Chapter 11 - What Was Supposed to Happen That Night
The second recording was twenty-three minutes long.
Detective Cole allowed us to hear only the parts relevant to the investigation.
I wished I had never heard any of it.
At 3:17 that afternoon, Teresa and Betsy were alone in my office.
Betsy asked whether everything was ready.
Teresa answered.
“The folder is in the drawer.”
“What about his signature?”
“Already done.”
“And Amy?”
“She’ll be exhausted by the time Connor gets home.”
Betsy laughed.
“She already looks terrible.”
Then Teresa said.
“Good.”
Amy went pale beside me.
I reached for her hand.
The recording continued.
Betsy asked.
“What if Connor takes her side?”
My mother responded instantly.
“He won’t.”
“Why are you so sure?”
“Because I know my son.”
There was movement in the recording.
Then Teresa said.
“I’ll show him the bills.”
“What bills?”
“The ones proving she wastes money.”
Amy whispered.
“I barely bought anything.”
Detective Cole paused the recording.
The search of Teresa’s apartment had uncovered fabricated household expense sheets.
They made it appear that Amy had spent thousands of dollars on clothing, cosmetics, restaurants, and online purchases.
None were real.
My mother had been preparing to accuse my wife of financial irresponsibility.
The plan was brutally simple.
Humiliate Amy.
Exhaust her.
Make her look unstable.
Then present false financial evidence to me.
Convince me Amy was taking advantage of me.
Get me angry.
Get me scared.
And while I was emotionally overwhelmed, put “protective” documents in front of me.
I stared at Detective Cole.
“Was she planning to make me sign the transfer that night?”
“Possibly.”
“On my son’s birthday?”
“The party created pressure.”
Twenty relatives.
Alcohol.
Noise.
A sick child.
An exhausted wife.
My mother controlling the room.
It was not only a party.
It was a stage.
If everything had gone according to Teresa’s plan, I would have walked into a scene designed to make Amy look incompetent and my mother look responsible.
Then Teresa would have presented paperwork while everyone watched.
Family pressure disguised as concern.
I remembered the cake still in my car when the police arrived.
The pendant.
Amy’s blue dress.
I had spent the drive home imagining her smile.
Meanwhile, my mother had spent the afternoon preparing to destroy our marriage.
The recording resumed.
Betsy said.
“Gerald wants the paperwork before Monday.”
“He’ll have it.”
“And if Connor refuses?”
My mother’s voice lowered.
“There are other ways.”
“What ways?”
A long silence.
Then Teresa said.
“He’s tired all the time.”
Betsy laughed softly.
“Everyone with a baby is tired.”
“Exactly.”
The audio ended there.
I looked at Detective Cole.
“What does that mean?”
“We don’t know.”
“You have an idea.”
“I don’t speculate without evidence.”
I stood.
“You think she planned to claim I was mentally unfit.”
“That possibility is being considered.”
I walked toward the window.
All year, my mother had asked about my work.
My sleep.
My stress.
Whether I was drinking too much coffee.
Whether I felt overwhelmed.
I had thought she was concerned.
Now every conversation felt contaminated.
Amy joined me.
“Connor.”
“I told her everything.”
“You trusted her.”
“I told her when I couldn’t sleep.”
“That’s normal with a newborn.”
“I told her I was overwhelmed at work.”
“That doesn’t make you incompetent.”
“But she could twist it.”
Amy nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked at her.
“You warned me.”
“I didn’t know this.”
“You knew she was dangerous to our marriage.”
Amy stayed quiet.
I closed my eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
She touched my arm.
“This can’t be about apologizing forever.”
“Then what?”
“Changing.”
Her voice was calm.
“We survive this.”
“Together?”
She looked at me for a long moment.
Then nodded.
“Together.”
That single word meant more than I deserved.
Later that evening, Detective Cole contacted Gerald Pike.
He agreed to speak through an attorney.
His attorney claimed Gerald had simply been hired to prepare legitimate estate documents.
Detective Cole did not believe him.
Neither did I.
Especially after she showed me an email Gerald had sent Betsy.
It contained only one sentence.
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MAKE SURE CONNOR DOES NOT HAVE INDEPENDENT COUNSEL BEFORE HE SIGNS.
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