Chapter 8 – The Witness Nobody Expected
Lena barely slept that night.
Nicole's words echoed through her mind.
"They had been planning something much worse."
She stared at the apartment ceiling until dawn, every possible scenario racing through her head.
What could have been worse than nearly beating her to death?
When Alex found her sitting at the kitchen table the next morning, untouched coffee growing cold in her hands, he already knew something was wrong.
"You didn't sleep."
Lena shook her head.
"I keep thinking about what Nicole said."
Alex pulled out a chair.
"We don't know if she's telling the truth."
"No."
Lena looked out the window.
"But I think she is."
Later that morning, Detective Laura Kim arrived carrying a thick manila folder.
"I wanted to tell you before you heard it from someone else."
She laid the folder on the table.
"Nicole officially accepted the cooperation agreement."
Alex frowned.
"So she's testifying."
Laura nodded.
"In exchange for a reduced sentence."
Lena looked conflicted.
"Can we trust her?"
"We don't have to trust her."
Laura tapped the folder.
"We only have to verify what she tells us."
Across town, inside Interview Room Four, Nicole sat alone with a bottle of water.
She looked nothing like the confident young woman who had mocked Lena on livestreams.
Dark circles surrounded her eyes.
Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
A camera recorded every second.
Laura entered and took a seat across from her.
"Ready?"
Nicole nodded weakly.
"I'll tell you everything."
Laura switched on the recorder.
"Let's start with the meeting two weeks before the assault."
Nicole swallowed.
"It wasn't the first meeting."
Laura remained silent.
"There were others."
"How many?"
"Five."
Laura wrote something down.
"Who attended?"
"My parents."
"My brother."
"And me."
"What did you discuss?"
Nicole's voice cracked.
"How to keep Lena from leaving."
She closed her eyes.
"They knew she wanted to see Alex more often."
"So they took her car keys."
Laura nodded.
"We already confirmed that."
Nicole continued.
"They canceled doctor's appointments."
"They controlled the money."
"They checked her phone every night."
Laura looked up.
"Anything else?"
Nicole hesitated.
Then whispered,
"They wanted the baby."
Silence filled the room.
Laura leaned forward.
"What do you mean?"
Nicole began crying.
"My mother said that once the baby was born..."
"...they could convince everyone Lena was mentally unstable."
Laura felt a chill run through her body.
"So they planned to take custody?"
Nicole nodded.
"My brother said no one would believe an abused wife with no money."
Back at the apartment, Lena's phone rang.
It was Mercy General Hospital.
Her heart immediately raced.
"Is Hope okay?"
The nurse smiled through the phone.
"She's doing well."
Lena finally exhaled.
"We just wanted to let you know she's breathing on her own for short periods now."
Tears filled Lena's eyes.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"It's a very encouraging sign."
Lena thanked the nurse before hanging up.
Alex smiled.
"That's the best news we've had all week."
That afternoon, Laura returned with another surprise.
"We found someone."
Lena frowned.
"Who?"
"A neighbor."
"I didn't think anyone ever noticed."
Laura opened the folder.
"Mrs. Evelyn Brooks."
"Seventy-two years old."
"She lives across the street."
Lena searched her memory.
"The woman with the flower garden?"
Laura smiled.
"That's her."
Mrs. Brooks arrived at the sheriff's office carrying a worn notebook.
"I've been waiting for someone to ask."
Laura looked intrigued.
"You've seen something?"
The elderly woman nodded.
"For years."
She opened the notebook.
Every page contained handwritten dates.
Times.
Descriptions.
"March 18th."
"He dragged her into the garage."
"June 2nd."
"She cried in the backyard for an hour."
"September 11th."
"Ambulance came but left without taking her."
Laura stared at the notebook.
"You wrote all of this?"
Mrs. Brooks nodded.
"My husband was a police officer."
"He always said..."
"If something feels wrong, write everything down."
Laura carefully turned another page.
There were dozens.
Then hundreds.
Nearly three years of observations.
Mrs. Brooks reached into her purse again.
"I have something else."
She handed Laura a small flash drive.
"I installed security cameras after someone stole my mailbox."
Laura looked up.
"The cameras face the street."
Mrs. Brooks nodded.
"They don't show inside the Carter house."
She paused.
"But they show everyone who came and went."
Laura's pulse quickened.
"We'll have our forensic team review everything."
Hours later...
The footage began playing.
One detective suddenly froze the video.
"Wait."
He zoomed in.
The timestamp read:
5:01 A.M.
The morning of the assault.
The footage showed Alex's truck arriving.
Then another vehicle.
A dark SUV.
It pulled away from the Carter house less than two minutes before Alex reached the front door.
Sheriff Brooks frowned.
"Whose vehicle is that?"
No one recognized it.
Laura zoomed in further.
The license plate was partially visible.
Enough to identify the owner.
Minutes later, the registration report appeared on her screen.
The SUV didn't belong to the Carter family.
It belonged to...
Dr. Michael Reeves.
Lena's obstetrician.
Laura stared at the name.
"No..."
Sheriff Brooks looked over her shoulder.
"You know him?"
Laura nodded slowly.
"He treated Lena throughout her pregnancy."
Silence settled over the room.
"Find him."
One detective was already reaching for the phone.
May you like
Because suddenly...
The investigation had taken a turn that no one had seen coming.
