Chapter 11 - Megan’s Name on the Wrong SideSarah called Megan immediately.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Her stomach tightened.
“Call officers at the house,” Ruiz said.
They did.
Police still near Megan’s property knocked.
No response.
Sarah felt panic rise.
“Noah is there.”
“He’s with an officer,” Ruiz reminded her. “We had someone remain nearby after the stalking report.”
Sarah exhaled.
Right.
Noah was safe.
But Megan?
Five minutes later, a patrol officer entered the house.
Empty.
Megan’s phone sat on the kitchen counter.
Her purse was gone.
Sarah stared at Ruiz.
“She wouldn’t leave Noah.”
“No,” Ruiz said. “That concerns me too.”
They searched local cameras.
At 7:42 a.m., Megan had walked to her car.
A man approached.
No struggle.
No obvious threat.
She got into the passenger seat of another vehicle voluntarily.
A gray sedan.
Sarah stared at the image.
“She knew him.”
“Looks that way.”
Daniel reviewed the custody filing again.
“This witness declaration from Megan was signed three days ago.”
Sarah turned.
“What declaration?”
He read.
“‘I have personally observed my sister Sarah becoming increasingly erratic and overwhelmed in caring for Noah.’”
Sarah felt as though she had been slapped.
“No.”
Daniel continued reluctantly.
“‘Ryan has repeatedly provided stability when Sarah becomes emotionally dysregulated.’”
Sarah stood.
“Megan would never write that.”
“Then she didn’t.”
“Her signature?”
“Could be forged.”
Ruiz asked for a copy.
Sarah thought back.
Three days earlier, Megan had come for dinner.
She and Ryan had spoken alone in the kitchen.
Sarah hadn’t thought anything of it.
“What if she signed something without knowing?”
Daniel nodded.
“Possible.”
Sarah called again.
This time someone answered.
No voice.
Just breathing.
“Megan?”
Silence.
“Megan, where are you?”
A man spoke.
“Your sister is fine.”
Sarah’s blood froze.
It was the voice from the recording.
Victor Lang.
Ruiz immediately gestured for Sarah to keep him talking.
Sarah put the call on speaker.
“What do you want?”
“What I wanted from your father.”
“My son’s money?”
Lang chuckled.
“Everyone thinks this is about money.”
“What is it about?”
“Control is more valuable than money.”
Sarah looked at Daniel.
“What did my father have?”
“Tuesday will answer that.”
“Why Tuesday?”
“You know why.”
“No. I know the trust changes.”
“That’s part of it.”
Sarah’s heartbeat accelerated.
“What happens Tuesday?”
Lang ignored the question.
“You should withdraw your objections to Ryan’s emergency petition.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because your son has already had one frightening day.”
The threat was soft.
That made it worse.
“If you touch Noah—”
“I have no interest in hurting children.”
“You locked him in a kennel.”
“That was Ryan’s idea.”
Ryan’s.
Sarah looked at Ruiz.
Even Diane had seemed to follow Ryan’s directions in the video.
Lang continued.
“Ryan gets enthusiastic when he thinks he’s solving problems.”
“Where is Megan?”
“With someone she trusts.”
“Let me speak to her.”
“No.”
“Then I assume she isn’t fine.”
A pause.
Lang’s tone changed slightly.
“Your father used to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Refuse to be frightened correctly.”
Sarah almost smiled.
“Sounds like him.”
“He died believing he had protected you.”
Sarah’s breath caught.
“What does that mean?”
Lang said nothing.
“Did you kill my father?”
Daniel shook his head urgently.
Ruiz watched the recording equipment.
Lang laughed softly.
“No, Sarah.”
She couldn’t tell whether she believed him.
“But I was with him the night he died.”
Sarah stopped breathing.
Daniel’s face went white.
“What?”
“He never told you about our final conversation?”
“He died alone.”
“No.”
The room became silent.
Lang continued.
“He was very much alive when I left his office.”
Sarah gripped the table.
“What did you talk about?”
“Tuesday.”
Then the call ended.
Sarah stared at the phone.
Daniel sat completely still.
“You knew he met Lang that night?”
“No.”
“Who found Dad?”
“I did.”
Sarah looked at him.
“What time?”
“About ten-thirty.”
“And Lang says he was there.”
Daniel’s voice became faint.
“Then someone lied about the security logs.”
Ruiz leaned forward.
“What security logs?”
Daniel looked at Sarah.
“The building record showed no visitors after seven.”
Sarah felt another piece shift into place.
May you like
Someone had altered evidence surrounding her father’s last night.
And whatever he had been protecting was apparently connected to the same deadline now threatening Noah.
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