Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN WHO PAID HIS BAIL
The next morning, the woman from the video walked into the police station.
Her name was Rebecca Sloan.
She asked for Detective Alvarez.
Instead, she found me.
She stopped when she saw me.
I stopped breathing.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered:
“I'm sorry.”
Claire immediately stood.
“For what?”
Rebecca looked at me.
“For believing him.”
I didn't understand.
“You worked for my doctor.”
“Yes.”
“And you helped Marcus.”
She closed her eyes.
“For a while.”
Claire's voice became sharp.
“What did he promise you?”
“Money.”
“How much?”
“Twenty thousand.”
I stared at her.
“What did you do?”
“I changed appointment notes.”
My stomach turned.
Rebecca began crying.
“I thought he wanted help convincing you to stay in treatment.”
“You knew about the chain?”
“No.”
“You knew he wanted guardianship?”
She hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He told me you were dangerous.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Of course he did.”
Rebecca looked at me.
“He said you had attacked him.”
I said nothing.
“He showed me photographs.”
“What photographs?”
“Bruises on his arms.”
Claire's face hardened.
“He caused those.”
“I know that now.”
Rebecca pulled out her phone.
“He sent me the pictures himself.”
Detective Alvarez entered.
Rebecca handed him the phone.
“There are messages.”
He examined them.
Then looked at me.
“He has been constructing a case against you.”
I felt a strange calm settle over me.
For months, I had thought I was fighting to prove I wasn't crazy.
Now I understood.
I wasn't defending my sanity.
I was dismantling a fraud.
Rebecca continued.
“There was one thing I didn't know until last night.”
“What?”
“The power of attorney wasn't the final goal.”
Detective Alvarez looked up.
“What was?”
Rebecca swallowed.
“Your life insurance.”
The room went silent.
My skin went cold.
“I don't have much.”
Rebecca shook her head.
“You don't understand.”
She opened a message.
Marcus had written:
Once she's declared incompetent, I control everything. If something happens to her, I become beneficiary.
Claire covered her mouth.
I stared at the screen.
Then I remembered something.
A week before the crash, Marcus had asked me to update my insurance.
I had refused.
He became furious.
At the time, I thought it was about money.
Now I understood.
Detective Alvarez looked at Rebecca.
“Did he mention the crash?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Before it happened.”
My entire body went still.
“What did he say?”
Rebecca whispered:
“He said, 'After the accident, she'll finally understand how much she needs me.'”
Detective Alvarez's jaw tightened.
“That's not enough for a murder charge.”
“I know.”
“But it changes the investigation.”
Rebecca looked at me.
“I can testify.”
“You'll have to.”
“I will.”
Then my phone rang.
It was Dad.
I answered.
“Dad?”
His voice was urgent.
“Emma, don't come home.”
“Why?”
“Someone broke into the house.”
My heart stopped.
“What did they take?”
“Nothing.”
“What?”
Dad breathed heavily.
“They weren't looking for valuables.”
“What were they looking for?”
He hesitated.
May you like
“Your old accident photos.”
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