Mark's hand remained on the doorknob.<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Sarah closed the laptop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police have already collected the evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have one recording of an argument.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have considerably more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He released the doorknob.<\/p>\n
For the first time, I saw genuine fear on his face.<\/p>\n
Sarah placed Arthur's dented thermos inside a clear evidence bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe laboratory found traces of digoxin inside it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Noah frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa never took that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah explained that Arthur had never been prescribed the medication.<\/p>\n
In large amounts, it could be fatal to an elderly person.<\/p>\n
Claire grabbed the back of the chair.<\/p>\n
I caught her before she fell.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe thought he died peacefully.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did I,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
Sarah looked at the thermos.<\/p>\n
\u201cSomeone may have wanted you to think that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark immediately pointed toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid hated having him here.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took a step forward.<\/p>\n
Noah caught my arm.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone heard the recording.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone heard the part you selected.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark went quiet.<\/p>\n
Sarah reopened the complete recording from the night before Arthur died.<\/p>\n
Arthur's voice came first.<\/p>\n
\u201cSarah, he knows about the will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have given us the money.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur reminded him about the attempted theft.<\/p>\n
Mark dismissed it as something that happened twenty years ago.<\/p>\n
Arthur disagreed.<\/p>\n
\u201cA thief doesn't become innocent because time passes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark accused him of giving everything to a man who hated him.<\/p>\n
Arthur answered that I had lost my temper.<\/p>\n
Then he reminded Mark that I had returned with a blanket.<\/p>\n
Mark said I wanted the money.<\/p>\n
Arthur answered that I didn't even know he had money.<\/p>\n
For twenty years, I had believed Arthur had nothing.<\/p>\n
He still fed me.<\/p>\n
That sentence silenced me.<\/p>\n
Then came a crash.<\/p>\n
Mark ordered him to sign a new will.<\/p>\n
Arthur refused.<\/p>\n
Mark told him he owed his real children.<\/p>\n
Arthur answered that his real child was the one who gave him a home without asking for a bank statement.<\/p>\n
Mark threatened him.<\/p>\n
Arthur told him he regretted spending so many years making excuses for him.<\/p>\n
A door slammed.<\/p>\n
Then silence.<\/p>\n
Sarah paused the recording.<\/p>\n
Mark straightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat proves I left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it proves I didn't kill him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt proves you threatened him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThreatening isn't murder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah moved the recording forward.<\/p>\n
The clock on the screen read 10:16 p.m.<\/p>\n
A door opened.<\/p>\n
Footsteps crossed the porch.<\/p>\n
Arthur spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another voice answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI came to apologize.\u201d<\/p>\n
The voice was muffled.<\/p>\n
Arthur asked how the person had entered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe spare key.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
Only family members knew where that key was.<\/p>\n
Arthur had asked Claire to replace it because he was afraid of falling while they were away.<\/p>\n
The visitor sat down.<\/p>\n
Then came the sentence that made Kevin stop breathing.<\/p>\n
\u201cI heard you changed the will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Arthur asked who had told him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah looked at Mark.<\/p>\n
Mark didn't move.<\/p>\n
The visitor said he didn't need everything.<\/p>\n
He needed eighty thousand dollars.<\/p>\n
Arthur refused.<\/p>\n
The visitor said people were going to hurt him.<\/p>\n
Arthur offered to call the police.<\/p>\n
The man refused.<\/p>\n
Arthur offered treatment.<\/p>\n
The man said he didn't need treatment.<\/p>\n
He needed money.<\/p>\n
I looked at Kevin.<\/p>\n
His face had gone gray.<\/p>\n
Sarah continued.<\/p>\n
Arthur said, \u201cGo home, Kevin.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin in the room whispered, \u201cThat could be anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then his recorded voice came through the speakers.<\/p>\n
He begged Arthur for help.<\/p>\n
He admitted that he had helped with the earlier fraud.<\/p>\n
Arthur reminded him that Mark had planned to blame everything on him.<\/p>\n
Kevin said people were threatening him over his gambling debt.<\/p>\n
Arthur refused to give him money.<\/p>\n
Then came a metallic sound.<\/p>\n
Arthur asked what Kevin was doing.<\/p>\n
Kevin said he was washing the thermos.<\/p>\n
At ten o'clock at night.<\/p>\n
Arthur ordered him to put it down.<\/p>\n
Kevin became angry.<\/p>\n
Something struck the table.<\/p>\n
Arthur gasped.<\/p>\n
Footsteps rushed away.<\/p>\n
The back door slammed.<\/p>\n
Sarah stopped the recording.<\/p>\n
Nobody looked at Kevin.<\/p>\n
Then everyone did.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you put in the thermos?\u201d Claire asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah placed another document beside the ledger.<\/p>\n
A pharmacy record.<\/p>\n
Kevin's late wife had once been prescribed digoxin.<\/p>\n
Sixty tablets.<\/p>\n
Three weeks before her death.<\/p>\n
Kevin stared at the paper.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was twelve years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou never returned the unused medication,\u201d Sarah said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI threw it away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot prove that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin looked toward Mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stepped away.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell them what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou sent me there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told you Dad changed the will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew he'd leave everything to David.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI never told you to poison him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't poison him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Brenda began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou opened his thermos.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo wash it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one believes that,\u201d Noah said.<\/p>\n
Kevin pointed at Mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe planned everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark turned sharply.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew about the will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stared at the blue ledger.<\/p>\n
Kevin did too.<\/p>\n
Sarah noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is inside that ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing,\u201d Kevin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you looking at it?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn't answer.<\/p>\n
Sarah picked up the ledger.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe expense records occupy only part of this book.\u201d<\/p>\n
She turned it over.<\/p>\n
A thin strip of blue paper had been sealed across the final pages.<\/p>\n
Arthur had written a warning.<\/p>\n
TO BE OPENED ONLY AFTER MY WILL IS READ.<\/p>\n
Mark stepped forward.<\/p>\n
Sarah pulled the ledger toward herself.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one touches this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The doorbell rang.<\/p>\n
Three slow knocks followed.<\/p>\n
Sarah looked toward the front entrance.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe detectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin suddenly ran.<\/p>\n
He shoved Brenda aside and disappeared down the hallway.<\/p>\n
Noah chased him.<\/p>\n
\u201cStop!\u201d<\/p>\n
A door slammed.<\/p>\n
I followed.<\/p>\n
Kevin had locked himself inside the downstairs bathroom.<\/p>\n
I pounded on the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it!\u201d<\/p>\n
The bathroom window shattered.<\/p>\n
Noah kicked the door.<\/p>\n
It flew inward.<\/p>\n
Cold air rushed through the broken window.<\/p>\n
Kevin was gone.<\/p>\n
The detectives entered through the front door.<\/p>\n
One of them immediately called for officers outside.<\/p>\n
Sirens began approaching.<\/p>\n
I turned toward the living room.<\/p>\n
Then Sarah screamed.<\/p>\n
We ran back.<\/p>\n
The coffee table was empty.<\/p>\n
The blue ledger was gone.<\/p>\n
Mark stood near the front door.<\/p>\n
Brenda was crying beside the fireplace.<\/p>\n
Lily stared toward the open back door.<\/p>\n
\u201cKevin took it,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
My phone rang.<\/p>\n
UNKNOWN CALLER.<\/p>\n
I answered.<\/p>\n
Kevin's breathing filled the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cDavid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cListen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur lied to all of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah moved closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you do with the ledger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI opened the sealed pages.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do they say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin laughed.<\/p>\n
It wasn't a happy sound.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe will you just read is worthless.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sarah shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't possible.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is another document inside the back cover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stepped toward the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat document?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin ignored him.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want the ledger back, come to Dad's old house at midnight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe police are looking for you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen don't bring them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy should I trust you?\u201d<\/p>\n
There was silence.<\/p>\n
Then Kevin's voice changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Arthur wrote one final name in that ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart began pounding.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe person who was supposed to receive the entire three-point-two million.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Claire.<\/p>\n
Sarah slowly shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur's signed will leaves everything to David.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kevin laughed softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen who gets it?\u201d<\/p>\n
For several seconds, there was only Kevin's breathing.<\/p>\n
Then he whispered the words none of us expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cArthur left everything to the child no one in this room knew existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
Mark's hand remained on the doorknob. Nobody spoke. Sarah closed the laptop. \u201cThe police have already collected the evidence.\u201d Mark turned. \u201cYou have one recording of an argument.\u201d \u201cWe have … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7608,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7612","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\/7612","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=7612"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7632,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7612\/revisions\/7632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insightdrama.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}