Chapter 1 - The Blinking Light
The officer held his flashlight steady on the blinking red light of the digital recorder.
Paramedics rushed past him, gently lifting Maya onto a stretcher.
I completely ignored my mother’s sudden, eerie silence and followed the officer into the cramped shed.
He used a gloved hand to carefully press the playback button on the small device.
Static filled the dusty space before a voice finally broke through the white noise.
It was my mother’s voice, speaking in a hushed, completely unrecognizable tone.
"She signed the initial trust transfer, but she is still fighting the life insurance policy," Evelyn's recorded voice whispered.
Another voice answered her, a deep, raspy male voice that sent a violent chill down my spine.
"Just keep her locked in there until she is weak enough to stage the suicide," the man replied.
"Make sure the knife has only her fingerprints on it, Evelyn."
The officer immediately turned off the recorder and glared at my mother.
Evelyn’s face drained of all color, her smug confidence finally shattering into a million pieces.
Two more officers stepped forward, aggressively grabbing her arms to place her in heavy steel handcuffs.
I walked alongside Maya’s stretcher, my heart pounding against my ribs as they loaded her into the ambulance.
I squeezed her cold, trembling hand and promised her that this horrific nightmare was finally over.
Maya looked up at me with tear-filled eyes and shook her head weakly.
"Caleb," she choked out, her voice barely a whisper over the sirens.
"The man on that recording wasn't just some sleazy lawyer."
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She squeezed my hand with the last ounce of her remaining strength.
"It was your father."
