Chapter 12 - the voice inside the library
Mark pushed Chloe behind the desk.
Emily grabbed her phone.
Daniel moved toward the hallway.
"Police are outside."
"Then who entered?" Emily whispered.
A voice answered from the doorway.
"Me."
Laura Bennett stood there.
She looked exhausted.
Thinner than the reflection in the security footage.
But alive.
Mark stared.
"You were at my father's house the night he died."
Laura nodded.
"Yes."
Emily held the memory card tightly.
"You've been texting me."
"Yes."
"How did you get past police?"
"I told them I was expected."
"Are you?"
"No."
Daniel shut the door behind her.
"Start talking."
Laura looked at Chloe.
"Not in front of her."
Emily asked Mark to take Chloe upstairs.
He hesitated.
"I need to hear this."
"You will."
After they left, Laura sat.
"I worked for Barbara for nine years."
Thomas remained standing.
"You helped her."
Laura's eyes lowered.
"Yes."
"With the fraud?"
"Some."
"With William?"
Laura looked up sharply.
"No."
Emily placed her palms on the desk.
"What did you see that night?"
"Barbara put something in William's drink."
"We have video."
"That's not all."
Laura's hands trembled.
"William knew."
Emily frowned.
"Knew what?"
"That she was going to do it."
Silence.
Daniel stared.
"Explain."
"William had been pretending not to know about the digitalis."
"Why?"
"Because he was trying to catch her."
Emily felt sick.
"He let her poison him?"
"Small doses. He believed she wasn't trying to kill him yet. She was making him appear ill."
"Why?"
"To establish incapacity."
Rachel's legal theory immediately made sense.
If William became legally incompetent, Barbara could influence control of his estate.
Laura continued.
"William had blood tests done privately. He knew."
"Then why didn't he go to police?"
"Because he wanted evidence connecting Barbara to the trust fraud too."
Thomas cursed under his breath.
"Classic William."
Laura began crying.
"The night he died, the dose was different."
"How do you know?"
"I saw Barbara measure it."
"Did you stop her?"
Laura shook her head.
"I was afraid."
Emily's anger rose.
"You watched her poison him."
"I called William."
"What?"
"Before he drank it."
Laura looked directly at Emily.
"I told him."
The room went quiet.
"And he drank it anyway?"
"Not intentionally."
Laura explained.
William planned to switch glasses.
He intended to preserve Barbara's prepared drink for testing.
But Mark entered unexpectedly.
There was confusion.
Barbara moved the glasses.
William picked up the wrong one.
By the time Laura realized, he had swallowed several mouthfuls.
"Why didn't you call an ambulance immediately?"
"I did."
"Barbara called."
"No."
Laura looked at Daniel.
"I called first."
Daniel checked the emergency logs.
An anonymous call had been made seven minutes before Barbara's official call.
Emily frowned.
"Then why did paramedics arrive so late?"
Laura's face hardened.
"Because the address I gave was changed in dispatch."
"By whom?"
"Detective Grant's brother worked emergency communications."
Daniel stared.
"Jesus."
Laura nodded.
"Barbara had connections everywhere."
Emily looked at the memory card.
"What's on the original?"
"I don't know."
"You risked everything to tell me where to find backups."
"I knew William had recorded more."
"Why disappear?"
"Because after he died, Barbara came to my apartment."
Laura's voice shook.
"She put a photograph of my son on the table."
Emily understood.
"You have a child."
"He's twelve."
"Where is he?"
"Safe."
"Did Barbara threaten him?"
"She didn't need to say it."
Thomas leaned forward.
"What does she want now?"
"The original card."
"Why?"
Laura looked at Emily.
"Because William recorded a meeting three days before he died."
"With whom?"
"Barbara. Grant. And someone else."
"Who?"
Laura's eyes shifted toward the closed door.
"Mark."
Emily stared.
"No."
"Mark was there."
"Mark said he knew nothing."
"He may not remember."
"What does that mean?"
Laura took a breath.
"Because Barbara drugged him too."
Upstairs, something crashed.
Emily ran.
Chloe's room was empty.
The window stood open.
On the bed lay Clementine.
And beside the rabbit was Mark's phone.
One new message glowed on the screen.
May you like
I HAVE CHLOE.
COME ALONE IF YOU WANT HER BACK.
