Chapter 8 - THE VIDEO
The laptop wasn’t password protected.
Travis wanted it found.
That was what scared Ramirez most.
Inside were folders labeled with dates.
Photos.
Screenshots.
Emails.
Audio recordings.
And one video file named MEGAN_FINAL.
Ramirez watched it first.
Then she called Daniel and Claire into a private room.
“You need to see this.”
Claire sat beside Daniel, though neither of them touched.
Ramirez pressed play.
Megan appeared on screen.
Older than in the baby photograph.
Tired.
Terrified.
She sat in what looked like her apartment kitchen.
“If you’re watching this,” she said, “I probably ran out of time.”
Daniel leaned forward.
Megan continued.
“Travis has been using Ryan to get to Daniel.”
Claire’s hands curled into fists.
“He hates Daniel because he thinks Daniel ruined my life. I let him believe that for years because blaming Daniel was easier than admitting I made my own choices.”
Daniel shut his eyes.
Megan looked into the camera.
“Daniel never knew Ryan was alive.”
Ryan had been lied to.
Completely.
Megan took a shaking breath.
“I told Daniel I lost the baby. I thought I could raise Ryan alone. Then I got scared to tell the truth.”
She wiped her face.
“Travis found out Daniel owned part of Bennett Construction. He wanted money. I didn’t know he had already blackmailed Daniel until years later.”
Claire looked at her husband.
Daniel stared at the screen.
“Travis kept saying Daniel owed us. I told him to stop. He didn’t.”
Megan’s voice lowered.
“He started talking to Ryan without me knowing. Telling him his father had rejected him. Showing him pictures of Daniel’s family.”
Claire felt nauseated.
That explained the photographs.
“He poisoned that boy,” she whispered.
The video continued.
“Three days ago, Ryan asked me why Daniel loved his daughter but not him.”
Megan began crying.
“I knew what Travis had done.”
Daniel covered his mouth.
“I told Ryan the truth. He didn’t believe me. He ran to Travis.”
Megan glanced toward something off camera.
“I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m taking Ryan away.”
She leaned closer to the camera.
“If anything happens to me, look at Travis.”
The video ended.
Silence filled the room.
Daniel finally spoke.
“You think he killed her?”
Ramirez’s expression stayed controlled.
“I think we need evidence.”
Claire pointed at the laptop.
“Isn’t that evidence?”
“It’s suspicion.”
Before Ramirez could continue, a knock came at the door.
An officer stepped in.
“Detective?”
“What?”
“We found something in Travis’s deleted files.”
Ramirez stood.
The officer held up a printed image.
Traffic camera footage.
Megan’s car on the wet road.
And behind it, less than one car length away—
a gray Ford Explorer.
Claire’s skin went cold.
Daniel stood.
“That son of a bitch.”
Ramirez grabbed his arm.
“Sit down.”
“He killed her.”
“We don’t know that yet.”
“He chased her!”
“We will prove what happened.”
Daniel pulled free.
“And while you prove it, he’s watching my daughter!”
Claire stood too.
Then her phone rang.
Hospital number.
She frowned.
“I’m in the hospital.”
She answered.
“Hello?”
A woman spoke quickly.
“Mrs. Bennett?”
“Yes.”
“This is security from the pediatric wing.”
Claire’s heart stopped.
“What happened?”
“We’re trying to locate your daughter.”
Claire didn’t understand the sentence.
“What do you mean, locate?”
“Lily is not in her room.”
The phone almost slipped from Claire’s hand.
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
May you like
Claire whispered:
“Lily’s gone.”
