Chapter 4 - Laura’s Recording

We stayed at Megan’s house that night.

Police officers searched our home and issued an alert for Natalie.

I sat alone in Megan’s kitchen after the children finally fell asleep.

Laura’s old phone rested in front of me.

There were seven audio files.

Six were corrupted.

One worked.

I played it from the beginning.

Laura sounded frightened.

But controlled.

That was Laura.

Even when she was angry, she rarely raised her voice.

“Daniel, I found irregular transfers from Keller Development.”

Keller Development was the company I had built with my best friend, Grant Keller.

We had started with one construction crew and two borrowed trucks.

Now the company was worth tens of millions.

Laura continued.

“The money is being moved through consulting companies that don’t exist.

Grant signed some transfers.

Someone else approved the rest using Daniel’s credentials.”

My throat tightened.

Someone had been using my name.

Then Natalie’s voice appeared.

“Laura, please.

You need to stop before he finds out.”

Laura answered.

“You knew?”

“I knew enough.”

“How long?”

Natalie began crying.

“You don’t understand what he’ll do.”

“Then help me tell Daniel.”

“No.”

“Natalie.”

“No.

I have too much to lose.”

The recording became muffled.

Then Laura spoke again.

“If anything happens to me, I’m putting everything somewhere Daniel will eventually find it.”

Natalie whispered.

“Grant already thinks you copied the records.”

Laura’s voice sharpened.

“Did you tell him?”

Silence.

Then a door slammed somewhere in the recording.

A man spoke.

“Tell me what?”

Grant.

The audio ended.

I sat staring at the phone.

Grant had been at Laura’s funeral.

He had carried her photograph into the memorial service.

He had stood beside me while I cried.

He became godfather to Ellie after Laura died.

At 2:14 in the morning, my phone rang.

Grant’s name appeared.

I almost didn’t answer.

Then I remembered something.

I had not told him anything.

Not about Natalie.

Not about the box.

Not about the recordings.

I answered.

“Daniel.”

Grant sounded breathless.

“I just heard Natalie disappeared.”

My fingers tightened around the phone.

“How did you hear that?”

There was a pause.

Too long.

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