Chapter 4 - WHAT DANIEL HEARD
Daniel entered the hospital room slowly.
Emma did not reach for him.
She did not smile.
She simply watched as he stopped near the foot of her bed.
“Is the baby all right?” he asked.
“The doctors believe so.”
Daniel’s shoulders weakened with relief.
He stepped closer.
“I should have come to you immediately.”
“Yes.”
“I was in shock.”
“So was I.”
Her quiet answer hurt more than anger would have.
Cole closed the door and placed a laptop on the table.
“We are going to play a recording recovered from the mansion.”
Vanessa appeared on the screen in her green dress.
She stood beside Charles in the upstairs hallway.
Their voices were clear.
“She copied the foundation records,” Vanessa said.
“She must have given them to the police.”
Charles looked toward Emma’s bedroom.
“Then get the drive back.”
“What about Emma?”
“Make her look unstable.”
“Daniel already thinks she is suspicious of us.”
Vanessa smiled.
“If she loses the baby, everyone will blame her stress.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
The recording continued.
Vanessa asked Rosa to tell Emma that Margaret wanted to speak with her upstairs.
Charles instructed a security employee to disable the mansion’s main cameras for twenty minutes.
Then Vanessa stood near the staircase and waited.
Cole paused the video.
Daniel stared at the frozen image of his sister.
“They planned it.”
Emma watched him carefully.
“Yes.”
Daniel covered his mouth.
“My father knew.”
“Yes.”
“And Vanessa pushed you because you had evidence.”
“Yes.”
Daniel’s eyes filled with shame.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were working with the police?”
“I tried to tell you that something was wrong.”
“You called me paranoid.”
“I did.”
“You told me your family would never hurt me.”
Daniel lowered his head.
“I was wrong.”
Emma looked toward the dark hospital window.
“I found the first false transfer six months ago.”
“It used your signature.”
“I thought someone was setting you up.”
“I tried to protect you.”
Daniel slowly sat in the chair beside her bed.
“You were protecting me while I was defending them.”
Cole opened another file.
“The memory card behind the clock contained more than the staircase video.”
Emma frowned.
“What else did it contain?”
“A recording from two weeks ago.”
“Vanessa entered your room while you were away.”
“She planted prescription pills in your desk.”
Daniel looked up sharply.
“Why?”
Cole’s expression hardened.
“Because the family planned to claim Emma was abusing medication during her pregnancy.”
“They wanted legal grounds to have her declared unstable.”
Emma felt sick.
“They wanted my baby.”
Daniel stood so quickly that the chair struck the wall.
“My mother has been talking about gaining guardianship.”
Emma nodded.
“She said the Whitmore heir should be raised by Whitmores.”
Daniel turned toward the door.
“I’m going back.”
Cole blocked him.
“No.”
“That is my family.”
“That is a crime scene.”
Daniel clenched his jaw.
Cole stepped closer.
“Your anger will not protect Emma.”
“Evidence will.”
Daniel looked at his wife.
May you like
Emma’s voice was calm.
“For once, Daniel, listen to someone before it is too late.”
