Amelia pressed one hand over her mouth.
The tape crackled. Some words vanished beneath background noise. But enough remained.
Money.
Accounts.
A missing ledger.
A threat to go to the police.
Then Martin said something that made Amelia rewind three times to be certain.
“Gavin doesn’t know anything. Leave him out of it.”
Another burst of static.
Mrs. Avery’s voice returned, sharper now.
“He was here today. His prints are already on it.”
Danton laughed softly.
“Then maybe your neighbor is useful after all.”
Amelia removed the headphones and sat in silence.
Her hands shook as she reached for the phone.
This was no longer simply doubt.
This was the beginning of collapse.
The next hearing was scheduled quickly, not because the system had suddenly become merciful, but because the public pressure had grown impossible to ignore.
The courtroom filled before sunrise.
Reporters lined the back wall. Gavin was brought in wearing a plain shirt and prison trousers, still guarded, still thinner than the man in old family photos. Chloe sat beside Denise in the second row, clutching the folded postcard.
