Chapter 5 - The Attic Audio
I stared at the small black device in the stranger's dirty hand.
"Play it," I instructed him firmly.
Silas pressed the play button, and the harsh, metallic sound of Chloe's voice filled the quiet car.
"Make sure the brake fluid is completely drained by tonight," the recording of Chloe ordered.
"When the old man crashes, the police will just think he had a senior moment and confused the pedals."
Then, I heard my own son's voice speaking on the hidden tape.
"What if he doesn't die in the crash?" Mark asked nervously.
"Then we make sure the paramedics give him a lethal dose of morphine on the way to the hospital," Chloe replied coldly.
I felt hot tears well up in my eyes, completely shattered by my son's ultimate betrayal.
He was willing to watch me brutally die just to inherit a car and a suburban house.
I wiped my face aggressively, replacing my profound grief with a burning, righteous anger.
"I need to go to the police station right now," I declared, reaching for the ignition key.
Silas put his hand over mine, stopping me before I could start the engine.
"You can't go to the cops, Arthur," he warned urgently.
"Chloe's older brother is a senior detective in this exact precinct."
"If you walk in there, they will lock you up in a psychiatric ward before you can say a single word."
I realized how deeply and dangerously trapped I truly was.
"Then what do we do?" I asked him, feeling a sudden sense of utter hopelessness.
Silas smiled, a very dangerous glint appearing in his dark eyes.
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"We sell the car to the buyer tomorrow morning, but we keep the money for ourselves."
Suddenly, a blinding police spotlight clicked on behind us, illuminating the entire interior of the Mustang.
