Chapter 9 - Margaret Was ThereDaniel had lived in the mansion since Claire died.
Before that, he and Claire lived fifteen minutes away in a modern house near the coast.
Margaret rarely visited without invitation.
Yet on Claire’s final night, she had.
“Why?” Daniel asked.
Margaret sat in the boathouse surrounded by police.
“Claire called me.”
“You said she called you.”
“She asked me to come.”
“You left out the part where you actually went.”
“I was afraid of how it would look.”
Daniel laughed.
“You should be.”
Officer Shaw sat across from her.
“What time did you arrive?”
“Eight forty-five.”
“Leave?”
“About nine ten.”
Daniel froze.
Claire’s hidden voicemail was recorded at 9:07.
Someone’s here.
That someone could have been Margaret.
“What happened?” Shaw asked.
Margaret folded her hands.
“Claire accused me of continuing Bellmere payments.”
“Were you?”
“Yes.”
Daniel looked away.
Margaret continued.
“Robert was dying. Nolan told me stopping immediately could trigger audits.”
“Nolan told you to keep stealing so nobody would notice the stealing.”
Margaret glared.
“I didn’t see it that way then.”
“How convenient.”
Shaw interrupted.
“What happened between you and Claire?”
“We argued.”
“Did you threaten her?”
“No.”
Daniel looked at Sophie’s account.
“You told her she wouldn’t get the chance to tell me.”
Margaret shut her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I was furious.”
“That’s not a reason.”
“I thought she was destroying Robert’s legacy.”
“By exposing crimes?”
“Yes.”
Margaret looked ashamed.
“At the time.”
“What happened after the argument?”
“Claire told me to leave.”
“You left?”
“Yes.”
“Did you see anyone outside?”
Margaret hesitated.
“A black SUV.”
Daniel looked at Shaw.
“Nolan.”
“Probably.”
“Did you see him?”
“No.”
“Rachel?”
“No.”
“Why not tell police originally?”
“Because Claire’s death looked accidental.”
“And because admitting you were there put you near someone investigating you.”
Margaret said nothing.
Daniel stood.
“Did you disable the lake camera yesterday?”
Margaret looked confused by the sudden change.
“What?”
“The camera.”
“No.”
“Did Nolan?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did Rachel?”
“No.”
“Who cut Daddy Bear?”
Margaret’s eyes shifted.
Daniel saw it.
“You know.”
Margaret whispered:
“Rachel.”
Daniel stopped.
“You told Rachel where Sophie hid the recording.”
“No.”
“Then how?”
“She was at the house.”
“When?”
“Yesterday morning.”
Daniel’s blood went cold.
Before the lake.
Rachel had been inside the mansion.
“What time?”
“About nine.”
The camera went offline at 9:42.
“What did she want?”
“The original recorder.”
“You called her?”
“No. Nolan did.”
“So Nolan contacted a woman tied to Claire’s final night because Sophie found evidence.”
Margaret nodded.
“And you let her into the house?”
“Yes.”
Daniel stared in disbelief.
“Why?”
“She said the recording could destroy the foundation.”
“The foundation deserves to be destroyed if it’s criminal.”
“I know that now.”
“Yesterday?”
Margaret didn’t answer.
“What happened?”
“Rachel searched Sophie’s room.”
“While Sophie was here?”
“She was downstairs.”
“And you allowed that.”
“Yes.”
“Did Rachel find the copy?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“She became angry.”
Daniel’s pulse increased.
“She told you to get Sophie away from the house.”
Margaret looked down.
Daniel’s face went cold.
“She told you to take Sophie to the lake.”
“No.”
“Then what did she say?”
“She said Sophie needed to be scared enough to tell us.”
Officer Shaw leaned forward.
“Scared how?”
Margaret’s voice cracked.
“She said Sophie trusted Daniel too much. That if Daniel wasn’t there, she might finally talk.”
Daniel stared.
“And you decided the crocodile lake was a good interrogation room?”
“I wasn’t going to hurt her.”
Sophie’s scream echoed in Daniel’s memory.
Let’s see if Daddy can save you in time.
“Then why did you push her?”
Margaret’s eyes filled.
“She laughed at me.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“She said she was going to tell you everything.”
“She was eight.”
“She said Claire was right about me.”
Daniel stared.
“That made you angry enough to throw a child into a lake?”
“I lost control.”
“No.”
Daniel shook his head.
“You looked at the crocodiles first.”
Margaret went silent.
“She remembers.”
Margaret started crying.
“I wanted to scare her.”
“You knew she couldn’t swim.”
“I thought she’d stay close to shore.”
“You shoved her.”
“I didn’t think—”
“You thought enough to choose a place with no camera.”
Margaret looked up sharply.
Daniel saw it.
She hadn’t disabled the camera.
But she knew it was off.
“Rachel told you.”
Margaret froze.
“She told you the camera was disabled.”
Silence.
Officer Shaw stood.
“Mrs. Whitmore, I think we’re done for now.”
Margaret began panicking.
“Daniel.”
He did not move.
“I didn’t want her dead.”
He looked at his mother.
“But you were willing to see what happened.”
“No.”
“You looked at crocodiles and pushed anyway.”
Margaret reached toward him.
Daniel stepped back.
That hurt her.
Good.
Police escorted Margaret away for formal questioning.
Daniel stood alone inside the boathouse.
His phone vibrated.
Unknown number again.
The mysterious sender.
This time there was only a location pin.
An abandoned roadside motel thirty miles north.
Then:
If you want Claire’s master ledger, come before Rachel does.
Daniel stared.
A second message appeared.
And don’t tell Nolan.
Daniel typed:
Who are you?
The response came.
Someone Claire trusted more than she trusted your family.
Then a name.
Emily Carter.
Daniel recognized it.
May you like
Claire’s younger sister.
A woman who had disappeared from their lives immediately after Claire’s funeral.
Related Stories
