“Listen for yourself,” she said.

She pressed the play button on the side of the device.

The small speaker crackled with static, then the sound of wind rustling against glass filled the quiet kitchen.

Two familiar voices came through the speaker.

“She’s gone, Ethan,” Margaret’s voice said, sharp and demanding. “What did you do?”

“I did what had to be done,” Ethan’s voice answered.

He sounded drunk, his words slurring slightly, but his tone was cold.

“She wouldn’t sign the papers,” Ethan said on the recording. “She wanted to take half of Caldwell Innovations. I pushed her out into the storm. She won’t survive the night.”

“You idiot,” Margaret hissed. “If the police find her body, we are ruined.”

“They won’t find anything until spring,” Ethan said, laughing. “The snow will bury her. It’s perfect.”

The recording cut off with a sharp click.

The kitchen was dead silent, save for the hum of Mrs. Ramirez’s old refrigerator.

My hands were trembling so much I had to press them against the kitchen counter to stay steady.

“He confessed,” Julian whispered, his eyes wide with shock. “He admitted to attempted murder.”