Chapter 8 - THE CABIN ABOVE THE RAVINE
Margaret owned a cabin near the crash site through one of her charities.
Police had never searched it.
The property stood above the ravine where rescue teams found Ava.
Ethan went with Detective Collins.
Ava remained in the hospital under protection.
The cabin door was open.
A fire burned inside.
Margaret was gone.
The walls were covered with photographs.
Ava entering board meetings.
Ethan leaving hotels.
Lena shopping for groceries.
Mercer visiting the estate.
Victor standing beside the damaged car.
Margaret had documented every stage of the plan.
One table held voice-synthesis equipment.
Richard Whitmore’s speeches had been converted into hundreds of audio clips.
The false call inside Ava’s vehicle had been created there.
Another wall displayed timelines.
Richard’s death.
Ava’s trust amendment.
The crash.
Medication schedules.
Guardianship hearings.
At the center was a photograph of Ethan and Ava on their wedding day.
Margaret had drawn a red line through Ava’s face.
Collins searched a locked cabinet.
Inside were letters from Margaret to Ethan.
None had been sent.
One read:
You always choose damaged women because they make you feel necessary.
Another read:
Ava’s father trained her to distrust us.
Once the money is secure, she can remain comfortable.
Margaret did not think she hated Ava.
She believed she had the right to decide the shape of Ava’s life.
That belief was more dangerous than anger.
A hidden room beneath the cabin contained medical equipment.
Restraints.
IV supplies.
Sedatives.
And a hospital bed.
Margaret had prepared a private place to hold Ava if the legal plan failed.
Ethan stared at the bed.
“She planned to bring her here.”
Collins found printed instructions.
After signing, Ava would be moved to an overseas rehabilitation center.
No return date was listed.
A passport in Ava’s name carried a different photograph.
Margaret planned to make her disappear.
A sound came from the rear porch.
Police moved quickly.
They found Dr. Mercer hiding beneath the stairs.
His face was bruised.
His hands were tied.
Margaret had turned against him.
Mercer claimed she intended to kill everyone connected to the plan.
She believed Victor’s arrest guaranteed exposure.
She wanted the remaining money.
Then she planned to leave the country.
Mercer offered information in exchange for protection.
Margaret had one final target.
The independent trust protector.
A woman named Rebecca Sinclair.
Ava’s aunt.
Rebecca held emergency authority over the Sinclair shares.
If Rebecca died, Margaret could challenge the council’s legitimacy.
Rebecca lived in a farmhouse outside Portland.
Her phone went unanswered.
Police reached the property.
The front door was open.
A chair lay overturned in the kitchen.
Rebecca was gone.
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On the table was a note.
BRING AVA TO THE RAVINE.
