Chapter 5 - CARLA STARTS TALKING
Carla lasted six hours.
That was what Detective Ramirez told me later.
Margaret refused to answer questions without an attorney.
Carla tried to do the same.
Then investigators showed her the charges they were considering.
Burglary.
Assault.
Conspiracy.
Forgery-related offenses.
The exact charges would ultimately depend on what prosecutors could prove.
But Carla finally realized something important.
My mother had spent years convincing her that family money could make consequences disappear.
Now Carla was sitting in a room without Margaret beside her.
She panicked.
By that evening, Ramirez asked me to come to the station.
Carla was behind glass when I saw her.
No makeup.
No expensive coat.
No arrogant smile.
Just my little sister.
The same girl I had taught to ride a bicycle when she was six.
The same girl who used to run into my room during thunderstorms.
I hated that memory.
It made what she had done harder to understand.
Ramirez joined me.
“She wants to speak to you.”
“Why?”
“She thinks you can protect her.”
“I can’t.”
“I told her that.”
I stared through the glass.
“Did she say who Thomas Beck is involved with?”
Ramirez nodded.
“Your mother.”
I said nothing.
“According to Carla, Margaret has been planning this for almost a year.”
“A year?”
“Long before Irene became pregnant.”
The conspiracy was larger than I expected.
Margaret had quietly built relationships with several board members who resented my management.
She promised Thomas the chief executive position if I was removed.
Gerald would oversee the logistics division.
Martin would receive a lucrative consulting agreement.
The emergency resolution was supposed to be the beginning.
Once Margaret controlled the voting trust, they planned to remove me for what they would describe as instability and prolonged absence.
“But why involve Irene?”
I asked.
“Because Irene discovered the forged paperwork.”
Ramirez handed me a copy of Carla’s statement.
I read it twice.
Three months earlier, Irene had walked into the guest room while Margaret was on the phone with Thomas.
She heard them discussing my signature.
After that, Margaret viewed her as a threat.
Carla claimed the original plan had been to frighten Irene into silence.
Then Irene began recording them.
“How did they know?”
“They found one of her backup phones.”
My chest tightened.
Ramirez continued.
“Last week.”
Suddenly the escalation made sense.
Margaret knew Irene had evidence.
My London trip gave her a window.
The board meeting was scheduled.
The forged documents were ready.
All they needed were the originals in my safe.
“And tonight?”
I asked.
“Carla claims your mother told her Irene would eventually give them the code.”
I looked through the glass.
Carla lowered her eyes.
“She went along with it.”
“Yes.”
I entered the interview room.
Carla immediately stood.
“Austin.”
I stayed near the door.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t.”
“I didn’t know Mom would go that far.”
“You brought the hammer.”
Her mouth closed.
“You packed the suitcase.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“She said everything was supposed to be ours.”
“Ours?”
“The company.”
I stared at her.
“Dad left it to me.”
“He left you control.”
Her voice suddenly sharpened.
“He left me nothing.”
I almost laughed.
“You have a house I paid for, a trust worth millions, and every opportunity you ever asked for.”
“That’s not the same.”
“No.”
I nodded.
“It isn’t.”
I stepped closer.
“What did Mom promise you?”
Carla looked away.
“Carla.”
Her voice dropped.
“The Scottsdale development.”
That project alone was worth more than forty million dollars.
And Margaret had promised it to her as though it already belonged to her.
I turned toward the door.
Carla called after me.
“Austin, there’s something else.”
I stopped.
“What?”
She swallowed.
“Mom wasn’t only trying to take the company.”
I waited.
May you like
Carla whispered the next words.
“She was trying to make sure Irene lost the baby.”
