Chapter 16 - OWEN TALKS
Owen Pike looked smaller without the baseball cap and swagger.
He sat in an interview room with a public defender and a cup of untouched coffee.
"I didn't know she planned to scare the kid with the horse," he said.
Harris stared at him. "You told a witness it was supposed to look accidental."
Owen rubbed his face. "Claire said Ethan would run, the horse would spook, and everybody would think the kid caused it. I thought she wanted scratches. A dramatic story. Not..."
He stopped.
"Not what?"
"Not him dead."
Daniel watched through one-way glass, fists clenched.
Owen continued.
"Claire gets this look when she thinks someone is taking something from her. She got it with Lily too."
Harris leaned in. "Tell me about Lily."
Owen stared at the table.
"The night she died, Claire showed up at my apartment shaking. Said Lily had ruined everything. Said she followed her downtown to make her listen."
"What happened?"
"She said she pulled in front of Lily's car and hit the brakes. Just wanted to scare her. Lily swerved. Then the delivery truck came through."
Daniel shut his eyes.
On the other side of the glass Owen's voice broke.
"Claire kept saying, 'I didn't touch her car. I didn't touch her car.'"
Harris asked, "Why didn't you report it?"
"Because she's my sister. Because I was a coward. Pick one."
Owen agreed to testify about the confession and the trust scheme.
But Claire's attorney attacked immediately.
Owen was a co-conspirator trying to save himself. Rebecca was a liar protecting her law license. The storm video, the defense argued, showed abuse but not attempted murder. The old crash involved no physical contact.
Then Claire's lawyer produced something Daniel had forgotten.
A voicemail Daniel left Claire the night he watched Nora's video.
His voice, raw with rage:
"I swear to God, Claire, I will destroy everything you care about."
The defense leaked it to a local reporter.
By morning the headline read:
FATHER IN MERCER CASE THREATENED WIFE BEFORE ARREST.
Ethan saw it on a television in Rachel's kitchen.
He looked at Daniel.
May you like
"Dad," he whispered, "are they going to say you're the bad guy now?"
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