{"id":12411,"date":"2026-09-17T14:19:15","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12411"},"modified":"2026-09-17T14:19:15","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T14:19:15","slug":"part-19-the-recording-carol-claimed-she-destroyed-had-survived-and-my-mothers-final-conversation-changed-what-we-thought-arthur-feared-most-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12411","title":{"rendered":"PART 19 \u2013 The Recording Carol Claimed She Destroyed Had Survived, and My Mother\u2019s Final Conversation Changed What We Thought Arthur Feared Most"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Carol did not throw away the cassette.<\/p>\n<p>She lied about that too.<\/p>\n<p>Lily remembered the night because she had been ten and excited about the wedding.<\/p>\n<p>Carol had emptied an old jewelry drawer onto the bed.<\/p>\n<p>Receipts.<\/p>\n<p>Photographs.<\/p>\n<p>A broken bracelet.<\/p>\n<p>Several cassette tapes.<\/p>\n<p>She put most into a trash bag.<\/p>\n<p>One went into her purse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;re sure?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething from work.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid you ever see it again?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter the wedding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn Dad&#39;s study.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur had acquired it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales searched the blue binder inventory.<\/p>\n<p>No cassette.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur&#39;s study had already been processed.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Carol&#39;s lawyer contacted her.<\/p>\n<p>This time she admitted the recording existed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says Arthur took it,\u201d Morales told us.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat was on it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA conversation between Eleanor and Carol.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily sat beside me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat kind of conversation?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol claims Eleanor confronted her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAbout the affair?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The room went still.<\/p>\n<p>So my mother had known.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Carol record it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says Arthur asked her to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he want?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvidence that Eleanor was unstable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The incapacity petition.<\/p>\n<p>They had been building a case.<\/p>\n<p>My mother&#39;s accurate suspicion would be recorded and presented as paranoia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happened instead?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales looked at his notes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAccording to Carol, Eleanor remained calm.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost smiled.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur needed a hysterical woman.<\/p>\n<p>My mother refused to become one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did Mom say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol won&#39;t give exact wording without hearing the tape.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cConvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did Dad keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol says because Eleanor mentioned financial details he didn&#39;t want disclosed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat details?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe doesn&#39;t remember.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Morales didn&#39;t defend her.<\/p>\n<p>Lily asked, \u201cCan Mom tell us where Dad put it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe says she last saw it in his study years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We had searched there.<\/p>\n<p>Nothing.<\/p>\n<p>Then I remembered the false bottom in the blue binder.<\/p>\n<p>The passport had been inside the back cover.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur liked hiding evidence inside ordinary files.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat else did he keep?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCars.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe has an old car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA restoration garage.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I stared.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur loved cars.<\/p>\n<p>Not enough to talk about them with me.<\/p>\n<p>Enough to spend weekends inspecting engines and complaining about people who didn&#39;t understand maintenance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe keeps paperwork there?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMom hated it because he&#39;d leave documents in the trunk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales was already asking for the garage information.<\/p>\n<p>The car was a 1967 Mercedes.<\/p>\n<p>Dark blue.<\/p>\n<p>Stored in a private facility in Pasadena.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators searched it under the existing warrant scope after confirming Arthur used it for document storage.<\/p>\n<p>The trunk contained tools.<\/p>\n<p>Old registration files.<\/p>\n<p>A bottle of whiskey.<\/p>\n<p>And beneath the spare tire, a metal cash box.<\/p>\n<p>Inside were photographs.<\/p>\n<p>Cash.<\/p>\n<p>Two flash drives.<\/p>\n<p>One cassette.<\/p>\n<p>I did not touch it.<\/p>\n<p>Nobody did until it had been processed.<\/p>\n<p>The label was written in Carol&#39;s handwriting.<\/p>\n<p>E \u2014 8\/27.<\/p>\n<p>My mother died less than two months later.<\/p>\n<p>Morales converted the audio while preserving the original.<\/p>\n<p>Then he asked whether I truly wanted to hear it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily stayed.<\/p>\n<p>Susan stayed.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders stayed.<\/p>\n<p>Carol was not present.<\/p>\n<p>The recording began with movement.<\/p>\n<p>A door.<\/p>\n<p>Then my mother&#39;s voice.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPut that recorder somewhere less obvious.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol inhaled sharply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know what you mean.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;ve been carrying it since you came in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother sounded weak.<\/p>\n<p>But not confused.<\/p>\n<p>Carol said, \u201cArthur is worried about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor laughed.<\/p>\n<p>Softly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur is worried about Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n<p>Carol&#39;s younger voice answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe thinks Susan and the lawyer are filling your head with things.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy head was filled long before Susan arrived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A pause.<\/p>\n<p>Then my mother said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you sleeping with my husband?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>No drama.<\/p>\n<p>No raised voice.<\/p>\n<p>Direct.<\/p>\n<p>Carol denied it.<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor waited.<\/p>\n<p>The silence lasted almost ten seconds.<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol, I&#39;m dying. Please don&#39;t waste my time with a bad lie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily covered her mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Carol began crying on the recording.<\/p>\n<p>She admitted it.<\/p>\n<p>Not elegantly.<\/p>\n<p>Not completely.<\/p>\n<p>Enough.<\/p>\n<p>My mother asked how long.<\/p>\n<p>Carol told her.<\/p>\n<p>Eleven months.<\/p>\n<p>Then Eleanor asked something I didn&#39;t expect.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you love him?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol said yes.<\/p>\n<p>My mother&#39;s response was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen you have a harder life ahead than you know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Nobody in the room moved.<\/p>\n<p>Carol became angry.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don&#39;t know me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor coughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I know Arthur.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe makes people feel chosen until choosing him costs them something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My throat tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Carol said Arthur had told her the marriage was already over emotionally.<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor didn&#39;t argue.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe it had been.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, she asked about the refinance.<\/p>\n<p>Carol denied involvement.<\/p>\n<p>My mother said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou witnessed paperwork.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI do paperwork for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou witnessed mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Eleanor:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDid Arthur ask you to say I&#39;m confused?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol didn&#39;t answer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe did.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another silence.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAre you going to?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen decide before somebody else decides what kind of person you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily started crying.<\/p>\n<p>The recording continued.<\/p>\n<p>Carol asked why Eleanor cared.<\/p>\n<p>My mother answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause you have a daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily went completely still.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe knew about me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Susan nodded through tears.<\/p>\n<p>Of course my mother knew.<\/p>\n<p>She had investigated Carol too.<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor continued:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne day that girl will watch what you accept from men and call it normal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol&#39;s breathing became audible.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don&#39;t get to talk about Lily.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not threatening her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou don&#39;t know her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then my mother said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I know Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My hands began shaking.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe watches everything. More than Arthur understands.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I looked down.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe will learn from what we tolerate too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tape clicked briefly.<\/p>\n<p>Then resumed.<\/p>\n<p>My mother sounded weaker.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarol, listen to me. Magnolia belongs to Diane. Ventura belongs to the estate. There is money for her education. There is another account Arthur does not know how to reach.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol said nothing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTell him whatever you want about me. Marry him after I&#39;m gone if that&#39;s what you choose.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Susan made a small sound.<\/p>\n<p>My mother continued:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut if you help him take from my daughter, understand exactly what you&#39;re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;re teaching both our girls that love means surrendering whatever someone stronger wants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily bowed her head.<\/p>\n<p>I couldn&#39;t breathe normally.<\/p>\n<p>Then came the sentence Arthur apparently feared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have documented everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol&#39;s voice sharpened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere Arthur cannot get all of it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The layered evidence.<\/p>\n<p>Susan.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders.<\/p>\n<p>Storage.<\/p>\n<p>The exit account.<\/p>\n<p>My mother had told Carol enough to scare Arthur but not enough to lead him to everything.<\/p>\n<p>Carol asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat happens if he leaves Diane alone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI mean nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother&#39;s voice softened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe can raise his daughter. He can marry you. He can live his life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am not trying to punish him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am trying to stop him from punishing Diane because I said no.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I covered my face.<\/p>\n<p>That was the center of it.<\/p>\n<p>Not revenge.<\/p>\n<p>Not property.<\/p>\n<p>Not hatred.<\/p>\n<p>My mother had understood Arthur&#39;s wounded pride.<\/p>\n<p>She knew he might redirect it toward me.<\/p>\n<p>Carol asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd if he doesn&#39;t leave it alone?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother answered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen eventually Diane will know who he chose to be.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tape continued for several minutes.<\/p>\n<p>Carol cried.<\/p>\n<p>My mother coughed.<\/p>\n<p>At one point Eleanor asked her to pour water.<\/p>\n<p>The ordinary sound of the glass nearly broke me.<\/p>\n<p>Then the conversation shifted.<\/p>\n<p>My mother asked Carol for one promise.<\/p>\n<p>Not to protect me.<\/p>\n<p>She didn&#39;t trust Carol enough for that.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cProtect Lily from becoming useful to him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou&#39;ll understand someday.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily sobbed.<\/p>\n<p>Because now she did.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur had made her useful.<\/p>\n<p>Beneficiary.<\/p>\n<p>Company owner.<\/p>\n<p>Bank account holder.<\/p>\n<p>Alibi centerpiece.<\/p>\n<p>Potential courier for his false passport.<\/p>\n<p>My mother had predicted the shape of Carol&#39;s failure before Carol understood the warning.<\/p>\n<p>Near the end, Eleanor said:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you ever need to prove to yourself that I wasn&#39;t confused, keep this recording.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol whispered:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know I&#39;m recording?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI told you that when you walked in.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For the first time in days, I laughed through tears.<\/p>\n<p>So did Susan.<\/p>\n<p>Even Morales smiled briefly.<\/p>\n<p>The final words were almost inaudible.<\/p>\n<p>Carol asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDo you hate me?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My mother took a long time answering.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another pause.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don&#39;t have enough time left to spend it hating you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut don&#39;t confuse that with forgiveness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The tape ended.<\/p>\n<p>No one spoke.<\/p>\n<p>Lily leaned against me.<\/p>\n<p>I put my arm around her.<\/p>\n<p>For years, Carol had apparently carried proof that Eleanor understood everything.<\/p>\n<p>The affair.<\/p>\n<p>The financial pressure.<\/p>\n<p>The attempted incapacity narrative.<\/p>\n<p>The danger to both daughters.<\/p>\n<p>Why keep it?<\/p>\n<p>Maybe guilt.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe insurance.<\/p>\n<p>Maybe because my mother had told her to.<\/p>\n<p>Then Arthur took it.<\/p>\n<p>Because the recording destroyed his favorite defense.<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor had not been confused.<\/p>\n<p>She had been precise.<\/p>\n<p>She had even offered him a path forward.<\/p>\n<p>Leave Diane&#39;s inheritance intact.<\/p>\n<p>Raise her.<\/p>\n<p>Move on.<\/p>\n<p>He chose otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat does this change legally?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Sanders answered carefully.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt corroborates several facts and may undermine claims about Eleanor&#39;s capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDoes it prove Dad committed fraud?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot alone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why was he afraid of it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Morales answered.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause investigations aren&#39;t built from one document.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He gestured toward the cassette.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey&#39;re built from evidence that makes other evidence understandable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The recording explained motive.<\/p>\n<p>Pattern.<\/p>\n<p>Carol&#39;s knowledge.<\/p>\n<p>Eleanor&#39;s protective decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur&#39;s incapacity strategy.<\/p>\n<p>It turned disconnected papers into a coherent history.<\/p>\n<p>Lily stared at the recorder.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom kept it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen Dad took it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cShe could have given it to police days ago.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her face hardened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to talk to her again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol agreed.<\/p>\n<p>This time, her attorney insisted on being present.<\/p>\n<p>We met at his office.<\/p>\n<p>Lily placed a transcript of the recording on the table.<\/p>\n<p>Carol looked at the first line and began crying.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou found it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDad&#39;s car.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol closed her eyes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI thought he destroyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you tell police where he might keep it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI didn&#39;t know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy didn&#39;t you tell them everything Mom said?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I felt no sympathy.<\/p>\n<p>Not then.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat&#39;s still about you.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She flinched.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily leaned forward.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEleanor told you not to let Dad use me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol began sobbing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then you let him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou used Diane.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou used me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol&#39;s voice disappeared.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily stared at her mother for a long time.<\/p>\n<p>Then she asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy did you keep the tape?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol wiped her face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Eleanor told me to.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That surprised me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFor ten years?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol looked toward the transcript.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery time Arthur told me she had been paranoid, I listened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My skin prickled.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe tried to convince you too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat she imagined everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd you knew he was lying.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSometimes knowing somebody is lying doesn&#39;t stop you from wanting the lie to be true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That was the first thing she had said that sounded completely honest.<\/p>\n<p>Lily asked:<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen did Dad take the tape?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter I canceled your account transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Four months ago.<\/p>\n<p>The timeline tightened.<\/p>\n<p>Carol had finally resisted.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur searched her things.<\/p>\n<p>Found the recording.<\/p>\n<p>Then used Ventura and the recording to pressure her into Magnolia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did he say?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n<p>Carol looked at me.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat if I turned on him, he&#39;d say the recording proved I manipulated Eleanor.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe said he&#39;d claim I coached her.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat makes no sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen why were you afraid?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause Arthur doesn&#39;t need a story to make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She looked exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe only needs it to take longer to disprove than you can afford.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Victor had said his threats wore suits.<\/p>\n<p>Same mechanism.<\/p>\n<p>Litigation.<\/p>\n<p>Delay.<\/p>\n<p>Cost.<\/p>\n<p>Confusion.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur didn&#39;t need truth.<\/p>\n<p>He needed friction.<\/p>\n<p>Carol looked at Lily.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#39;ll tell prosecutors everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily&#39;s expression didn&#39;t soften.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou should.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot for me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Carol nodded.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNot for a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Another nod.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Lily stood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThen do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We left.<\/p>\n<p>Outside, she breathed deeply.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>We both laughed quietly.<\/p>\n<p>That answer had become useful.<\/p>\n<p>My phone rang.<\/p>\n<p>Morales.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur had requested another meeting through counsel.<\/p>\n<p>Not with me.<\/p>\n<p>With Carol.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHe says he wants to correct the record.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I almost laughed.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIs she going?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith investigators monitoring.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat do you think he wants?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#39;ll find out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The meeting happened the following morning.<\/p>\n<p>Carol wore a recording device with legal authorization and entered an attorney conference room where Arthur waited.<\/p>\n<p>We heard the recording later.<\/p>\n<p>Arthur&#39;s first words were:<\/p>\n<p>Did they find Eleanor&#39;s tape?<\/p>\n<p>Carol answered:<\/p>\n<p>Yes.<\/p>\n<p>Silence.<\/p>\n<p>Then Arthur said:<\/p>\n<p>Then we have one option left.<\/p>\n<p>Carol asked:<\/p>\n<p>What option?<\/p>\n<p>His answer was quiet.<\/p>\n<p>The original will.<\/p>\n<p>I looked at Sanders.<\/p>\n<p>He went pale.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe will we have is original.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He shook his head slowly.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEleanor executed an earlier will.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat did it say?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sanders looked toward the recording.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cArthur inherited almost everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/?p=12412\">Click here to continue reading: PART 20: The Earlier Will My Father Wanted Found Looked Like His Escape Until One Missing Page Exposed Why He Had Hidden It<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Carol did not throw away the cassette. She lied about that too. Lily remembered the night because she had been ten and excited about the wedding. Carol had emptied an &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12392,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insightdrama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12435,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411\/revisions\/12435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}