Chapter 10 - THE REHEARSALS
Marcus recovered the February archive.
Then January.
Then March.
Short clips.
Ryan alone.
“Five.”
Pause.
“Four.”
He adjusted where he stood.
Again.
“Five.”
Different distance from the camera.
Again.
In one clip, he looked toward the kitchen.
“Can you see the counter from there?”
A male voice answered off-screen.
“Yes.”
Ava froze.
Marcus replayed it.
The voice was indistinct.
But someone else had been there.
Another clip showed Ryan placing his phone against the wine bottle.
Exactly where it stood the night Ava grabbed the poker.
He tested the angle.
Then said:
“If she stays left, you won’t see me.”
The other voice:
“That’s the point.”
Ava felt cold.
Naomi immediately stopped the video.
“This changes everything.”
“Who is the voice?”
“We need authentication.”
Derek Shaw denied it was him.
Paul Mercer denied it.
Ryan refused comment.
The clips had no visible second person.
Only voice.
Then Marcus found building visitor records.
February 12.
Guest admitted by Ryan Carter.
Name:
M. VALE.
Ava frowned.
“Who is M. Vale?”
Naomi searched corporate records.
Michael Vale.
Private behavioral-security consultant.
Former police crisis negotiator.
Now a contractor.
For Northstar.
Ava stared.
Northstar said Vale had worked on workplace-threat assessments, not Ryan’s marriage.
Maybe.
Then Naomi found an invoice.
“Residential risk simulation.”
Client:
Northstar Partners.
Site:
Bennett Residence.
Ava stopped breathing.
The trap had been rehearsed professionally.
May you like
But who authorized it?
The invoice approval carried Derek Shaw’s digital initials.
