
“Where is he?”
“They don’t know.”
May you like
Then the hospital lights flickered once.
A second later, my room went dark.
