Chapter 7 - Anna’s Recording
We played the flash drive inside an unmarked police vehicle.
Michael sat handcuffed in the back.
He had surrendered without resisting.
The first file was a video.
Anna appeared on the screen.
Alive.
Her hair was pulled into a messy ponytail.
She sat in our home office.
For one second, I could not breathe.
Then she began speaking.
“Daniel, if you’re watching this, something went wrong.”
I closed my eyes.
Detective Collins lowered the volume slightly.
Anna continued.
“Victor has been moving money through Mom’s charitable foundation.”
“He asked me to authorize several transfers.”
“I refused.”
“He became angry.”
“He told me I owed the family.”
The video cut.
Another file opened.
Anna was inside her car.
“Michael came to me today.”
“He said Victor owes dangerous people money.”
“He also said Mom has been covering debts from foundation accounts.”
“I don’t know whether Michael is helping them or trying to protect me.”
Michael lowered his head in the back seat.
Anna continued.
“I changed Lily’s trust.”
“If Daniel loses custody, an independent trustee takes over.”
“No Hart family member gets control.”
She looked directly into the camera.
“But I haven’t told Mom.”
“Not yet.”
The final video was recorded four days before Anna died.
Anna looked frightened.
I had never seen her like that.
“Someone followed me home tonight.”
“Michael says Victor knows I changed the trust.”
“He says I should go to police.”
“I’m going tomorrow.”
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
I turned toward Michael.
“You knew she was afraid.”
“Yes.”
“You knew someone followed her.”
“Yes.”
“And when she died, you said nothing.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“Victor came to me the night after the crash.”
“What did he say?”
“He said Anna had been digging into financial records.”
“He said if I told police anything, Evelyn would tell them I was involved in the missing money.”
“Were you?”
Michael looked down.
“A little.”
“What does that mean?”
“I helped Victor move funds through one company.”
“I thought it was temporary.”
“I thought he was covering a business loss.”
I laughed bitterly.
“You always think things are temporary.”
He flinched.
Then Detective Collins asked:
“Do you believe Anna’s crash was intentional?”
Michael hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
“Why are you afraid of Victor now?”
His answer came immediately.
“Because I found the second injector in his office.”
I turned around.
“What?”
“Evelyn gave him one.”
“Why?”
Michael looked at me.
“Because the injector wasn’t just evidence.”
May you like
“It contained something else.”
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