Chapter 3: The Recording

The officers surrounded the area within seconds.

Victor tried to run.

He made it less than twenty yards before slipping in the mud.

Two deputies tackled him.

Elise screamed.

Mara simply watched.

Handcuffs clicked shut.

Rain continued falling.

The lead detective approached carrying a tablet.

"Mrs. Bennett, are you okay?"

Mara nodded.

The detective turned the screen toward Victor.

Video footage played.

The entire evening.

The kidnapping.

The drive.

The threats.

The grave.

Every word.

Every action.

Recorded.

Crystal clear.

Victor stared at the screen in horror.

Then came the worst part.

The audio.

His own voice echoed through the orchard.

"Once she disappears, the company, the house, everything is ours."

Elise covered her mouth.

Victor looked physically ill.

But the detective wasn't finished.

"There is more."

The investigation had uncovered forged signatures.

Hidden offshore accounts.

Fraudulent property transfers.

Evidence that Victor had been stealing from the company for years.

Mara hadn't spent the previous twenty-four hours hiding.

She had spent them preparing.

Building a case.

Making copies.

Protecting assets.

Every document was already in the hands of lawyers and authorities.

The murder plot had exposed crimes far bigger than either Victor or Elise imagined.

For the first time, Victor realized something terrifying.

He had never actually known his wife.