Chapter 18 - Inside the Song
Mr. Alvarez had repaired the music box, but he had not touched the brass cylinder that played Claire’s lullaby.
A specialist opened it under police supervision.
Inside the hollow end cap was a second memory card.
Claire had made a backup.
This one contained more than contracts.
There were emails between Peter Sloan and Harold Vance discussing inflated land sales.
There were spreadsheets tracing kickbacks.
And there was an audio file recorded two weeks before Claire died.
Claire sounded tired but steady.
“I don’t know how far this goes, but I know Lily’s future cannot depend on anyone who sees her trust as a business opportunity.”
She named Peter.
She named Harold.
She did not name Victoria.
Victoria had been a stranger then.
That mattered.
It meant the old crimes belonged to the old conspirators.
Victoria had discovered them later and decided not to expose them, but to profit from them.
Detective Ellis called it “inheritance opportunism.”
I called it what it was.
Predation.
The new card gave prosecutors leverage over Harold and Peter. Both began negotiating cooperation.
Victoria’s attorney asked for another meeting.
This time, no settlement was offered.
The district attorney informed Victoria she faced charges connected to forgery, conspiracy, witness tampering, unlawful medication, and child endangerment. The exact counts would depend on the grand jury.
Victoria listened without blinking.
Then she asked to speak to me privately.
The prosecutor allowed it with glass between us and officers nearby.
“You think you won,” she said through the phone.
“This was never a game.”
“It was always a game, Mark. You just didn’t know the rules.”
I looked at her for a long moment.
“No. I knew the only rule that mattered.”
“What’s that?”
“My daughter comes first.”
Victoria smiled.
“Then you should hurry home.”
My blood went cold.
May you like
I was already reaching for the door when she added:
“Because Lily still has something you haven’t found.”
