Chapter 5 - The Voice Behind the Recording
Daniel replayed the recording until Emily reached over and closed the laptop.
The silence afterward felt worse than Vivian’s voice.
“Call the police,” Emily said.
Daniel stared at the blank screen.
“We don’t know when this was recorded.”
“She said Noah.”
“She said the child.”
“She said my name.”
Daniel pushed back from the table.
“I’m not defending her.”
“It sounds like you are.”
“I’m trying to understand whether this is real.”
Emily opened the laptop again and played the file.
“Once the child is asleep, put the bottle in the diaper bag. Make certain Emily finds it.”
Daniel flinched.
The second voice was distorted, but the words were clear.
“What if Noah wakes up?”
“Then give him another drop.”
Daniel reached for his phone.
Before he could dial, an incoming call appeared.
Claire.
Emily shook her head, but Daniel answered on speaker.
“What did you put inside the baby monitor?”
Claire did not respond immediately.
Then she said, “Where did you find it?”
“That is your first question?”
“Daniel, listen to me carefully. Do not take that device to the police.”
Emily moved closer.
“Why?”
Claire ignored her.
“The memory card is not what you think.”
“We heard Mom talking about a bottle,” Daniel said.
“I know.”
Daniel’s hand tightened around the phone.
“You know?”
“I put the recording there.”
Emily stared at him.
Claire continued.
“I’ve been collecting evidence against her.”
“For what?”
“For Lydia.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“Our sister died thirty-two years ago.”
“And the death certificate was altered.”
Claire’s voice had lost its usual confidence.
“Dad found something before he died. Medical notes, a pharmacy receipt, and a cassette recording. He believed Mom gave Lydia medication to make her sleep. When Lydia stopped responding, Mom waited hours before calling for help.”
Daniel sat down slowly.
“Why would Dad hide that?”
“He didn’t know until decades later. He was trying to prove it when he died.”
Their father had suffered a fatal heart attack four years earlier. Vivian had been the only person with him.
Emily looked at Daniel.
“Did he die at home?”
“Yes.”
Claire lowered her voice.
“I found his papers after the funeral. Mom knew I had them. Since then, she has controlled every family account, every medical file, and every person who might remember Lydia.”
“Why put the recording in our monitor?” Emily asked.
“Because Mom had access to it. I needed to know whether she would recognize the file and remove it.”
“That makes no sense,” Daniel said.
“It was bait.”
“You recorded that conversation?”
“No. Dad did.”
Emily felt the room tilt.
“The recording is thirty years old?”
“The voices are Mom and a night nurse who worked for the family.”
“Then why does she say Emily?”
“She doesn’t.”
Claire spoke slowly.
“The original recording says, ‘Make certain Eleanor finds it.’ Eleanor was our father’s first wife.”
Daniel frowned.
“Dad was married before Mom?”
“Eleanor was Lydia’s mother.”
Emily opened the audio-editing information on the laptop.
The file creation date was only two days old.
Someone had altered the recording, replacing a name with Emily’s.
“Who edited it?” Daniel asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Your voice is the second voice.”
“No.”
“It sounds like you.”
“It was a nurse named Ruth.”
Emily took the phone.
“Were you outside the pharmacy last night?”
Claire went silent.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
Daniel stood.
“You lied.”
“I was following Mom.”
“What did she collect?”
“I couldn’t see. She entered through the side door. When she came out, she had a paper bag.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because she saw me.”
A loud knock struck the front door.
Emily jumped.
Daniel moved toward the entryway.
“Who is it?” Claire asked.
Through the frosted glass, they saw the outline of a man.
He wore a dark coat and held a medical bag.
“Do not open the door,” Claire said.
The man knocked again.
“Mr. and Mrs. Hart?” he called. “I’m here for Noah’s scheduled home evaluation.”
Daniel looked at Emily.
“We didn’t schedule an evaluation.”
The man tried the handle.
May you like
“Claire,” Daniel said, “who is outside our house?”
But the call had ended.
