Chương 3
Emily stopped.
The pause stretched.
Nina shifted slightly, not enough to interrupt.
“Financial records,” Emily said.
Victoria felt the room change.
“What financial records?” Daniel asked.
“Foundation invoices, vendor payments, internal approvals.”
“Why did you have copies?”
“Because some of them had my signature.”
“You work for the foundation?”
“I was director of donor relations until last month. Evelyn said I needed to focus on family obligations.”
“Were the signatures yours?”
“No.”
Daniel’s posture remained still, but his attention sharpened. “Did Jason know you had these records?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“I told him.”
“Why?”
Emily closed her eyes. “Because I was angry.”
It was the first answer that sounded ashamed.
“I wanted him to know he couldn’t make me leave with nothing,” she said. “I said if he tried to freeze the accounts or ruin me, I would send the records to the board.”
“Did you intend to report suspected fraud?”
“I intended to survive the divorce.”
Victoria’s face did not change, but the sentence landed like an accusation against everyone in the room.
Daniel asked, “What happened after you mentioned the records?”
“Jason hit me.”
Victoria’s fingers gripped the chair.
Emily spoke without looking at her. “Once with his hand. Then again. I fell. He asked where the copies were. I didn’t tell him. Derek came in because he heard something. Evelyn came after him.”
“What did they do?”
“Derek took my phone from Jason. Evelyn told him to remove it from the hotel. She said the phone was the only thing that made the situation complicated.”
“Did anyone call for medical help?”
“No.”
“Did anyone try to help you leave?”
“No.”
“Did anyone prevent you from leaving?”
“Jason stood in front of the door. Derek locked it again after he came in. Evelyn told me I needed to calm down before people saw me.”
Emily’s breathing shortened. The monitor quickened.
Nina asked, “Do you want to stop?”
“No.”
Daniel waited until Emily looked at him.
“What happened to your dress?”
“I tore it trying to get past Jason.”
“Did he strike you after the others arrived?”
Emily stared at the blanket.
Victoria saw the answer before she heard it.
“Yes.”
“What did Evelyn and Derek do?”
“Derek looked away. Evelyn told Jason not to leave marks where the photographers would see them.”
Victoria stood so abruptly that the chair legs scraped the floor.
Emily flinched.
Victoria froze.
“Sorry,” she said, though the word barely came.
She sat again.
Daniel did not soften his next question. “How did you get out?”
“A hotel employee opened the service door.”
“Which employee?”
“I don’t know his name. Young. Kitchen uniform. He was bringing ice to another suite. I screamed when I heard the cart. Jason covered my mouth. The employee knocked. Evelyn told him everything was fine, but I kicked the wall. He called security.”
“Did security enter?”
“Not immediately. The Bennetts’ head of security arrived first.”
“Name?”
“Marcus Vale.”
Daniel wrote it down.
“He told the hotel staff it was a medical situation,” Emily said. “They moved me through the service elevator. Jason said we were going to a private clinic. Instead, Derek drove us to the Bennett house.”
Victoria looked at Daniel. “They moved her?”
Daniel lifted one hand without taking his eyes from Emily. “Where in the house?”
“Upstairs guest room. The one at the end of the east hall.”
“Was the door locked?”
“Yes.”
“From which side?”
“Outside.”
“How long were you there?”
“I don’t know. Maybe forty minutes. Maybe an hour.”
“How did you leave?”
“Marisol opened the door.”
“Who is Marisol?”
“The house manager.”
“Did she know why you were locked in?”
“I don’t know. She saw my face. She gave me her car keys and said the side gate was open.”
“Where did you go?”
“I drove to a gas station near Route Nine. I called 911 from the clerk’s phone. Then I called my mother from the ambulance.”
Daniel nodded once. “Did you tell your mother about the financial records?”
“No.”
Victoria looked at Emily.
Emily kept her eyes on Daniel. “I told her Jason hit me and they locked me in a room.”
“Why didn’t you mention the records?”
“Because I had copied them without authorization. Because some of the transactions look like I approved them. Because I didn’t know whether anyone would believe I hadn’t.”
“Do you know where the copies are?”
Emily’s mouth moved, but no sound emerged.
Nina reached toward the recorder. “We can pause.”
“No.” Emily’s voice sharpened. “They’re in a storage unit.”
“Whose name?”
“Mine.”
“Who else knows the location?”
“Jason knows there is a unit. He doesn’t know where.”
Victoria watched her daughter’s face. Beneath the swelling and exhaustion was something she had not seen when she entered the room: not helplessness, exactly, but calculation. Emily had been keeping more than one person from the truth. Jason. The Bennetts. The investigators. Her mother.
Daniel switched off the recorder.
“That’s enough for tonight,” he said.
“You believe me?” Emily asked.
“I believe you were assaulted and confined. I also believe there are parts of this that will be challenged, especially if the financial records implicate you.”
Victoria said, “She was nearly beaten unconscious.”
“And defense counsel will still challenge her.”
“You could try sounding less pleased about that.”
“I’m not pleased, Colonel. I’m preparing her.”
Emily turned toward the evidence bag. “Can I unlock my phone?”
“Yes. Not tonight, unless you insist. We’ll document everything, and you’ll sign consent forms. You should speak to an attorney first.”
“I already have one.”
“A divorce attorney.”
“She knows criminal law.”
“Knowing it and representing you are different things.”
Victoria said, “I’ll find someone.”
Emily looked at her. “No.”
“I know several—”
“No.”
The refusal was quiet but complete.
Victoria stopped.
Emily’s good eye glistened without spilling tears. “I need one thing to be mine.”
Victoria lowered her gaze to the polished toes of her shoes. “All right.”
May you like
The Bennetts left the hospital shortly before dawn.
None were arrested. Daniel explained that the investigation had begun, evidence was being preserved, and prosecutors would make charging decisions after reviewing the initial statements. Victoria heard only the first sentence. Jason walked through the lobby with his attorney at his side and an overcoat draped over his shoulders. Evelyn followed behind him, her posture perfect, her face blank. Derek came last. He paused when he saw Victoria near the elevators.
