Chapter 12 - The Voice Behind the Threat
The room fell into stunned silence.
The cassette player continued to spin.
No one reached to stop it.
No one dared.
Emily's hands trembled beneath the blanket.
Her father's voice had been clear.
So had the threat.
Detective Harris leaned closer to the speaker.
"Play it again."
The technician rewound the tape a few seconds.
The recording crackled.
Then the same sentence echoed through the room.
"If Thomas refuses... we'll make sure he never becomes a problem again."
This time, everyone heard it.
Every word.
Every pause.
Every breath.
Raymond slowly closed his eyes.
He didn't need another replay.
He knew that voice.
The problem was...
He couldn't believe who it belonged to.
The technician stopped the recording.
Detective Harris looked around the room.
"Does anyone else recognize it?"
No one answered.
Finally, the Chief Legal Counsel spoke.
"It sounds familiar."
"But I can't place it."
Raymond walked toward the window.
Rain had begun falling outside.
Small drops rolled down the glass.
He watched them silently.
Emily looked at him.
"You know."
It wasn't a question.
Raymond remained silent for several long seconds.
Then he nodded.
"I believe I do."
Every person in the room turned toward him.
"Who is it?" Detective Harris asked.
Raymond took a slow breath.
"I don't want to accuse anyone without proof."
Harris shook his head.
"We already have a recording."
"We need confirmation."
Raymond nodded.
"Then we'll get it."
He turned to the forensic audio specialist.
"Can you isolate the voices?"
The specialist adjusted his headphones.
"It'll take some time."
"How much?"
"An hour."
"Maybe less."
Raymond nodded.
"Start immediately."
The technician carried the cassette into the adjacent lab.
The door closed behind him.
Emily looked exhausted.
Dr. Brooks checked the fetal monitor.
The baby's heartbeat remained steady.
Strong.
Reliable.
A small blessing in the middle of chaos.
"You need rest," Dr. Brooks said gently.
Emily smiled faintly.
"I've been resting for seven years."
"I think it's time I started looking for answers."
Raymond couldn't argue.
Meanwhile...
Three floors below...
The hospital's surveillance center buzzed with activity.
Security officers reviewed hundreds of camera feeds.
Every hallway.
Every elevator.
Every entrance.
The Director of Security stood behind them.
"Anything unusual?"
One technician raised his hand.
"I found something."
He enlarged a video recorded forty-five minutes earlier.
The footage showed Richard Holloway entering the executive records room.
He wasn't alone.
Another person walked beside him.
Both wore dark overcoats.
The second person's face remained hidden beneath a baseball cap.
The Director frowned.
"Zoom in."
The technician enhanced the image.
The face stayed hidden.
But something else became visible.
A distinctive silver ring.
Large.
Square.
With a dark blue stone.
The Director stared at it.
"I've seen that ring before."
Another officer nodded.
"So have I."
"Who wears it?"
The room grew quiet.
Then one technician whispered,
"The Chief Operating Officer."
At the same moment...
Detective Harris received the surveillance images.
He studied them carefully.
Then looked at Raymond.
"You need to see this."
Raymond examined the photograph.
His expression darkened.
"Daniel Mercer."
Emily frowned.
"The COO?"
Raymond nodded.
"He has worn that family ring for twenty years."
Detective Harris crossed his arms.
"Where is he now?"
No one knew.
An assistant checked the executive attendance list.
"He left the board meeting during the lockdown."
"When?"
"About fifteen minutes ago."
"Was anyone with him?"
"No."
Harris immediately reached for his radio.
"Lock every exit."
"No executive leaves the property."
The dispatcher answered almost instantly.
"Already done."
A pause.
Then...
"Detective..."
"What?"
"We can't find Daniel Mercer."
A chill swept through the room.
Raymond looked toward the hospital map hanging on the wall.
"There are only three ways out."
Detective Harris shook his head.
"Officially."
Raymond understood immediately.
"The hidden passage."
The detective nodded.
"If Richard knew about it..."
"...Daniel probably does too."
Suddenly, the forensic audio lab door burst open.
The audio specialist hurried inside.
He carried a laptop.
"I've isolated the voices."
He connected the computer to the large monitor.
Colored sound waves appeared across the screen.
"There are four speakers."
He pointed at each track.
"Thomas Bennett."
"Jonathan Whitmore."
"Arthur Caldwell."
"And the unidentified male."
The specialist clicked another window.
"I compared the unidentified voice against executive meeting recordings."
Emily held her breath.
"So?"
The specialist looked uneasy.
"There is a match."
"How certain?"
"Ninety-nine point eight percent."
Detective Harris stepped forward.
"Who?"
The specialist hesitated.
Then he pressed Enter.
A personnel file appeared on the screen.
Name.
Position.
Employee photograph.
Emily gasped.
Raymond didn't move.
He simply stared at the screen.
Because the face looking back at them belonged to someone who had comforted Emily after her father's funeral.
Someone who had attended her wedding.
Someone who had held her newborn nephew years earlier.
The name beneath the photograph read:
Daniel Mercer
Chief Operating Officer
The room remained frozen.
Emily slowly shook her head.
"No..."
"He cried with us."
Raymond's voice was quiet.
"Some people know exactly when to cry."
Detective Harris reached for his radio.
"All units."
"Daniel Mercer is now the primary suspect."
"Locate him immediately."
Before the dispatcher could respond...
A frightened voice interrupted over the radio.
"Detective!"
"What is it?"
"We found Mr. Mercer's company vehicle."
"Where?"
"In the underground parking garage."
"Is he inside?"
The officer answered with visible panic.
"No."
"But..."
"But what?"
The officer took a shaky breath.
"The trunk is open."
"And there's a woman inside."
Emily felt her heart stop.
"Who is she?"
The officer's next words sent a wave of shock through everyone in the room.
May you like
"We believe..."
"...it's Margaret Ellis."
