Chapter 11 - Tabitha Wants a Deal
Tabitha’s attorney contacted Lena the following morning.
My sister wanted to cooperate.
Not because conscience suddenly appeared.
Because police had started asking about conspiracy, unlawful surveillance, evidence fabrication, interference with medical care, and Willa’s confinement.
Tabitha was scared.
Good.
I hated myself slightly for thinking it.
But I did.
Lena arranged a proffer meeting.
I was not permitted to attend.
She briefed me afterward.
Tabitha admitted the custody plan.
Most of it.
She claimed Orson had convinced her that I was incapable of raising Juniper alone.
She admitted taking photographs.
She admitted feeding information to Dana.
She admitted rehearsing answers with Juniper.
She admitted allowing Evan to access my home.
She admitted helping him obtain clothing used in staged videos.
And she admitted hiding the inhaler on at least four occasions.
Four.
I could not process that number.
“How bad did Juniper get?”
Lena’s face was carefully neutral.
“Tabitha says she never allowed an episode to become medically severe.”
I slammed my palm against the table.
“She is not qualified to decide that.”
“I know.”
“She gambled with my daughter’s breathing four times?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To create a pattern.”
“What pattern?”
“That Juniper’s asthma was uncontrolled while in your custody.”
My chair scraped backward.
I walked to the window.
“How did that help if the attacks happened at Dad’s?”
“Tabitha said they planned to later claim Juniper frequently arrived there already symptomatic.”
I turned.
“They were manufacturing history.”
“Yes.”
I felt sick.
“What was supposed to happen the night Willa recorded?”
“They wanted a documented emergency.”
“Ambulance?”
“Yes.”
“And my reaction?”
“Orson predicted you would become angry.”
“Tabitha wanted me to hit her.”
Lena nodded.
“She admits provoking you.”
I closed my eyes.
“She let Juniper struggle to make me angry enough to hit her.”
“Yes.”
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I asked the next question.
“What did she get?”
Lena knew what I meant.
“Money.”
“How much?”
“Orson promised her access to trust distributions if she became guardian.”
“Did she understand that would be Juniper’s money?”
“Yes.”
The answer landed like a stone.
Not confusion.
Not manipulation.
Not love gone wrong.
Greed.
“What about Elise?”
Lena’s expression changed.
“Tabitha denies knowing about the financial scheme before Elise died.”
“Do you believe her?”
“That’s not relevant.”
“It is to me.”
“She admits helping remove documents from your home after Elise was taken to the hospital.”
I stopped moving.
“What documents?”
“The printed bank transfers.”
My mouth went dry.
“She knew.”
“She claims Orson told her the papers would upset you.”
I laughed.
“Of course.”
“There’s more.”
There always was.
“Tabitha says Elise regained consciousness briefly before the ambulance left your house.”
I stared.
“No.”
“That’s what she says.”
“I was in the ambulance.”
“Yes.”
“Elise never woke.”
“Tabitha claims she did before paramedics loaded her.”
My knees weakened.
“What did she say?”
Lena hesitated.
“Two words.”
“What words?”
“Desk drawer.”
I knew the drawer.
Elise’s home-office desk.
The financial records had been there.
Tabitha claimed Orson heard Elise.
After the ambulance left, he went directly to the office.
He took the papers.
Then he told Tabitha to search the drawers.
That was when they found Elise’s journal.
Or so Tabitha claimed.
“Why didn’t she tell police?”
“She was protecting Orson.”
“For money.”
“Yes.”
I sat down.
“Did Elise ask for me?”
Lena looked at me.
“Tabitha says yes.”
My eyes burned.
I turned away.
I had spent two years believing Elise’s final awareness happened in the kitchen with me holding her hand.
Now I learned she may have awakened again and tried to warn us.
Desk drawer.
Even while dying, Elise had thought about evidence.
About Juniper.
About me.
I hated Orson for stealing even that.
Then Lena told me why Tabitha was offering information now.
“She believes Orson plans to blame everything on her.”
“He probably does.”
“She has proof.”
“What proof?”
“Audio recordings.”
Of course she did.
Everyone had recorded everyone.
Tabitha had secretly recorded Orson for months because she did not trust him.
One recording was made three weeks before the inhaler incident.
Lena played it.
Orson’s voice.
“If Caleb fights, we make him look dangerous.”
Tabitha answered.
“What if Willa talks?”
“She won’t.”
“And Naomi?”
“We find her before he does.”
“And if she doesn’t cooperate?”
A pause.
Then Orson said:
“Everybody cooperates eventually.”
I looked at Lena.
“What does that mean?”
“We don’t know.”
The recording continued.
Tabitha asked:
“What about Evan?”
Orson laughed.
“Evan thinks he’s getting paid.”
“What is he actually getting?”
“Blamed.”
Silence.
Then Tabitha said:
“You’re going to destroy everyone.”
Orson answered calmly.
“No.”
“Just the ones between me and what is mine.”
The recording ended.
My phone buzzed.
A news alert.
Police had located Evan Mercer.
His truck was found abandoned near the state line.
Inside the vehicle, investigators discovered a backpack.
Cash.
A fake identification card.
A passport.
And a handwritten list of addresses.
Mine.
Willa’s.
Naomi’s.
Juniper’s preschool.
At the bottom of the list was one final location.
St. Matthew’s Cemetery.
May you like
The place where Elise was buried.
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