Chapter 5 - The First Thing Margaret Lied AboutMargaret returned at 2:17 in the morning.
Not to the house.
To the police station.
She arrived with an attorney.
Ryan learned that from Detective Carla Morales, who came to the hospital shortly after three.
Emily was still having intermittent contractions, though the medication and IV fluids had reduced them.
Ryan hadn't slept.
Neither had she.
Detective Morales stood near the foot of the bed.
"We've interviewed your mother."
Ryan's jaw tightened.
"What did she say?"
"She denies intentionally harming Emily."
Emily stared at her.
"The camera shows her putting something in my food."
"She acknowledges putting something in the food."
Ryan frowned.
"She already told the officers she didn't."
"Her statement changed after she was shown the footage."
Emily gave a bitter laugh.
"What is she saying now?"
"She claims it was a powdered nutritional supplement."
"The bottle from her purse?"
"Yes."
Ryan looked toward the detective.
"The doctor says the substance wasn't an ordinary supplement."
"We're waiting for full laboratory confirmation."
"What about the bottle?"
"Being tested."
Emily shifted against the pillow.
"Why did she try to throw the food away?"
"She says she panicked after you became sick."
"And tried to delete the recording?"
Morales's expression changed slightly.
"She says she was attempting to access the system because she wanted to see what happened."
Ryan shook his head.
"She deleted the clip."
"She attempted to."
"That's not viewing."
"No."
The detective was careful.
Professional.
She wasn't going to tell them what to believe.
Emily understood.
"What about Eleanor's bank records?"
"We're aware documents may have been removed from the residence."
"May have?"
"Eleanor hasn't completed an inventory."
Ryan leaned forward.
"My mother left with the exact folder containing evidence of missing money."
"We're looking into it."
"And the eight-hundred-thousand-dollar loan?"
"That may become part of a separate financial investigation."
Ryan laughed without humor.
"Separate?"
Morales looked at him.
"Legally separate doesn't mean unrelated."
That quieted him.
Emily asked, "Where is Margaret now?"
"She was released pending further investigation."
Ryan stood.
"What?"
"Ryan."
Emily reached for him.
He ignored her for a second.
"She poisoned my pregnant wife."
"We have evidence of food tampering and preliminary medical findings. Charging decisions require—"
"She's on camera."
"I understand you're angry."
"No, I don't think you do."
"Ryan."
Emily's voice was sharper.
He looked at her.
She shook her head.
Don't make this worse.
He sat again.
Morales continued.
"Your mother has been instructed not to contact Emily directly while the investigation is active."
"Can she go back to the house?"
"That depends on ownership and any court orders. Eleanor has told her not to return tonight."
Ryan rubbed his face.
"Where did she go?"
"A hotel, according to counsel."
The detective turned toward Emily.
"There's something I need to clarify."
"Okay."
"You told the responding officer you saw Margaret put something in your food."
Emily hesitated.
"I said she put something in my food."
"Did you physically see her do it?"
"No."
Ryan looked at her.
Emily continued.
"I saw her trying to throw the food away. Then I noticed the bottle in her purse. I knew something was wrong."
Morales nodded.
"Good. Accuracy matters."
"I wasn't trying to lie."
"I'm not suggesting you were. Shock changes how people phrase things."
Emily appreciated that.
"I never saw her touch the food before I sat down."
"But the camera did," Ryan said.
Morales nodded.
"Yes."
She made a note.
Then looked at Ryan.
"Your mother's attorney provided one additional explanation."
Ryan's expression hardened.
"What?"
"Margaret says Emily has been trying to manipulate Eleanor into removing her from the estate."
Emily stared.
"What?"
"She says this accusation is part of a family conflict over money."
Ryan stood again.
This time Emily didn't stop him.
"That's insane."
Morales held up a hand.
"I'm telling you the statement, not endorsing it."
Emily felt anger push through the fear.
"I haven't asked Eleanor for a dollar."
"She claims you've become unusually interested in Eleanor's finances."
"Because Eleanor showed me a bank statement she didn't recognize."
Morales nodded.
"We'll document everything."
After the detective left, silence filled the room.
Ryan stared toward the hallway.
Emily watched him.
"Say it."
"What?"
"Whatever you're thinking."
He turned.
"I'm wondering how long this has been happening."
"The money?"
"Everything."
He sat.
"My mother has always been controlling."
Emily said nothing.
"But this..."
His voice broke slightly.
"This isn't the mother I thought I had."
Emily's anger softened.
Not enough to erase her own hurt.
But enough to understand his.
Ryan took her hand.
"I'm sorry I hesitated earlier."
She looked at him.
"I needed you to believe me."
"I know."
"You saw the bottle."
"I know."
"And still part of you wanted an explanation that made her innocent."
"Yes."
Emily appreciated the honesty.
Ryan's eyes filled.
"Because once I believed you completely, I had to believe my mother did it."
Emily squeezed his hand.
"Ryan."
He looked at her.
"We don't have to understand why tonight."
He nodded.
"We just have to protect the baby."
As if responding, the fetal monitor shifted.
A nurse hurried in.
Then another.
Emily looked at the screen.
"What?"
The nurse adjusted the monitor.
"Stay on your left side."
"What's happening?"
"We're checking him."
Ryan stood.
The baby's heart rate had dipped.
Not dramatically.
But enough to fill the room with movement.
Emily started crying.
"Please."
Ryan held her hand.
The line slowly recovered.
The nurse watched.
Then exhaled.
"He's coming back up."
Emily closed her eyes.
For the next several minutes nobody spoke.
Eventually the room calmed.
But Emily no longer felt safe merely because Margaret wasn't there.
She thought about the kitchen.
The bottle.
The smile.
You need to eat for the baby.
Then Ryan's phone buzzed.
A message from Eleanor.
He opened it.
One photograph.
An old bank statement.
A transfer had been circled in red.
$63,000.
Recipient:
M. CARTER.
Below it, Eleanor had written:
RYAN, THIS STARTED BEFORE YOUR FATHER DIED.
Ryan stared.
Emily looked at him.
"How long?"
His voice was almost a whisper.
"At least six years."
May you like
Margaret hadn't begun stealing because Eleanor became old and vulnerable.
She had started while Thomas—her own husband—was still alive.
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