Chapter 4 - THE MISSING TWELVE MINUTES
We listened to Frank's recording three times.
"I know you used Claire's shares," he told Ryan.
"We needed the expansion."
"You needed applause."
"Dad—"
"Put them back."
"I can't."
"Then tell Claire."
"She'll leave me."
Frank coughed.
"Maybe she should."
Then Evan's voice entered the room.
"Frank, we need to think about your condition."
"Don't lawyer me in my hospital bed."
"If you accuse Ryan without documentation, things get messy."
Frank laughed.
"I have documentation."
Paper rustled.
"If anything happens to this recorder, copies go to Ruth."
Mom stared at the dashboard.
"I never got a copy."
The file ended abruptly.
Maya checked the metadata.
"Twelve minutes were deleted."
Before we could decide how to recover them, a short video from the memorial dinner exploded online.
It started after Diane's insult.
It showed soup hitting her face.
Ryan's slap was partly blocked.
Noah's punch was clear.
The caption read: BUSINESS HEIRESS ATTACKS GRIEVING MOTHER-IN-LAW.
Diane gave a statement.
"Claire has struggled with anger for years. Ryan has tried to protect her privacy."
I threw my phone onto Noah's couch.
"She planned this."
Noah looked at the dining-room camera visible in the clip.
"Then there's a full video."
I texted Ryan.
Send it.
He replied: There is no full recording.
An hour later, an anonymous link arrived.
The footage started thirty minutes before dinner.
Diane placed the plate of leftovers at Mom's seat.
Ryan frowned. "Claire will lose it."
"Then let her," Diane said.
"Why?"
"Because angry women sign bad settlements."
Ryan lowered his voice.
"If she walks out tonight, Evan can serve the separation papers Monday."
My blood went cold.
The humiliation had been bait.
Then Diane said, "Once Claire is out, we find Frank's recorder before Ruth does."
A man's hand entered the frame and placed a black recorder on the table.
A voice said, "Too late."
Evan Shaw stepped into view.
May you like
He had stolen the recorder.
And he had been working both sides.
