Chapter 3 - THE BLUE FOLDER
By evening, Richard’s house was surrounded by police.
It was the same house where Ethan had eaten breakfast three mornings earlier believing his mother was away on a business trip.
The same house where Richard had quietly told him that Claire had collapsed at a hotel and died before anyone could save her.
Ethan had believed every word.
He hated himself for that now.
Detective Ortiz refused to let him enter while officers searched.
Instead, Ethan sat inside Megan’s car across the street.
The living room windows glowed beneath the flashing blue and red lights.
“Your mom hid something in the piano,” Megan said.
Ethan nodded.
“She made me promise never to open the back panel.”
“When?”
“Two weeks ago.”
Megan stared at him.
“And you didn’t think that was strange?”
“She said it was a surprise for my birthday.”
Ethan looked down.
“I believed her.”
Megan reached over.
“You were supposed to believe your mother.”
An hour later, Ortiz walked out carrying a sealed evidence bag.
Inside was a thick blue folder.
She opened the passenger door.
“We found it exactly where Claire said.”
“What’s inside?”
Ortiz hesitated.
Enough time passed for Ethan to know the answer was bad.
“Financial records.”
Megan frowned.
“What kind?”
“Transfers from accounts belonging to Claire.”
“To Richard?”
“Not directly.”
Ortiz held up another evidence envelope.
“They go through four companies.”
Megan’s eyes narrowed.
“How much?”
“From what we can confirm tonight, nearly three million dollars.”
Ethan stared at her.
He knew his mother had money.
His biological father, Daniel Parker, had died when Ethan was four.
Daniel had owned several commercial properties.
Claire managed the estate after his death.
Richard had entered their lives two years later.
At first he had seemed patient and funny.
He attended Ethan’s baseball games.
He helped with homework.
He cooked pancakes every Sunday.
Then, slowly, Claire began changing.
She stopped visiting friends.
She stopped going to the office.
She began apologizing for things that did not need apologies.
Ethan had noticed.
He just had not understood.
Ortiz continued.
“The folder also contains copies of insurance policies.”
Megan’s face tightened.
“Life insurance?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Ortiz looked at Ethan before answering.
“Eight million dollars.”
Ethan felt cold.
“Richard gets it?”
“He is the primary beneficiary on one policy.”
“And the others?”
Ortiz opened another page.
“One names a trust.”
“For who?”
“You.”
Ethan stopped breathing for a moment.
Richard had not only tried to make Claire disappear.
He had been moving money connected to Ethan’s inheritance.
Ortiz closed the folder.
“There’s something else.”
A police technician had found a tiny digital recorder taped beneath the piano.
Claire had hidden it there three weeks earlier.
There were fourteen audio files.
Most contained arguments between Claire and Richard.
One contained Richard speaking with someone whose voice had not yet been identified.
The recording was muffled.
But one sentence was perfectly clear.
Richard said, “Once she is officially dead, everything moves faster.”
Then the unidentified man answered.
“And the boy?”
Richard was silent for several seconds.
May you like
His answer made Megan grab the edge of the car door.
“We deal with Ethan afterward.”
