Chapter 20 - The Voice on the Tape
Travis climbed the stairs first.
Caroline followed.
The house was empty.
On the kitchen table sat a small cassette recorder.
Caroline pressed PLAY.
Static filled the room.
Then a woman's voice emerged.
Caroline knew it immediately.
It was Eleanor.
“If you're hearing this, they've discovered the archive.”
Caroline covered her mouth.
The recording continued.
“Caroline, I don't know how old you are now. I don't know what they told you about me.”
A pause.
“But your father loved you.”
Caroline's eyes filled with tears.
“He made terrible choices. So did I. But none of it was your fault.”
The recording crackled.
“Edward will tell you that I betrayed everyone. Don't believe him.”
Travis exchanged a glance with Caroline.
Eleanor continued.
“The evidence isn't in the archive.”
Caroline leaned closer.
“It is somewhere nobody would ever search.”
A long pause.
“Inside the original case file.”
The recording stopped.
Caroline looked at Travis.
“What original case file?”
He answered quietly.
“The arrest report.”
May you like
Her arrest report.
The one that had started everything.
