Chapter 11 - THE WOMAN WHO HIRED SARAH
Victoria survived.
Barely.
Doctors found the same sedative in her blood that had been found in Leo’s.
Suddenly, nothing made sense.
Sarah sat across from Detective Brooks in a hospital conference room.
“So Victoria was telling the truth?”
“About not being the only person involved? Maybe.”
“She still put steam near Leo.”
“Yes.”
“She still moved the cameras.”
“Yes.”
“She still planted things in my room.”
“We believe so.”
Sarah shook her head.
“Then why would Renee drug her?”
Brooks opened a folder.
“Because people who commit crimes together don’t always stay loyal.”
Ethan sat beside Sarah.
“What do we know about Renee?”
Brooks slid over a photograph.
“Her full name is Renee Walsh. She worked for the domestic staffing agency for six years.”
“Worked?”
“She resigned this morning.”
Sarah stared at the photo.
Brooks continued.
“We checked her financial history. She received four payments from a shell company.”
“How much?”
“One hundred eighty thousand dollars.”
Ethan’s eyes widened.
“From Victoria?”
“We’re tracing it.”
Sarah remembered the email accusing her of dangerous attachment.
“Renee approved my employment review.”
Brooks nodded.
“She also created your original personnel file.”
Sarah frowned.
“What do you mean created?”
“Your background check contains altered information.”
Ethan looked at Sarah.
“What information?”
Brooks hesitated.
“It suggests Sarah had been terminated from a previous childcare position for emotional instability.”
Sarah stood.
“I have never worked in childcare.”
“We know.”
“I cleaned apartments and hotels.”
“We know.”
“So why put that in there?”
Brooks looked at Ethan.
“To make her easier to discredit later.”
Sarah slowly sat back down.
Ethan whispered, “You were chosen.”
The words landed hard.
Sarah looked at him.
“Chosen for what?”
Brooks answered.
“To be blamed.”
Sarah felt cold.
The pieces aligned.
A working-class employee.
No powerful family.
No legal team.
Close to the baby.
Easy to accuse of obsession.
Easy to frame with medication and stolen jewelry.
Sarah whispered, “They planned this before Victoria moved in.”
Brooks nodded.
“Possibly.”
Ethan stood and walked to the window.
His shoulders shook.
“I brought her into my house.”
Sarah watched him.
“You didn’t know.”
“I proposed to her.”
“You didn’t know.”
“My son could have died.”
Sarah didn’t answer.
Because that part was true.
Detective Brooks’s phone buzzed.
She checked it.
“We traced the shell company.”
Ethan turned.
“And?”
“It was funded by a private account belonging to Victoria.”
Sarah closed her eyes.
“So Victoria paid Renee.”
“Yes.”
“Then Renee turned on her?”
“Looks that way.”
A nurse entered.
“Mr. Carter?”
Ethan stepped forward.
“Is Victoria awake?”
“She’s asking for Sarah.”
Sarah stared at the nurse.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Detective Brooks nodded.
“Let’s hear what she has to say.”
Victoria looked small in the hospital bed.
Nothing like the woman who had stood over Leo with an iron.
Her voice was weak.
Sarah remained near the door.
“You wanted me?”
Victoria swallowed.
“I hate you.”
Sarah almost laughed.
“Nice opening.”
“But you were right.”
“About what?”
“Renee.”
Sarah’s face hardened.
“What did you two plan?”
Victoria looked away.
“I paid her to get you hired.”
Sarah’s throat tightened.
“Why me?”
“You looked perfect.”
“For what?”
“Someone ordinary.”
Sarah felt anger rise.
Victoria continued.
“Someone Ethan would trust around Leo but never choose over me.”
“You planted the pills.”
“Yes.”
“The bracelet.”
“Yes.”
“The texts?”
“Yes.”
“The fire?”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
Sarah stared.
“Don’t lie now.”
“I’m not.”
“The memory card?”
“I took it.”
“And put it behind the vase?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I panicked when you saw the camera.”
Sarah stepped closer.
“Did you drug Leo?”
Victoria began crying.
“I gave him a little sleep medicine twice.”
Sarah wanted to slap her.
Instead she clenched her fists.
“He’s a baby.”
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
“I wanted him sleepy. I wanted Ethan to think you were careless.”
“And the steam?”
Victoria closed her eyes.
“He wouldn’t stop crying.”
Sarah’s voice shook with rage.
“So you scared him?”
“I lost my temper.”
“You held hot steam over his face.”
“I know!”
Victoria sobbed.
For a moment, Sarah felt nothing but disgust.
Then she asked the important question.
“Who gave him the larger dose today?”
Victoria looked terrified.
“Renee.”
Sarah went still.
“How do you know?”
“Because that wasn’t our plan.”
“Our plan?”
Victoria wiped tears from her face.
“We were supposed to make you look unstable.”
“Then what changed?”
Victoria looked toward the doorway.
“Renee found Claire’s real will.”
Ethan stepped into the room.
Victoria froze.
May you like
He had heard everything.
“What real will?”
