Detective Ortiz would not let me return to the house.
\n\u201cIf Croft is waiting for you, arriving will give him exactly what he wants.\u201d
\n\u201cMy best friend is inside.\u201d
\n\u201cAnd six officers are surrounding the property.\u201d
\n\u201cThat doesn\u2019t help Mason if Croft finds him first.\u201d
\nShe took my phone.
\n\u201cKeep him talking if he calls again. Do not promise Croft anything, and do not reveal what we know about the tape.
\nThe phone rang thirty seconds later.
\nCroft.
\nI answered on speaker.
\n\u201cMason has nothing to do with this.\u201d
\n\u201cThen tell me where Daniel\u2019s guitar is.\u201d
\n\u201cYou\u2019re standing inside my music room. Find it yourself.\u201d
\n\u201cIt isn\u2019t here.\u201d
\nI looked toward Rachel.
\nWe had left the guitar on the worktable.
\n\u201cWhat did you do with it?\u201d Croft demanded.
\n\u201cMaybe someone reached it before you.\u201d
\n\u201cAdrian.\u201d
\nIt was the first time Croft\u2019s calm voice cracked.
\n\u201cYou\u2019re afraid of Victor\u2019s son?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cAdrian is a spoiled child who believes betraying his father will make him brave.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou burned the Rialto.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI prevented a dangerous building from killing more people.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou nearly killed Caleb.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was not part of the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it didn\u2019t stop you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Croft lowered his voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have no idea what I prevented seventeen years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hid evidence of Thomas Reed\u2019s murder.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kept Victor from destroying two families.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rachel moved closer to the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou came to my house after Thomas died. You looked at my pregnant stomach and told me there was no evidence of a crime.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cRachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew Victor threatened him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew Thomas was angry and careless.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew the crane had failed inspection.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel brought me the report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you destroyed it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI made a decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor Victor.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
I could hear Croft moving through the house.<\/p>\n
A cabinet opened.<\/p>\n
Something struck the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou think Daniel was innocent?\u201d he asked me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father went to the police.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour father came to me because he was terrified. Victor told him that if the investigation continued, Claire and Ethan would become targets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Claire.<\/p>\n
My mother\u2019s name.<\/p>\n
Hearing it from Croft made me feel sick.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou threatened my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you helped him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI told Daniel the safest solution was silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy father didn\u2019t agree.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe stopped asking questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. He spent the rest of his life preserving evidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Croft laughed without humor.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel waited seventeen years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause you made him believe speaking would get us killed.\u201d<\/p>\n
The line went quiet.<\/p>\n
Then Croft said, \u201cYour father understood something you do not. Sometimes a lie keeps people alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo. A lie kept Victor free.\u201d<\/p>\n
A loud crash came through the phone.<\/p>\n
Then Mason shouted.<\/p>\n
\u201cMason!\u201d<\/p>\n
Croft cursed.<\/p>\n
The call remained connected.<\/p>\n
I heard running footsteps.<\/p>\n
A door slammed.<\/p>\n
Detective Ortiz\u2019s radio exploded with voices.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuspect exiting rear!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBlack case in his right hand!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMove!\u201d<\/p>\n
Croft had found the guitar.<\/p>\n
For several seconds, all I could hear was wind and officers shouting.<\/p>\n
Then someone ordered Croft to the ground.<\/p>\n
The phone hit something hard.<\/p>\n
The line disconnected.<\/p>\n
Detective Ortiz listened to her radio.<\/p>\n
Finally, she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey have him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Mason?\u201d<\/p>\n
An officer answered through the radio.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictim is safe. Minor injury to his shoulder. No medical transport requested.\u201d<\/p>\n
My legs nearly gave out.<\/p>\n
When we returned to the house, Croft was sitting in the back of a police vehicle.<\/p>\n
His hands were secured behind him.<\/p>\n
He stared through the window as I passed.<\/p>\n
No apology.<\/p>\n
No fear.<\/p>\n
Only exhaustion.<\/p>\n
Mason stood in the kitchen with an ice pack against his shoulder.<\/p>\n
I hugged him before he could make a joke.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m fine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou whispered that a man was hunting you inside my house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, but I whispered very calmly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCroft said Detective Ortiz sent him to collect evidence. I believed him until he asked where everyone was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou opened the door for a stranger?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had a badge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cA retired badge.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt did not say retired in large letters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite everything, I laughed.<\/p>\n
Then I hugged him again.<\/p>\n
Croft had searched the music room and most of the downstairs rooms.<\/p>\n
He found Dad\u2019s guitar beneath the piano bench, where Mason had placed it after closing the curtains.<\/p>\n
When Mason realized what Croft wanted, he carried the case upstairs and locked himself inside my old bedroom.<\/p>\n
Croft forced the door.<\/p>\n
Mason escaped through the second doorway connecting to the hall.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was more interested in the guitar than me,\u201d Mason said. \u201cThe moment he picked it up, I ran downstairs and opened the back door. The alarm distracted him long enough for police to enter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad\u2019s guitar lay inside an evidence bag on the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
A technician photographed every surface.<\/p>\n
Then she removed the small metal plate on the back.<\/p>\n
Behind the wires was a microcassette wrapped in waxed paper.<\/p>\n
Seventeen years inside a guitar.<\/p>\n
Seventeen years waiting for someone to listen.<\/p>\n
The police took the recording to their laboratory.<\/p>\n
That evening, Detective Ortiz returned with a digital copy.<\/p>\n
Rachel and Caleb sat together on the couch.<\/p>\n
Mason stood behind them.<\/p>\n
Mr. Harlow arrived with Nora, who had been reviewing the scanned financial records from Thomas\u2019s box.<\/p>\n
Detective Ortiz pressed play.<\/p>\n
At first, we heard music from the Rialto stage.<\/p>\n
A guitar.<\/p>\n
Someone laughing.<\/p>\n
Then a door closed.<\/p>\n
Victor\u2019s voice entered clearly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas will not sign the new inspection.\u201d<\/p>\n
Croft answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen replace him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe copied the original report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can remove it from the case file.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Daniel?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe thinks he can repay the missing pension money and make this disappear.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands tightened.<\/p>\n
Victor continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel is sentimental. Mention his wife and son, and he will become reasonable.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou already threatened Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI reminded Thomas what he could lose.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf something happens at the site tomorrow, people will ask questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
Croft\u2019s reply was quiet.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccidents close files faster than investigations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb covered his mouth.<\/p>\n
Rachel held him.<\/p>\n
Victor said, \u201cCrane Seven operates at seven. Make sure Thomas is the supervisor who signs it in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe refused.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen use the signature from his previous report.\u201d<\/p>\n
A chair scraped.<\/p>\n
Croft spoke again.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd after Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaniel will sell me his share of the company.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if he doesn\u2019t?\u201d<\/p>\n
Victor laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen his family becomes the next safety problem.\u201d<\/p>\n
The recording ended.<\/p>\n
No one moved.<\/p>\n
Victor had threatened Thomas.<\/p>\n
Croft had agreed to hide the evidence.<\/p>\n
And my mother and I had been next.<\/p>\n
Dad had not remained silent because he did not care.<\/p>\n
He had been trying to protect us from two men willing to turn murder into paperwork.<\/p>\n
Detective Ortiz stopped the audio.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis recording is significant, but Victor\u2019s attorneys will challenge its authenticity, context, and chain of custody.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas hid it before he died,\u201d Caleb said. \u201cWhat more do they need?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCorroborating documents. The original ledger. The crane report. Evidence connecting Croft and Victor to the explosion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nora opened her folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found payments to Samuel Croft inside the scanned ledger.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many?\u201d the detective asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cSeven transfers over three years. They were disguised as security-consulting fees.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Harlow looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cVictor will say Croft acted alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe already placed him on leave,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is cutting the rope before Croft can pull him down.\u201d<\/p>\n
My security camera alerted me to movement on the porch.<\/p>\n
Every officer in the room turned.<\/p>\n
A young man stood outside.<\/p>\n
His shirt was torn.<\/p>\n
Blood covered one side of his face.<\/p>\n
He carried a red leather ledger beneath his arm.<\/p>\n
Adrian Mercer looked into the camera and raised both hands.<\/p>\n
Then he collapsed against the front door.<\/p>\n
PART 9 \u2014 THE VOICE INSIDE THE GUITAR Detective Ortiz would not let me return to the house. \u201cIf Croft is waiting for you, arriving will give him exactly what … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4105","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4105","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4105"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4105\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4108,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4105\/revisions\/4108"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2802"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4105"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4105"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4105"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}