Chapter 8 - VIVIAN’S SECOND PHONE
Detective Morales obtained a warrant for Vivian’s digital records two days later.
The primary phone contained enough cruelty to embarrass her.
The cloud backup contained enough evidence to frighten Mason.
But the most important discovery came from an old device registered to Vivian’s assistant.
A second phone.
Dozens of messages had been deleted.
They were recovered.
Some were personal.
Some financial.
Others sounded like instructions.
Mason: Keep her upset until she signs.
Vivian: She won’t even argue with me.
Mason: Then find something she cares about.
Vivian: The baby.
There was no response for three minutes.
Then:
Mason: Don’t be stupid. Just scare her.
Morales read the exchange twice.
Not conspiracy to commit an assault.
Not yet.
But ugly.
Then came the message sent the morning of the hospital appointment.
Vivian: What if she still refuses?
Mason: I need this done today.
Vivian: And if she makes a scene?
Mason: I’ll handle the witnesses.
That one mattered.
A lot.
Vivian sat across from Morales with her new attorney.
“I want to cooperate.”
Her attorney looked irritated.
Morales remained expressionless.
“Why?”
“Because Mason is lying.”
“About what?”
“Everything.”
Vivian opened her purse and removed a flash drive.
Her attorney stared.
“What is that?”
“My insurance.”
Morales did not touch it yet.
“What’s on it?”
“Messages.”
“We have messages.”
“Not these.”
Vivian’s voice shook.
“Recordings.”
Morales leaned forward.
“Of whom?”
“Mason.”
“Recording what?”
“Talking about Natalie.”
Vivian looked down.
“Talking about the company.”
“What company?”
“Whitaker Development.”
Her attorney whispered a curse.
Vivian continued.
“He told me he needed Natalie out before a financing closed.”
“What financing?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why before the financing?”
“He said if she understood what she owned, everything would collapse.”
Morales’ attention sharpened.
“When did he say that?”
“Three weeks ago.”
“And you recorded him?”
“I recorded lots of things.”
“Why?”
Vivian finally looked up.
“Because I loved him.”
Morales waited.
May you like
Vivian laughed bitterly.
“And because I never trusted him.”
