Chapter 11
We froze.
Linda was home.
And she wasn't alone.
Daniel gestured for us to hide.
My father and Margaret ducked behind the heavy curtains.
I crawled under the desk.
The safe was still open.
The papers were spread across the desk.
The cassette was still playing.
Daniel fumbled with the player.
He stopped the tape just as Linda walked into the study.
She turned on the light.
She was wearing an expensive evening gown.
Her hair was perfectly styled.
And behind her stood Victoria.
And two police officers.
"Daniel," Linda said. Her eyes scanned the room. "What are you doing in here? This room has been locked since your father died."
"I was looking for something," Daniel said. He tried to sound casual. He failed.
Linda's eyes fell on the open safe.
Her face went pale.
Then it turned to rage.
"What have you done?" she whispered.
She stepped forward.
And then she saw me.
Under the desk.
Her eyes narrowed.
"Sarah," she said. "How nice of you to drop by."
The police officers stepped forward.
"Ma'am," one of them said to me. "We need you to come out."
I crawled out from under the desk.
My father and Margaret came out from behind the curtains.
Linda looked at all of us.
And she smiled.
It was a terrifying smile.
"Trespassing," she said. "Breaking and entering. Theft of private property. And you, Margaret… I should have known you'd betray me."
She turned to the officers.
"Arrest them," she said. "All of them."
"Wait," the officer said. He looked at the papers spread across the desk. At the cassette tapes. At the will. "What is all this?"
"None of your concern," Linda said. "These are private family documents. Stolen by trespassers."
"Actually," my father said. He pulled out his phone. "My attorney is on the line. And he'd like to speak with you. These documents are evidence in a murder investigation. The murder of Richard Harrington."
Linda's smile faltered.
"Murder?" she said. "That's absurd. My husband died of a heart attack."
"Did he?" Margaret stepped forward. "Because I saw you that night. I saw you come out of his room. I saw the bottle you used. And I kept it. The police have it now. Your fingerprints are on it. And Richard's DNA."
Linda's face went white.
She looked at Daniel.
"Tell them," she said. Her voice was sharp. "Tell them this is all lies. Tell them you had nothing to do with this."
Daniel looked at his mother.
And for the first time in his life, he didn't look afraid.
He looked sad.
"Sorry, Mom," he said. "I'm done lying for you."
The officers looked at each other.
One of them pulled out his radio.
"We need backup," he said. "And a forensics team. And a detective. We have new evidence in the Richard Harrington case."
Linda started screaming.
"You ungrateful boy!" she shrieked at Daniel. "After everything I've done for you! I gave you everything! And this is how you repay me?"
"You gave me fear," Daniel said. "You gave me a lifetime of being scared. And I'm not scared anymore."
The officers led Linda away.
She was still screaming.
Cursing all of us.
Promising revenge.
Victoria stood in the doorway.
She looked shocked.
"Daniel," she said. "What's happening?"
"It's over, Victoria," Daniel said. "Go home. This isn't your fight."
She looked at him.
At me.
At the police officers.
And she turned and walked away.
We spent the next few hours talking to the police.
We gave them everything.
The vial.
The will.
The cassette tapes.
The journals.
Margaret's statement.
Daniel's statement.
The detective in charge was a woman named Alvarez.
She was sharp. No-nonsense.
"This is a lot of evidence," she said. "But Linda Harrington has good attorneys. And she's been preparing for this for twelve years. This won't be easy."
"But you'll arrest her?" I asked.
"We'll question her," she said. "And if the forensics check out… yes. We'll arrest her."
That night, we went back to my father's house.
Emma was asleep.
I sat in the living room with my father and Daniel.
It was awkward.
Daniel looked at me.
"I meant what I said," he told me. "I'm going to testify. I'm going to help you get full custody of Emma. And I'm going to make sure my mother pays for what she did."
"Thank you," I said.
I didn't forgive him.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
But I was grateful.
The custody hearing was still in two days.
And Linda was still free.
For now.
The next morning, the news broke.
*LINDA HARRINGTON QUESTIONED IN 12-YEAR-OLD COLD CASE.*
The article was everywhere.
And with it, the truth about my father came out.
He was cleared.
The witness against him recanted.
Admitted Linda had paid him to lie.
My father's reputation was restored.
But Linda was still out on bail.
And the custody hearing was tomorrow.
That afternoon, I got a call from Detective Alvarez.
"Sarah," she said. "I need you to sit down. I have some news."
May you like
"What is it?"
"Linda skipped bail," she said. "We can't find her. And we think she's planning to take Emma."
