Chapter 8 - The Night Elena Died
Dominic had avoided the accident file for two years.
That night, he opened every photograph, report, phone record, and police statement again.
Clara stayed with Noah in the adjoining room.
She could hear Dominic turning pages.
At 1:07 a.m., he called her inside.
He looked older.
"Elena was returning from a charity dinner."
Clara sat opposite him.
"Noah was with her?"
"He wasn't supposed to be."
Dominic rubbed his face.
"The babysitter became sick."
He looked toward the door.
"Elena took him."
"What happened?"
"A vehicle blocked the road near Sheridan."
"Police called it an ambush."
"It was."
Dominic's voice sharpened.
"Two of my men died."
"And Elena?"
"The car caught fire."
Clara hesitated.
"You identified her?"
Dominic said nothing.
"Dominic?"
"Her wedding ring was recovered."
"That isn't what I asked."
His jaw tightened.
"The remains were badly burned."
Clara felt uneasy.
"Was there DNA?"
"No."
"Why?"
"Because I was told there was no doubt."
"By who?"
Dominic looked down at the original incident report.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
HOUSEHOLD IDENTIFICATION CONFIRMED.
Signed by Margaret Hargrove.
Clara did not need to say anything.
Dominic turned another page.
A witness statement had been attached.
A delivery driver reported seeing a dark sedan leaving the area minutes after the attack.
The driver remembered one unusual detail.
A woman in formal black clothing had been standing beside the sedan.
Clara whispered, "Mrs. Hargrove."
Dominic's face became stone.
A knock sounded at the study door.
Mateo entered carrying a tablet.
"We found something."
He placed it on the desk.
The mansion's current surveillance system had been installed after Elena's death.
But older backups still existed on a private server.
One camera had recorded the rear driveway the night of the ambush.
At 11:42 p.m., twenty-seven minutes before police called Dominic, Mrs. Hargrove's personal car entered the estate.
At 11:44, she stepped out.
Her clothes were dirty.
One sleeve was torn.
And in her arms was Noah.
Four minutes later, she carried him into the house through the service entrance.
Dominic stared at the screen.
"She told me the police brought him home."
Mateo shook his head.
"They didn't."
Clara looked at Noah sleeping on the couch.
There was another figure visible inside Mrs. Hargrove's car.
Only for one frame.
A woman's hand pressed against the rear window.
A wedding ring shone on one finger.
Dominic zoomed in.
His face collapsed.
May you like
"Elena."
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