Chapter 7: The Tape
We played the cassette in Grant’s office at 2:17 in the morning.
The room was dark except for the desk lamp.
Rain streaked the windows.
The old recorder clicked.
Static filled the room.
Then my father’s voice.
“You took the money.””
I stopped breathing.
Lena answered.
“I moved it.””
“You stole it.””
“No. I hid it.””
My father’s voice sounded younger.
Angrier.
“From me?””
“From them.””
A chair scraped across a floor.
“Who are they?””
“You already know.””
“I want names.””
“You won’t like them.””
“Try me.””
Silence.
Then Lena whispered, “Graham.””
I looked at Grant.
He stared at the recorder.
The tape continued.
“He knows about the reserve,” Lena said.
“So do you.””
“Yes.””
“And Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
My father’s voice became quieter.
“What did she promise you?””
“Protection.””
“For what?””
“My life.””
A long pause.
Then my father asked, “Where is Marcus?””
My heart stopped.
Lena answered.
“He’s upstairs.””
“With Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
“Did she touch him?””
“No.””
“Are you sure?””
“She said she was going to.””
I pushed back from the desk.
“What?””
Grant held up a hand.
“Listen.””
My father spoke again.
“If Vanessa threatens him, you leave.””
“I can’t.””
“You can.””
“She knows too much.””
“That’s why she has to believe you’re dead.””
Silence.
Then Lena cried.
“I never wanted any of this.””
My father said, “Neither did I.””
I stared at the recorder.
There was a long rustle.
Then a sound like glass breaking.
My father shouted.
“Lena!””
A second voice entered the recording.
Vanessa.
“You should have listened to me, Richard.””
The room felt suddenly smaller.
Vanessa’s voice was calm.
“You always think you’re smarter than everyone.””
My father said, “Where is Marcus?””
“Safe.””
“You promised.””
“I promised he wouldn’t remember.””
Grant leaned toward the recorder.
Vanessa continued.
“He’s already been sedated.””
“What did you give him?””
“Nothing dangerous.””
“You don’t get to make that decision.””
“I just did.””
A crash.
Someone screamed.
Then my father shouted, “Graham!””
I felt my hands go cold.
The tape continued.
Graham entered the conversation.
“Richard, stop.””
“You’re helping her.””
“I’m trying to stop this.””
“She’s destroying everything.””
“She’s cleaning up your mess.””
“My mess?””
“Yes.””
Silence.
Then Graham said something that changed the entire story.
“You brought her here.””
My father replied quietly.
“I needed someone who could move the money.””
“You brought Vanessa into your company.””
“I needed someone outside the family.””
“And now?””
“I need her gone.””
Vanessa laughed.
“You can’t fire me, Richard.””
“You never worked for me.””
A chair overturned.
Then Lena screamed.
“Run!””
The recording became chaotic.
Footsteps.
A car door.
Someone shouting my name.
Then—
A violent crash.
Static.
The tape stopped.
I stared at the machine.
“That’s it?””
Grant pressed rewind.
The recorder clicked.
He played it again.
Same ending.
“No,” I said.
“Marcus—”
“There’s more.””
“How do you know?””
“Because my father always recorded over tapes when he wanted to hide something.””
Grant looked at the cassette.
He carefully removed the case.
There was a second layer of tape inside.
“Someone spliced this.””
“Can you restore it?””
“Maybe.””
We drove to a forensic audio lab before sunrise.
While we waited, my phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A woman’s voice whispered, “Don’t trust Grant.””
I looked at him.
“Who is this?””
“Ask him about June third.””
The call ended.
Grant stared at me.
“What?””
I put the phone down.
“She said June third.””
His face changed.
“Who was it?””
“I don’t know.””
“Did she identify herself?””
“No.””
Grant looked away.
I studied him.
“What happened on June third?””
“Nothing.””
“That’s not true.””
He rubbed his forehead.
“Your father was supposed to meet me that night.””
“Where?””
“At St. Agnes.””
“Why?””
“To sign documents.””
“What documents?””
He didn’t answer.
“Grant.””
He sighed.
“Documents transferring ownership of Carter Holdings.””
“To Vanessa?””
“No.””
“To whom?””
“To you.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
“Your father wanted you to inherit the company.””
“But the will says Vanessa gets everything.””
“Yes.””
“Then what happened?””
Grant looked exhausted.
“I was late.””
“By how long?””
“Forty minutes.””
“And?””
“When I arrived, your father said the documents were unnecessary.””
“Why?””
“Because Vanessa already had what she needed.””
“What did she have?””
“A recording.””
My heart dropped.
“Of what?””
“Your father admitting he had committed financial crimes.””
I shook my head.
“He didn’t.””
“He did.””
“Why?””
Grant met my eyes.
“Because Vanessa forced him.””
“Then why did he leave evidence against her?””
“Because he knew she would eventually turn on everyone.””
The technician walked into the room.
“We have something.””
We followed him inside.
He played the restored section.
Static.
Then Vanessa’s voice.
“If Marcus remembers, we all go down.””
Graham answered.
“Then erase it.””
My father said, “No.””
Vanessa whispered, “You don’t get to say no anymore.””
A door slammed.
Then Lena spoke.
“She knows about the reserve.””
Graham said, “Then we move it tonight.””
My father answered.
“To where?””
A new voice entered.
A man.
Older.
Cold.
“Into Marcus’s account.””
I stopped breathing.
I knew that voice.
Grant looked at me.
“You recognize him?””
I nodded.
The recording continued.
My father said, “Absolutely not.””
The man replied, “You want your son protected? Make him the owner.””
“His name will be exposed.””
“Only if the money is traced.””
“Who are you?””
The man laughed.
“You know exactly who I am, Richard.””
Then the tape ended.
I turned to Grant.
“Who was that?””
He didn’t answer.
“Grant.””
He looked at the floor.
“It was your father’s other business partner.””
“Graham?””
“No.””
“Then who?””
Grant finally whispered the name.
“Daniel Voss.””
I knew the name.
Everyone in our city did.
Daniel Voss had been Carter Holdings’ former CFO.
He had disappeared after an accounting scandal sixteen years earlier.
Officially, he had fled the country.
But there was one thing Grant hadn’t told me.
I remembered seeing him once.
As a child.
Standing in my father’s kitchen.
The night before the crash.
I turned to Grant.
“Voss wasn’t missing.””
“No.””
“He was in our house.””
Grant nodded.
“And he was the person your father was really trying to escape.””
My phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
*Come to the Carter Foundation alone.*
Below it was a photograph.
Evelyn.
Bound to a chair.
And behind her stood Vanessa.
May you like
Alive.
Smiling.