Chapter 5 - The Cornered Rats
The color completely drained from Chloe’s face. She looked at me, her eyes wide with a sudden, dawning terror. The weak, grieving widow she thought she had discarded was gone.
"Mom," she started, her voice trembling as she tried to slip back into the role of the innocent daughter. "Mom, there must be a misunderstanding. Dad wanted me to have this. He was in his right mind!"
I reached into my designer handbag and pulled out Arthur’s old tape recorder. I pressed play.
Arthur’s voice, raspy and filled with pain, echoed through the library.
"They forced my hand, Evie. Derek held my arm down. They guided the pen..."
I pressed stop.
Derek staggered backward, collapsing into one of the leather armchairs. "Where did you get that?" he whispered, horrified.
"From the man you thought was too old and stupid to matter," I said coldly. "Thomas Hayes kept it safe. You locked my husband away in a rotting farmhouse to die alone, while you drank his wine and spent his money. You threatened to frame me to force his hand."
"It was Derek's idea!" Chloe shrieked, instantly turning on her husband. She pointed a manicured finger at him. "He owed money to some bad people! He said if we didn't get the inheritance early, they would kill us! I didn't want to hurt Dad!"
"You lying bitch!" Derek roared, jumping out of the chair. "You were the one who paid off the doctor! You were the one who locked the door at the ranch!"
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I watched them tear each other apart, feeling no pity. Just a cold, righteous satisfaction.
"Save it for the judge," Harrison said, checking his heavy gold watch. "You have exactly five minutes to vacate the premises before the marshals arrive to seize the property."
