Chapter 10 - The Voice from the Grave
The revelation hit Ethan like a physical blow to the chest.
Margaret Hargrove, the woman who had orchestrated a decade of torture, had turned herself in.
“Why would she do that?” Claire asked, entirely bewildered by the sudden betrayal.
“She gave us a thumb drive containing thousands of encrypted emails,” the detective explained.
“She claimed Dr. Vance went rogue and tried to kill her to cover his tracks.”
Ethan watched as the police shoved a screaming, protesting Dr. Vance into the back of a cruiser.
It was a brilliantly executed double-cross.
Margaret had sacrificed Vance to save herself and legally distance the trust fund from the criminal conspiracy.
But Ethan didn't care about the money right now.
He looked down at his son, who was standing on his own two feet, clutching Claire’s hand.
The nightmare was finally over.
The police spent the next six hours processing the horrifying crime scene in the hidden basement.
They removed Julian’s body and dismantled the illegal medical facility.
By sunrise, the massive estate was quiet once again.
Ethan sat at the massive oak desk in Margaret’s abandoned office, rubbing his exhausted eyes.
He had his son back.
He had a woman who had risked everything to save them.
He had survived the absolute worst night of his entire life.
Suddenly, the private landline on Margaret’s desk began to ring.
It was a secure, unlisted number used exclusively for the estate administrator.
Ethan stared at the blinking red light for several seconds before picking up the receiver.
“Hello?” Ethan answered, his voice rough from the smoke and screaming.
The line was completely silent for a long, terrifying moment.
Then, a chillingly familiar voice spoke from the other end.
“Did you really think Margaret was the one in charge, Ethan?”
Ethan’s blood turned to absolute ice in his veins.
The phone slipped from his trembling fingers and clattered onto the desk.
May you like
He knew that voice better than his own heartbeat.
It was his late wife, Eleanor, the woman he had personally buried seven years ago.
