Chapter 12 - The Voice Left on the Dress
Mina Ellis finally called from her sister's apartment in Queens. She sounded exhausted.
"Victoria's publicist told my employer I'd never work another wedding if I released anything," she said. "Then someone followed me home. I got scared."
Rose wanted to tell her bravery was simple. After the threats to Eli, she knew it wasn't.
"You don't have to meet me," Rose said. "Give the recording to the detective. She'll handle it."
Mina agreed. Police secured the original sound card, receiver log, and backup for forensic examination.
The next afternoon Torres let Rose and Eleanor hear a verified portion in the presence of their lawyers.
Eleanor's voice came first, thin but steady: "You will never take Harbor House."
Victoria answered: "You have no idea what you've cost me."
"Then tell Nathaniel the truth."
"You think he'll choose you over his wife?"
A scrape. Eleanor inhaled sharply. Then came the unmistakable sound of glass rattling and Rose screaming from a distance.
Nathaniel stood at the far end of the room, face gray. The clip didn't show the push, Torres warned, but it contradicted Victoria's claim that no argument had occurred.
"She told me Mother lost her balance before either of them spoke," Nathaniel said.
"That's one part we can test," Torres replied.
Mina had another detail. Her assistant had recorded the rooftop from the opposite side for a time-lapse of the skyline. The camera wasn't aimed at the railing, but it had been running through the ceremony and reception.
"Where is the original card?" Torres asked.
Mina looked away. "My boss locked it in the equipment room. He said he couldn't release it without Victoria's approval."
May you like
Torres stood up. "What's your boss's name?"
"Darren Yu. And Victoria's lawyer paid him twenty thousand dollars the morning after the wedding."
