Chapter 4: The Woman Behind the Mask
Chapter 4: The Woman Behind the Mask
Margaret Carter sat perfectly still inside the interrogation room.
Her tailored navy suit was immaculate.
Her posture was flawless.
To anyone looking through the glass, she appeared calm and composed.
Only the slight tapping of her fingers against the table betrayed her growing anxiety.
Her attorney leaned closer.
"Remember," he whispered. "They have suspicions, not proof."
Margaret nodded.
"I understand."
The door opened.
Detective Daniel Brooks entered with Detective Sofia Ramirez.
Neither detective carried a thick file.
Only a single folder.
That worried Margaret more than anything.
Brooks sat down.
"Mrs. Carter."
"I assume this won't take long."
"That depends on your answers."
Margaret folded her hands.
"I'm happy to cooperate."
Brooks slid a photograph across the table.
It showed Ava lying on the office floor.
"I've already explained what happened."
"She accidentally fell."
Brooks didn't respond.
Instead, he placed another photograph beside the first.
The spilled pills.
"What medication was in that bottle?"
"Vitamins."
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely."
Brooks exchanged a glance with Ramirez.
"The lab disagrees."
For the first time, Margaret's expression shifted.
"What do you mean?"
"The pills contained a combination of prescription sedatives."
"They're strong enough to cause confusion, memory loss, dizziness, and impaired judgment."
Margaret remained silent.
Brooks continued.
"They were not prescribed to Ava."
"They weren't prescribed to you, either."
Her attorney immediately interrupted.
"My client will not answer questions regarding medication."
Brooks simply nodded.
"That's your right."
Then he reached into the folder again.
"This may interest you instead."
He pressed a button on a small tablet.
The hidden camera footage began to play.
Margaret watched herself appear on the screen.
Smiling.
Holding out the glass of orange juice.
Then grabbing Ava's chin.
The room fell silent except for the recording.
"Drink it."
"I won't."
"You don't have a choice."
Margaret's breathing became shallow.
The video continued.
The slap.
Lena crashing into the wheelchair.
Ava falling.
Her desperate plea.
"Please... don't hurt her."
Then Ethan's voice.
"Mom?"
Brooks stopped the recording.
"You told us Ava fell by accident."
Margaret stared at the blank screen.
Her attorney spoke instead.
"My client was under emotional stress."
"No," Brooks replied.
"She was caught on camera."
Across town...
Ava remained in her hospital room while doctors completed another series of neurological tests.
Dr. Melissa Harper entered carrying a tablet.
"I have good news."
Ethan immediately stood.
"How is she?"
"The latest scans show no new brain injury."
Ava frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means your memory problems may not have been caused by the accident."
Ethan's heart skipped.
"What caused them?"
Dr. Harper hesitated.
"We reviewed every medication found in your bloodstream."
"The sedatives accumulated over time."
"Taken repeatedly..."
"They can produce symptoms remarkably similar to traumatic brain injury."
Ava slowly covered her mouth.
"So..."
"I wasn't losing my mind?"
The doctor smiled gently.
"No."
"You were being drugged."
Tears streamed down Ava's face.
For six months...
She had questioned herself.
Wondered if she was becoming mentally unstable.
Now she finally knew the truth.
Someone had stolen her memories.
Meanwhile...
Detective Brooks received another call from the forensic lab.
"We finished restoring deleted files from the memory card."
"Did you recover anything?"
"Yes."
"And you're going to want to see this."
An hour later...
The detectives gathered inside the digital forensics lab.
The technician opened a recovered video file.
"This recording was deleted months ago."
"It took some work to restore."
The video began.
The office looked exactly the same.
The date stamp read:
Four Months Earlier.
Ava sat in her wheelchair by the window.
She looked healthier than she did now.
Margaret stood beside her.
"You need to stop asking questions."
"What questions?"
"The accident."
Ava looked directly at her.
"I know something isn't right."
Margaret smiled.
"No."
"You think something isn't right."
"There's a difference."
"I remember someone in the garage."
Margaret's smile slowly disappeared.
"You remember wrong."
"I saw a green ring."
The room on the video became silent.
Then Margaret leaned close enough for the hidden camera to capture every word.
"Then perhaps..."
"...you need stronger medicine."
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Detective Ramirez finally broke the silence.
"She knew Ava remembered."
Brooks nodded.
"And that's when the drugging intensified."
Late that evening...
Ethan returned to the Carter estate for the first time since the incident.
The mansion felt strangely empty.
Every hallway reminded him of childhood.
Every room now carried a different meaning.
How much had happened inside these walls without him knowing?
He walked into his father's old study.
Dust covered the massive oak desk.
His father's belongings had remained untouched since his death.
Ethan slowly opened one drawer.
Inside lay an old leather journal.
His father's handwriting filled every page.
Curious, Ethan flipped toward the final entries.
One sentence immediately caught his eye.
"I fear Margaret's desire for control is becoming dangerous."
He frowned.
He continued reading.
"If anything ever happens to Ava or Ethan..."
His pulse quickened.
"...the answers will not be found in the company."
"They will be found beneath Blackwood Cottage."
Ethan stared at the page.
Blackwood Cottage.
The old guesthouse on the far edge of the Carter property.
It had been locked for years.
His father had forbidden anyone from entering after retiring from the company.
No one had questioned why.
Until now.
Ethan closed the journal.
Outside, thunder rolled across the evening sky.
Somewhere beyond the rain-covered gardens...
The abandoned cottage stood hidden among towering oak trees.
If his father had left answers there...
May you like
Someone else might already be trying to destroy them.
And Ethan intended to get there first.
