Chapter 2 - A Fall That Had a Witness
Daniel had heard frightened people speak before. Nothing prepared him for the tiny voice his wife used in the ambulance.
"Tell them I didn't fall."
"I already did." He kept his hand around hers as a paramedic checked her blood pressure. "And I'm not leaving."
Margaret had tried to climb into the ambulance, insisting that she was family and knew what was best. Daniel had stepped between her and the doors.
"You stay here," he'd told her. "Don't call Emily. Don't come to the hospital."
"After everything I've done for you?" she'd cried.
At the hospital, Dr. Priya Shah met them outside obstetric triage. Monitors chirped. Nurses worked quickly, checking Emily's abdomen and finding the baby's heartbeat. One hundred and forty-two. Daniel nearly folded with relief.
"A heartbeat doesn't tell us everything," Dr. Shah cautioned. "We need to watch for bleeding, contractions, or a placental injury."
A nurse pulled a curtain closed. Emily flinched at the sound.
"I'm sorry," Daniel murmured.
She turned toward him. "For what?"
"For not noticing how scared you were in that house."
"I told you she was getting worse."
He remembered every answer he'd given: She's lonely. She's adjusting. She doesn't mean it. Each excuse landed like another broken plate.
Outside the curtain, his phone lit up. His mother had already left six messages. The seventh was from Graham Pike, Whitmore Housing Trust's chief operating officer: Daniel, your mom says Emily is making serious accusations. Do not discuss company records with police.
Daniel showed Emily the message. Her face changed.
"Graham knew?" she asked.
"Knew what?"
"The money was supposed to fix the apartments. I made copies before Margaret found me."
"Where are they?"
May you like
"In the baby's room. Behind the dresser. Unless she got there first."
Then the monitor beside Emily began sounding an alarm. The nurse looked up, and her calm expression disappeared.
