Chapter 7 - THE NAME ON THE FILE
The police station was colder than Ethan expected.
Or maybe…
It only felt cold because his entire world had changed.
He sat across from Detective Harris, staring at the folder sitting on the table between them.
Ava sat beside him, holding his hand.
For the first time in weeks…
She didn’t look afraid.
She looked exhausted.
“Mr. Carter,” Detective Harris said quietly, “before we continue, I need you to understand something.”
Ethan looked up.
“What?”
“This investigation is no longer about a simple accident.”
He opened the folder.
“It’s about attempted murder.”
The words hit harder than Ethan expected.
He looked at Ava.
Her eyes filled with pain.
Detective Harris continued.
“The vehicle that hit your wife was inspected again yesterday.”
“And?”
“We found evidence that someone tampered with the brakes.”
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“Who had access to the car?”
Detective Harris looked down at the papers.
“That’s the problem.”
He pushed a photograph across the table.
Ava picked it up.
Her hands started shaking.
Because she recognized the person in the picture.
Margaret.
“This was taken three hours before the crash.”
Ethan stared.
His mother was standing beside Ava’s car.
“What is this?”
Detective Harris opened another file.
“Your mother claimed she was helping Ava that night.”
“She was.”
Ethan stopped.
Then corrected himself.
“She said she was.”
The detective nodded.
“But security footage shows something different.”
He pressed play on a small video.
The screen showed a parking lot.
Ava’s car was parked alone.
Then Margaret appeared.
She looked around.
She opened the hood.
She stayed there for almost ten minutes.
Nobody spoke.
Ethan watched his mother’s face on the screen.
The woman who raised him.
The woman who taught him right from wrong.
The woman who now looked like a stranger.
“That’s impossible…”
Ava looked at him.
“Ethan.”
He closed his eyes.
“I know.”
“No.”
Her voice softened.
“You don’t.”
She took a deep breath.
“That night wasn’t only about hurting me.”
Ethan opened his eyes.
“What do you mean?”
Ava looked at the detective.
Then back at her husband.
“She wanted me gone.”
A pause.
“Because she knew something.”
“What?”
Ava swallowed.
“She knew I found out about the money.”
Ethan frowned.
“What money?”
Detective Harris opened another document.
A financial transfer.
Millions of dollars.
A company account.
A hidden beneficiary.
And one name.
Margaret Carter.
Ethan stared.
“That’s impossible.”
The detective shook his head.
“It gets worse.”
He turned the page.
“Your mother wasn’t trying to take Ava’s money.”
Ava looked confused.
“Then what was she trying to take?”
Detective Harris looked at Ethan.
“Yours.”
The room went silent.
Because suddenly Ethan understood.
The accident.
The medication.
The documents.
None of it was random.
Margaret wasn’t protecting him.
She was controlling him.
And she had been planning it for years.
Before anyone could speak…
The station doors opened.
An officer rushed inside.
“Detective Harris!”
Everyone turned.
“What happened?”
The officer looked nervous.
“We found the second vehicle.”
Ethan stood.
“What second vehicle?”
The officer handed him a photo.
“This one.”
Ethan looked down.
And his blood ran cold.
Because the car involved in Ava’s accident…
May you like
Had been hidden in Margaret’s private garage for three years.
TO BE CONTINUED…
