Chapter 11 - PATRICIA’S SECRET

Detectives took the case from Cole.

He surrendered without another fight.

Maybe he had come to destroy evidence.

Maybe he had realized it was too late.

Back in the dining room, Marcus opened the case under police supervision.

Inside were old company records.

Bank statements.

Audio drives.

A small black notebook.

And one digital recorder.

Patricia stared at it like it was a loaded gun.

Marcus pressed play.

My father’s voice filled the room.

“Patricia, if you ever come near my daughter again, I’ll make sure Daniel knows exactly what you did.”

My entire body went cold.

Then Patricia’s voice.

“You can’t prove anything.”

“I have the transfers.”

“Those transfers were Cole’s.”

“You authorized two.”

“You don’t understand what I was dealing with.”

“You stole from my company.”

“I borrowed.”

“Seven hundred thousand dollars is not borrowing.”

Patricia covered her face.

The recording continued.

My father said:

“You will tell Emily the truth.”

“No.”

“Then I will.”

“You’ll destroy Daniel.”

“Daniel already knows enough to destroy himself.”

A crash sounded on the recording.

Then my father said:

“What did you put in my drink?”

My blood froze.

Patricia stood.

“No.”

Everyone stared at her.

“No, no, no. That isn’t what happened.”

The recording crackled.

My father coughed.

Patricia’s voice became frantic.

“It was only supposed to make you sleepy.”

I couldn’t breathe.

Marcus stopped the recording.

I stared at Patricia.

“You drugged him.”

She shook her head violently.

“No.”

“You drugged my father.”

“I didn’t kill him!”

My voice exploded.

“HE DIED!”

She started crying.

“I only wanted time!”

“For what?”

“To find the records!”

Cole spoke from beside the officers.

“She wanted to delete the evidence.”

Patricia screamed.

“SHUT UP!”

I walked toward her.

My hands were shaking.

“What did you give him?”

“Sedatives.”

“He had heart medication.”

“I didn’t know they would react!”

“You didn’t care.”

“No!”

“You watched him die.”

Her face collapsed.

“I panicked.”

My stomach turned.

“Did you call an ambulance?”

She said nothing.

I knew the answer.

“You waited.”

“I was scared.”

“How long?”

Silence.

“How long, Patricia?”

“Eleven minutes.”

I nearly fell.

Eleven minutes.

My father might have lived.

Daniel had been outside moving his car.

Cole had fled.

Patricia waited eleven minutes because she was scared of being caught.

Daniel stared at his mother.

“You told me he collapsed.”

She looked at him.

“I was protecting you.”

“From what?”

“From losing everything!”

Daniel laughed bitterly.

“You killed him.”

“I didn’t mean to!”

“You killed him!”

For once, Daniel sounded like a son, not a criminal.

Then Cole looked at him.

“Don’t act innocent.”

Daniel turned.

Cole smiled.

“You came back inside before the ambulance.”

Daniel went pale.

I whispered, “Daniel?”

Cole continued.

“And you saw him on the floor.”

My heart stopped.

“What did you do?”

Daniel closed his eyes.

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Cole answered for him.

“He walked away.”