Chapter 12 - BOB'S RECORDING
Uncle Bob came over with a phone so old the screen was cracked in three places.
"I was recording Emma," he explained. "She was making that little raspberry sound before dinner. I forgot to stop the video and put my phone face-down on the table."
The clip was mostly darkness and muffled voices.
But the audio was clear.
We heard Emma fussing.
Lauren complaining.
Then the slap.
Emma's scream.
My voice.
James' voice.
"Get out."
The countdown.
Every word.
No "bury you."
No death threat.
No threats except calling police and removing her from the house if she refused to leave.
James exhaled slowly.
"This clears the exact allegation."
Bob nodded. "That's why I brought it."
Then he looked at me.
"But keep listening."
The recording continued after we left.
Dad: "You should've kept your mouth shut."
Lauren: "She was screaming."
Mom: "She's a baby."
Lauren: "Oh my God, not you too."
Dad: "Enough. We need to agree on what happened before Sarah gets dramatic with the police."
My hands went numb.
Then Bob's own voice said, "Richard, I'm not lying for you."
Dad answered, "You did with Tyler."
Silence.
Bob looked at the floor.
I stopped the recording.
"You lied too?"
His face crumpled.
"I told Megan I hadn't seen anything."
"But you had."
"I saw Lauren grab him."
Anger rushed through me so fast I had to stand.
"All of you knew."
"Yes."
"And nobody did anything."
"No."
He did not defend himself.
Bob wiped his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sarah. I was a coward."
James copied the file.
The next morning, both recordings went to the police and to his command.
Forty-eight hours later, the allegation against James was closed as unsubstantiated.
His promotion review was restored.
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Then Detective Ramirez called.
"We need to talk about Tyler," she said. "Because your cousin Megan just told us there was another child."
