Chapter 16 - Elliot’s PriceElliot’s cooperation became formal.
He agreed to provide passwords, company records, communications and testimony in exchange for prosecutors considering the extent of his assistance.
Nothing guaranteed.
No magical immunity.
He was still exposed.
He had stolen.
He had falsified records.
He had helped Valerie.
But fear finally made him useful.
Investigators recovered deleted messages.
Most were mundane.
Then came the exchanges about Sienna.
Valerie:
She heard us.
Elliot:
How much?
Valerie:
Enough to keep asking questions.
Elliot:
Get the device.
Valerie:
Already handled.
Two days later:
Elliot:
Girl still a problem?
Valerie:
Not after this week.
Colin stopped reading.
His attorney looked at him.
“Do you want a break?”
“No.”
He continued.
The final message had been sent the morning of the treadmill video.
Elliot:
Audit moved up.
Valerie:
Then I need the house sold now.
Elliot:
And S?
Valerie:
She won’t talk after today.
Colin’s vision blurred.
He stood.
Walked to the window.
Every person in the room understood what the message appeared to imply.
But nobody exaggerated.
Nobody needed to.
Valerie believed fear would silence Sienna.
Instead, Mercedes opened a camera.
Elliot provided one other crucial piece.
A voice message Valerie had sent him after taking Sienna’s tablet.
Her voice was annoyed.
“She deleted nothing useful. I cleared the recording. If she says she heard us, Colin won’t believe her. I’ve been laying the groundwork for months.”
Colin closed his eyes.
There it was.
Not interpretation.
Her own voice.
Laying the groundwork.
Months of small lies about Sienna.
Calculated.
Then the message continued.
“But I still can’t find Audrey’s copy. Check the lake house again.”
Colin’s attorney paused the audio.
“This is strong.”
Colin nodded.
He felt no satisfaction.
Only exhaustion.
That evening, Colin walked into the yellow-painted former fitness room.
The mirrors were gone.
The walls had been patched.
Sienna sat on the floor drawing stars on paper.
“What’s this room now?” Colin asked.
“I don’t know.”
“You’re the designer.”
She thought.
“Maybe art.”
“Okay.”
“And books.”
“Done.”
“And no giant desk.”
“Agreed.”
Sienna looked toward the treadmill.
It was the only old object remaining.
“Can we cover it?”
“With what?”
“A blanket.”
Colin hesitated.
Then nodded.
They found a large white sheet.
Together, they placed it over the machine.
Sienna stepped back.
The shape was still there.
But hidden.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
Colin sat beside her.
After a while, she asked:
“Did Elliot know?”
He knew what she meant.
“Some of it.”
“Did he know about me?”
“He knew you overheard them.”
Sienna’s pencil stopped.
“Did he tell Valerie to hurt me?”
Colin chose his words carefully.
“We have messages showing he told Valerie to get your tablet. I don’t know that he told her to hurt you.”
Sienna nodded.
“Is he bad?”
Colin thought about the easy answer.
Yes.
Then the honest one.
“He made bad choices that hurt a lot of people.”
“Is that the same?”
“Sometimes. But I think people are more complicated than one word.”
Sienna frowned.
“Valerie is bad.”
Colin did not correct her.
“She chose to be cruel to you.”
Sienna looked satisfied with that.
The next day brought financial news.
Of the roughly $2.9 million investigators had traced through Valerie and Elliot’s scheme, more than $1.7 million remained recoverable through frozen accounts and property.
Some had been spent.
Some paid to creditors.
Some used for the condominium.
Recovery would take time.
Court orders.
Civil claims.
Restitution.
Nothing returned instantly.
Colin surprised himself by caring less about the money than he once would have imagined.
Then his attorney slid another file across the table.
“Valerie made one final financial move the night before Mercedes recorded the treadmill.”
Colin looked up.
“What?”
“She changed the beneficiary on a life-insurance policy.”
“Mine?”
“No.”
The attorney looked grim.
“A policy Valerie purchased on herself.”
Colin frowned.
“That’s not my concern.”
“The new beneficiary wasn’t you.”
“Who was it?”
“Elliot.”
The room went silent.
For the first time, Colin wondered whether their financial partnership had been more personal than Elliot claimed.
May you like
But the truth turned out to be stranger—
and colder.
Related Stories
