Chapter 11 - The Tape
Martin shut the door behind him.
"Put it down," he said.
Lucas moved slightly in front of Claire.
Martin aimed the gun at him. "Don't be brave. You're too old for it."
"You assaulted her."
His expression didn't change.
"Claire was ill."
"I heard the tape."
"You heard a frightened nineteen-year-old being manipulated by a doctor who had her own agenda."
Claire laughed, a raw sound. "Still doing it. Still turning every fact into proof that I'm crazy."
Martin's jaw tightened.
"Give me the tape."
"No," I said.
He pointed the gun at me.
"You have no idea what your wife did after that facility. She became obsessed with punishing everyone. She dug into trusts, accounts, old contracts. She would have destroyed the company you built."
"My company?"
"The money behind it came from her family."
I froze.
Martin smiled.
"You thought your first expansion round came from outside investors? Half of it was routed through Claire's mother. She didn't trust you enough to tell you."
She nodded slowly. "I found out later."
Martin continued. "Sophie's trust owns a quiet stake in Cole Pacific Development. If Claire lives, she can challenge the management structure. If you become legally incompetent, the guardian controls the voting block."
This wasn't just inheritance.
It was my company too.
Martin stepped closer. "Tape. Now."
Lucas raised both hands. "Okay."
He kicked a metal shelf.
Boxes crashed between us.
Claire grabbed the recorder. I tackled Martin.
The gun fired.
The shot tore through the ceiling.
Martin struck me in the throat. I lost my grip.
Claire ran for the rear exit.
Martin aimed at her.
I slammed his arm upward.
A second shot exploded.
Lucas hit the emergency alarm.
Red lights flashed.
Martin broke free and ran into the loading bay.
But Claire still had the tape.
Then she looked down at the recorder.
The cassette compartment was open.
Empty.
"No," she whispered.
Martin had switched tapes during the fight.
Lucas searched the floor.
Nothing.
My phone buzzed with a video message from an unknown number.
Martin appeared on-screen, holding the cassette.
Behind him was Sophie.
May you like
She was crying.
"You have one hour," he said. "Bring Claire to St. Catherine's."
