Chapter 9: What the Recording Was Really For
We didn't ask Audrey to tell us anything more that afternoon.
She'd already shared more than she'd managed to say in weeks, and I could see how exhausted she was.
Scott walked her to the car we'd arranged to take her back to the place where she was staying.
Before she left, I hugged her again.
"Thank you for trusting us with this.""
She looked at me uncertainly.
"I'm still scared.""
"I know.""
"What if they don't stop?""
I held her hands.
"Then we'll get help. You won't have to handle them alone.""
She nodded, but I could see that the promise wasn't enough to erase her fear.
It wasn't supposed to.
Trust couldn't be repaired with one conversation.
It would have to be rebuilt through the choices we made afterward.
When Audrey left, Scott and I returned home.
The documents from Derek's investment proposal were still spread across the coffee table.
I sat down and looked at them again.
Family connection.
Long-term trust.
For months, we'd interpreted Derek's behavior through the lens of friendship.
Now we had to consider whether he'd been using that friendship to obtain information and access he couldn't have gained from strangers.
We still didn't know the full answer.
But we knew enough to stop treating this as a private misunderstanding.
Scott called the lawyer and explained what Audrey had told us about the recording.
The lawyer advised us to preserve all relevant communications and avoid attempting to obtain or distribute any recording ourselves.
We were also advised to document Audrey's account in her own words, without repeatedly questioning her or suggesting answers.
If Audrey wanted to make a formal report, we could help her find appropriate support.
We agreed.
Then Scott made another call.
This time, he contacted a financial adviser who had reviewed similar investment proposals.
He asked whether the documents from Derek's project appeared unusual.
The adviser agreed to examine them.
We sent copies through the appropriate channel and waited.
For the first time, I realized how much we'd been trying to solve at once.
We were worried about Audrey's safety.
We were trying to understand Derek's behavior.
We were examining a financial proposal that might have been connected to the questions Audrey had been asked.
And we were struggling with the possibility that someone we considered family had used that relationship to gain our trust.
It was overwhelming.
But at least we were no longer pretending nothing was wrong.
Two days later, the adviser called Scott.
I sat beside him as he listened.
At first, he asked ordinary questions about the documents.
Then his expression changed.
"You're certain?"" he asked.
He listened again.
"Can you explain that part?""
A pause.
"Okay. Yes, I understand.""
When he hung up, he sat without speaking.
"What did he say?"" I asked.
Scott turned the folder toward me.
"The proposal doesn't contain enough reliable information to justify the returns Derek promised. Several of the figures don't match the supporting documents.""
I stared at him.
"Does that mean it's a scam?""
"Not necessarily. The adviser said he couldn't determine that from these papers alone. But he said we were right not to invest without further verification.""
I exhaled.
That was important.
It wasn't proof of wrongdoing, but it meant Scott's concerns hadn't been unreasonable.
"Did he say anything about the list of investors?""
"He said the notes beside my name were unusual. He recommended that we ask for a complete explanation of how the information was collected and used.""
I looked at the words again.
Family connection.
Long-term trust.
I felt a wave of anger.
Our friendship had been reduced to a line in a business document.
Scott closed the folder.
"I think Derek wanted me to invest because he believed I would trust him without asking too many questions.""
"Maybe.""
"And when I refused, he kept trying to find out whether we had other money available.""
I thought about Audrey sitting in the passenger seat, being asked about our savings and plans.
"That could explain why they questioned her," I said.
"But it doesn't explain everything.""
He was right.
Even if the financial proposal explained part of their interest in our family, it didn't tell us why Derek had recorded Audrey's conversation or why the other person had threatened her.
We needed to separate what we suspected from what we could establish.
And we needed to let the appropriate people examine the evidence.
Scott called the lawyer again and shared the adviser's concerns.
We were told not to contact Derek about the investment proposal or the recording until we'd received further guidance.
So we didn't.
We preserved the documents.
We kept the original messages.
And we focused on Audrey.
That evening, Audrey called me.
She sounded calmer than she had during our earlier conversations.
"Mom?""
"I'm here, sweetheart.""
"I've been thinking about the recording.""
I sat down.
"Okay.""
"I don't know exactly what was on it. I only heard part of it.""
"That's all right.""
"But I remember Derek saying something after the other person got out of the car.""
"What did he say?""
She hesitated.
"He said, 'If Scott won't listen to me, maybe he'll listen when he sees what his family is involved in.''"
My stomach tightened.
"Did he explain what he meant?""
"No.""
I wrote the sentence down exactly as she remembered it.
"Did you hear anything else?""
"He said the recording would make things easier.""
"For whom?""
"I don't know.""
She paused.
"At the time, I thought he meant it would help him explain what had happened. But now I think he meant it would help him convince Dad to invest.""
I leaned back in my chair.
It was possible.
The timing fit with what we'd learned about the proposal.
But I couldn't tell Audrey that her interpretation was definitely correct.
"We'll share what you've told us with the lawyer," I said.
"They can help us decide what it means and what to do next.""
"Do you think Derek was trying to use me?""
I closed my eyes.
I wanted to give her a clear answer.
I wanted to tell her that everything would make sense if we could identify one simple motive.
But we didn't know enough.
"I think some of his behavior has raised serious concerns," I said.
"And I think you were right to tell us that you felt unsafe. We don't need to know his exact motive to take your feelings seriously.""
Audrey was quiet.
Then she said, "I keep thinking about how normal everything looked.""
I listened.
"He'd pick me up from school. He'd ask if I wanted music on. Sometimes he'd stop to get me a drink. He'd tell me about things he and Dad did when they were younger.""
Her voice grew shaky.
"I kept thinking that because he was nice most of the time, I must have misunderstood the other times.""
My heart ached.
"People can be kind in some moments and still behave in ways that aren't okay," I said.
"You don't have to decide that every memory was bad to recognize that something frightened you.""
She sniffed.
"That's what I've been trying to understand.""
I sat quietly with her.
Then she asked, "Do you remember the birthday party when Derek gave me that silver music box?""
I did.
She'd been twelve.
Derek had given her a small silver box that played a simple melody when the lid opened.
Audrey had loved it.
She kept it on her desk for years.
"Yes," I said.
"He told me I could always come to him if I needed help.""
I swallowed.
"That was a long time ago.""
"I know.""
She paused.
"I don't want to think that every nice thing he did was fake.""
"You don't have to decide that tonight.""
"But what if it was?""
"Then we'll deal with that when we're ready. Right now, we only need to focus on what happened and what you need to feel safe.""
Audrey breathed slowly.
"Okay.""
We talked for another few minutes.
Before we hung up, she told me she'd found an old message from Derek on her phone.
It was from the evening of the photograph.
She said she'd forward it to us.
A moment later, it arrived.
The message was brief.
Don't discuss what happened in the car with your parents yet. Let me handle it first. I'll explain everything when the time is right.
I read it twice.
Then I sent a copy to Scott.
He called me immediately.
"Claire, look at the time stamp.""
I opened the message details.
It had been sent shortly after the evening Audrey had come home crying.
I stared at the screen.
For weeks, we'd wondered why Audrey hadn't told us what was wrong.
Now we had a message in which Derek had explicitly asked her not to discuss the incident with us.
It didn't establish everything that had happened.
But it gave us a clearer understanding of why she'd felt trapped.
She hadn't simply been afraid of making accusations.
She'd been asked by an adult she trusted to wait.
And every day she waited, the distance between her and the truth grew harder to cross.
Scott called the lawyer and provided the message.
Then he sat down beside me.
"I need to apologize to Audrey again.""
"You can.""
"I want her to know that I won't ask her to protect Derek anymore.""
I squeezed his hand.
"Then tell her that, and keep showing her it's true.""
He nodded.
A few minutes later, he sent Audrey a message.
I am sorry I made it harder for you to speak. You don't owe Derek silence, and you don't owe me a perfect explanation. I love you, and I will stand beside you while we work out what happened.
Audrey replied with three words.
Thank you, Dad.
Scott stared at the message for a long time.
Then he covered his face and cried.
I'd seen my husband cry at his father's funeral.
I'd seen him cry when Audrey took her first steps.
But I'd never seen him cry because he'd realized that his own daughter had been afraid he wouldn't believe her.
I held him until he calmed down.
And for the first time in days, I felt that we were moving in the right direction.
Not because we had all the answers.
Because we had finally stopped making Audrey carry the burden of our uncertainty alone.
The next morning, the lawyer contacted us with an update.
The materials we'd provided were being reviewed, and we were advised to keep all communication with Derek and the other person in writing, if communication became necessary at all.
We were also encouraged to avoid making public accusations while the facts were being established.
We agreed.
Then, late that afternoon, Scott received an email from an address he didn't recognize.
There was no greeting.
No explanation.
Only a short message and an attached document.
The message read:
You deserve to know what Derek has been hiding from you.
The attachment was a scanned copy of a financial record connected to the proposed investment.
Scott opened it cautiously.
I stood beside him.
The document contained a list of transactions, several names, and a series of figures that appeared to relate to the project.
At the bottom was a note referencing the recording Derek had kept.
My heart began pounding.
Scott scrolled down.
Then he stopped.
"Claire.""
I leaned closer.
The final line named the person who had asked Audrey those questions in the car.
Beside the name was a figure representing a payment connected to the project.
Scott stared at it.
"I don't understand.""
I felt cold.
Neither did I.
The document might have been genuine.
It might have been incomplete.
It might have been an attempt to manipulate us into believing something that wasn't true.
We couldn't know without verification.
But one thing was clear.
Someone wanted us to see it.
Someone wanted us to connect the recording, the investment proposal, and the person who had frightened our daughter.
And whoever had sent it knew enough about Derek's affairs to make the situation far more complicated than a family dispute.
Scott printed the document and placed it in the folder for the lawyer.
Then his phone rang.
Derek.
This time, Scott answered.
He put the call on speaker.
"Scott," Derek said immediately.
"Thank God. I've been trying to reach you.""
Scott's voice was flat.
"What do you want?""
"I need to explain something before you make a terrible mistake.""
"Then explain it.""
Derek hesitated.
"I know you've been talking to people about the project.""
Scott didn't respond.
Derek continued.
"Whatever you've heard, you need to understand that Audrey doesn't know the whole story.""
I felt my heart pound.
Scott stared at the phone.
"Then tell me the whole story.""
For several seconds, there was silence.
Then Derek said something I hadn't expected.
"I didn't arrange that meeting because I wanted to hurt your daughter.""
Scott's jaw tightened.
"Why did you arrange it?""
Derek breathed heavily.
"Because the other person said they could help your family. I thought it might solve a problem for all of us.""
"What problem?""
Another pause.
Then Derek lowered his voice.
"The problem is that someone has been lying to you about where the money went.""
The call went silent.
Scott looked at me.
I felt the room grow cold.
Because Derek had finally offered an explanation.
May you like
But instead of answering our questions about Audrey, he'd opened the door to an entirely different secret.
And if he was telling the truth about the missing money, then the person who had frightened our daughter might have been hiding something even Derek couldn't control.
