Chapter 3 - THE THREAT
Ryan stared at Madison as if she had slapped him.
“No.”
She didn’t blink.
“No, Maddie. I did not kill your father.”
“But you said I’d grow up without him.”
“That recording—”
“Is your voice.”
“Yes.”
Evelyn covered her mouth.
“Ryan…”
He turned on her.
“Mom, don’t.”
Claire stopped the recorder.
“Everybody stays right here.”
Ryan laughed bitterly.
“You don’t have authority to hold me.”
“No. But the police do.”
His eyes flashed.
“You’re calling the police?”
“You threatened a dead man.”
“It wasn’t what it sounded like.”
I stepped closer.
“Then tell me what it was.”
Ryan looked at me.
“You won’t believe me.”
“Try.”
He paced once, then lowered his voice.
“Daniel found money missing.”
“How much?”
He didn’t answer.
Claire did.
“At least two hundred forty thousand, apparently.”
Ryan rubbed his face.
“It wasn’t stolen.”
“Then what was it?”
“A temporary transfer.”
“To where?”
Silence.
“Ryan.”
“To an outside account.”
I almost laughed.
“You moved nearly a quarter million dollars out of your brother’s company and called it temporary?”
“I was putting it back.”
Daniel’s recorded voice suddenly crackled through the speaker.
Claire hadn’t realized the device was still running.
“You took four transfers, Ryan.”
Everyone froze.
Daniel continued.
“Two-forty was just the first one.”
Ryan went gray.
The recording had been made during an argument.
Daniel sounded controlled.
Ryan didn’t.
“You don’t understand what I was fixing.”
“You moved company money.”
“I needed time.”
“You forged my authorization.”
“You think I wanted this?”
“I think you’ve been lying for a year.”
Then a loud bang.
Ryan’s voice:
“Keep pushing me and I swear to God, Daniel—”
Daniel:
“What? You’ll hurt me?”
Another pause.
Then Ryan said the sentence that made my stomach turn.
“No. I’ll hurt what you care about.”
The recording ended.
Madison squeezed my hand so hard her nails dug into my skin.
I wanted to cover her ears.
Too late.
Claire called 911.
Ryan didn’t run.
That surprised me.
He simply dropped into a chair.
“You’re all missing the point.”
“What point?” I asked.
“Daniel wasn’t recording me because he thought I was going to kill him.”
“Then why?”
Ryan looked toward his mother.
Evelyn shook her head.
Barely.
But I saw it.
A warning.
Ryan saw it too.
Claire did not.
“Ryan?”
He looked back at me.
“There was somebody else.”
Claire folded her arms.
“Who?”
Ryan laughed without humor.
“You think I’m the worst person in this family.”
“Right now, you’re making a strong case.”
He leaned forward.
“My brother called me the night he died.”
My heart stopped.
“What time?”
“10:41.”
Daniel had fallen sometime between ten and midnight.
According to the coroner.
“What did he say?”
Ryan swallowed.
“He told me someone was inside his house.”
My mouth went dry.
“I was home.”
“I know.”
“Madison was with me.”
“I know.”
“So who was in the house?”
Ryan glanced again at Evelyn.
This time, I followed his eyes.
My mother-in-law had begun to cry.
“Mom?” Ryan whispered.
Evelyn stood abruptly.
“I can’t do this.”
She headed for the door.
Claire blocked her.
“Do what?”
Evelyn looked at me.
Then at Madison.
May you like
Finally she whispered:
“I was there the night Daniel died.”
