Chapter 4 - THE RECORDING IN THE DARK
That night, after Lily and Toby were fast asleep in their respective rooms, Emma sat at the kitchen table inside the guest house.
The rain beat steadily against the glass roof. Outside, the flash of a security guard’s flashlight passed by the window every twenty minutes.
Emma had spent an hour finding an old micro-USB charging cable in her bag. She plugged it into the silver dictaphone. A tiny red charging light flickered to life on the side of the device.
Her hands shook as she waited for the battery to hold enough charge.
She picked up a butter knife and carefully lifted the cracked red wax seal on the yellowed envelope. She pulled out three pages of handwritten stationery, dated six weeks before Elizabeth Hayes's fatal crash.
To my dearest Toby,
If you are reading this, it means I failed to get us away. It means your father’s world swallowed us whole.
I know what they will say about me. They will call me unstable. They will say I was sick. But I discovered where the money came from, Toby. I discovered what Horizon Technologies built in the dark. The aviation contracts... the sensor overrides... William gave Arthur the access codes.
If the plane goes down, it wasn't the storm.
Emma stopped reading. Her breath hitched in her throat. She gripped the edge of the table, her pulse hammering in her ears.
William gave Arthur the access codes.
Arthur.
Arthur Vance was William’s primary corporate investor and current chairman of the board at Hayes Horizon Technologies—a ruthless sixty-year-old defense contractor whose firm held massive government logistics accounts.
Suddenly, the screen on the silver dictaphone glowed to life.
Emma quickly unplugged the cable, pulled out a small set of foam headphones from her purse, and plugged them into the jack. She placed the foam earpieces into her ears and pressed the play button on the side of the recorder.
Static hissed through the headphones for three seconds.
Then, a woman’s voice filled her ears—sharp, breathless, terrified, but unmistakable.
"This is Elizabeth," the recording whispered through the static. "It’s October 12th, 11:40 PM. I’m recording this from the garage office. I just overheard William speaking with Arthur Vance on his encrypted line."
There was a muffled sound on the tape, like a heavy door closing, followed by Elizabeth’s shaking breath.
"Arthur told him that if the SEC audit goes through on Friday, they lose the defense contract. Arthur said... he said 'the package on the Citation jet needs to be delivered before the auditors land in Denver.' William didn't argue with him. He just said 'Make sure Toby isn't on the manifest.'"
The tape let out a sharp metallic click, followed by Elizabeth crying softly.
"He’s letting Arthur sabotage my plane," Elizabeth wept into the microphone. "He’s letting them kill me to save his company..."
BZZZZT.
The audio track ended.
Emma ripped the headphones out of her ears, stumbling back from the table, her chair scraping loudly across the floor.
She stared at the little silver recorder sitting under the warm kitchen light.
William hadn't just lost his wife in a tragic accident. He had stood by and let his billionaire business partner destroy her plane to cover up a multi-million-dollar corporate crime.
Suddenly, a knock sounded at the guest house door.
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Emma jumped, her heart leaping into her throat. She frantically swept the letter, the envelope, and the dictaphone off the table, shoving them beneath the couch cushions just as the door handle turned.
The door swung open.
William Hayes stood on the porch, wrapped in a dark trench coat, rain glistening on his shoulders. He was holding a small glass jar of organic honey.
“Toby said Lily needed honey for her tea,” William said, his voice deep and calm as he stepped into the entryway.
He paused, his sharp blue eyes taking in Emma’s pale face, her rapid breathing, and her trembling hands.
May you like
His eyes narrowed instantly.
“Ms. Parker,” William said, stepping closer. “You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
