Chapter 6 - The First Tape
Richard Hayes had died fourteen years earlier.
Conrad remembered the phone call.
He had been twenty-five, living in Boston, and had just started his first real architecture job.
Agatha told him his father collapsed in the study.
By the time paramedics arrived, Richard was gone.
Conrad never questioned the story.
Why would he?
Now Nathan sat across from him in the police interview room at Hayes Manor and destroyed another part of his childhood.
“I arrived about twenty minutes after Richard collapsed,” Nathan said.
“Why?”
“He had called me.”
“What did he want?”
“He said he needed to change the trust immediately.”
Conrad stared.
“Because of Julian?”
Nathan nodded.
“I think so.”
“You think?”
“He never had time to explain.”
“Who found him?”
“Martin.”
“The groundskeeper?”
“Yes.”
“Here in the greenhouse?”
“Yes.”
“Why did Mother say the study?”
Nathan rubbed his face.
“Agatha said she didn’t want people asking why Richard had been meeting Martin in the greenhouse.”
Conrad laughed bitterly.
“And you accepted that?”
“I was a coward.”
At least Nathan did not defend himself.
The police took the tapes for forensic preservation, but Conrad was eventually allowed to hear digital copies with Detective Rebecca Sloan, the investigator assigned after the child-endangerment complaint expanded into possible financial crimes.
Tape 1 began with static.
Then Caroline’s voice filled the room.
Conrad’s eyes closed involuntarily.
He had forgotten exactly how alive she sounded.
Not the soft, grief-polished version in old voicemail recordings.
This Caroline was angry.
Focused.
Fast.
“October 14. I’m recording because documents keep disappearing.”
Paper rustled.
“Julian Hayes approved six transfers totaling 8.4 million dollars from Hayes Development subsidiaries into three consulting companies. Those companies do not appear to have employees.”
She named them.
Westbridge Advisory.
Northstar Civic Solutions.
Briar Holdings.
Detective Sloan wrote everything down.
Caroline continued.
“Briar Holdings owns a property on Route 22 purchased through an intermediary. I saw Agatha leaving that property yesterday.”
Conrad looked at Sloan.
She did not react.
Caroline’s voice continued.
“I followed her.”
Conrad whispered, “Jesus.”
“She met Martin Cole.”
Nathan inhaled.
Tape Caroline continued.
“They argued. Martin gave her a folder. Agatha slapped him. After she left, I confronted Martin. He refused to tell me what was in the folder, but he said one thing I cannot stop thinking about.”
A pause.
Then Caroline repeated Martin’s words.
“Richard didn’t die before he finished what he started.”
The tape clicked off.
Sloan looked at Conrad.
“What did that mean?”
“I don’t know.”
Nathan did.
Or at least his face suggested he did.
Conrad turned.
“Nathan.”
The attorney stared at the table.
“Richard was drafting a trust amendment.”
“The one you mentioned?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to it?”
“It disappeared.”
“When?”
“The night he died.”
Sloan leaned forward.
“Who knew about it?”
“Richard. Me. Possibly Martin.”
“Agatha?”
Nathan hesitated.
“I never told her.”
“But Richard might have.”
“Yes.”
“Julian?”
“I don’t know.”
Conrad thought of the party.
The sudden amendment Agatha was now trying to force.
Caroline’s note.
The hidden room.
The chained child.
All of it was connected to the trust.
Sloan played Tape 2.
Caroline sounded more frightened.
“October 18. Someone entered our bedroom last night.”
Conrad remembered that night.
Caroline had woken him at 2 a.m. saying she heard someone downstairs.
He had searched the house and found nothing.
He had told her it was probably the heating system.
His stomach turned.
“They took the photocopy of Richard’s old calendar from my desk,” Caroline said.
“But I photographed every page.”
Conrad leaned closer.
“The entry from the day he died says: ‘M. C. greenhouse. N.B. 4 p.m. Transfer C control.’”
Nathan whispered, “Transfer Conrad control.”
Conrad stared.
“My father wanted to give me control of the trust?”
“It appears so.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know.”
Caroline continued.
“I think Richard discovered Julian’s theft. I think he intended to remove Julian from control and give Conrad authority.”
Silence.
Then Caroline’s voice became softer.
“There’s another thing.”
Conrad stopped breathing.
“I found Richard’s medical report.”
Nathan looked up.
“The report Agatha gave the family says cardiac arrest caused by severe coronary disease.”
Caroline inhaled.
“The hospital copy says something different.”
Conrad gripped the edge of the table.
“Richard had traces of digoxin in his blood.”
Detective Sloan stopped the recording.
“Was your father prescribed digoxin?”
“No.”
Nathan shook his head too.
Sloan resumed.
May you like
Caroline said the words slowly.
“Someone may have poisoned Conrad’s father.”
