Chapter 8 - THE ACCIDENT THAT WASN'T
Sarah's car had crashed into a concrete divider three years earlier.
The accident happened two days after she filed an appeal for custody.
She had spent nine days in the hospital.
Claire later used Sarah's injuries and medication history to argue that she was unstable.
Daniel had never connected the timing.
Emily had.
"My father hired someone to damage the brake line."
Daniel stared at her.
"You can prove that?"
Emily nodded.
"The payment is on the drive."
Sarah sat down slowly.
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because I was afraid."
Sarah laughed without humor.
"So was I."
Emily looked at her.
"I know."
Detective Ruiz inserted the drive into an isolated laptop.
Folders appeared.
Dozens of them.
Each named after a family.
Daniel saw VANCE.
MITCHELL.
HARMON.
And many names he did not recognize.
Ruiz opened the VANCE folder.
Inside were audio recordings.
Photos.
Financial records.
And video.
One file was labeled BEDROOM_TEST_04.
Daniel clicked it.
Claire appeared in their bedroom with Victor Crane.
Daniel immediately wanted to look away.
But it was not an affair.
It was worse.
Victor was instructing Claire.
"When Daniel begins feeling symptoms, increase the dose slowly."
Claire asked.
"What if the doctors figure it out?"
"They won't."
"Small amounts."
"Confusion."
"Dizziness."
"Memory problems."
Victor leaned closer.
"By the board meeting, everyone needs to believe his judgment is compromised."
Sarah covered her mouth.
Daniel felt sick.
Ruiz paused the recording.
"We need to locate whatever they planned to use."
Daniel remembered Claire's vitamin packets.
She prepared them every morning.
Detectives searched the kitchen again.
Behind tea boxes, they found unlabeled capsules.
They were sent for testing.
Emily looked at Daniel.
"My father won't stop."
"He's losing control."
"That makes him dangerous."
Daniel thought of Sophie.
"Then we protect the children first."
Emily's expression changed.
"Children?"
"What?"
Emily looked toward Sophie, who was upstairs.
"Daniel, Sophie isn't the only child connected to this."
The room became silent.
Emily opened another folder.
Inside were photographs of several children.
Some were older.
Some were very young.
All had been involved in custody disputes connected to Victor Crane.
Daniel counted nine.
Sarah whispered.
"What happened to them?"
Emily answered.
"Some were used to pressure parents."
"Some disappeared with whichever parent Victor controlled."
Daniel stared at the photographs.
Then he saw a familiar face.
A boy around ten years old.
Daniel had seen him before.
At Claire's sister's house.
"That's Noah."
Emily looked at him.
"You know him?"
"Claire said he was her nephew."
Emily shook her head.
"Claire doesn't have a nephew."
Daniel's heart began pounding.
"Then who is he?"
May you like
Emily looked at the photograph.
"He's the son of a witness my father has been trying to find for six years."
