Chapter 11 - The Mechanic’s Price
Travis Bane wanted immunity.
Detective Blake could not offer it outright.
The district attorney could negotiate, but only if Travis told them something worth buying.
For two days he refused.
Then Claire asked to speak with him.
Blake said no.
Maya said absolutely not.
Claire went anyway.
Travis appeared on a secure video link from an Arizona attorney’s office.
His face was narrow, nervous, older than forty-three.
“You’re Olivia’s friend.”
“Yes.”
“You look like her.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Not physically.”
Claire waited.
He rubbed his hands.
“She looked at people like she expected the truth.”
“So do I.”
He looked away.
Claire placed Rosie on the table.
“Her daughter was sitting under a roof someone tried to collapse.”
Travis swallowed.
“I didn’t do that.”
“I know.”
“Then why am I here?”
“Because Olivia called you before she died.”
His face changed.
“Police told you?”
“No.”
Claire lied smoothly.
“She recorded the call.”
Travis went pale.
Maya, sitting beside Claire, said nothing.
There was no recording.
But Travis did not know that.
“What did she say?” he asked.
Claire leaned forward.
“You tell me.”
He stood.
“I’m done.”
“Then go.”
He stopped.
Claire continued.
“And spend the rest of your life wondering when Vanessa decides you know too much.”
That brought him back.
He sat slowly.
“I was paid ten grand.”
“For what?”
“To loosen a brake-line fitting.”
Maya’s pen stopped.
“On Olivia’s car?”
“Yes.”
“Who paid you?”
“Lucas.”
“Who ordered Lucas?”
“I don’t know.”
Claire watched him.
“Wrong answer.”
“I swear.”
“Then what did Olivia say when she called?”
Travis closed his eyes.
“She asked if I’d touched her car.”
“And?”
“I denied it.”
“She must have had something.”
“She had garage video on her phone.”
Claire’s heart jumped.
“Video of you?”
“Part of me. My shirt. My arm.”
“What happened to the video?”
“I don’t know.”
“What else did she say?”
Travis breathed out.
“She said she knew Lucas didn’t make decisions involving that family.”
“What did you tell her?”
“I said the order came through Grant’s office.”
“Grant?”
“That’s what Lucas told me.”
“Anything else?”
Travis hesitated.
Claire knew.
“There is.”
He rubbed his jaw.
“Olivia asked why Vanessa’s sister was in the garage.”
“Did you see Evelyn?”
“Yes.”
“Did she see you?”
“Yes.”
“Was Vanessa there?”
“No.”
“Grant?”
“No.”
“Daniel?”
“No.”
Claire sat back.
The murder chain now looked clear.
Grant to Lucas.
Lucas to Travis.
Vanessa arranging Evelyn’s search.
But who had initiated it?
Travis’s attorney interrupted.
“That’s enough without an agreement.”
The call ended.
Outside the room, Blake was furious.
“You lied about having a recording.”
“It worked.”
“It can also contaminate testimony.”
Claire’s stomach sank.
She had made a mistake.
A serious one.
Blake continued.
“If defense counsel argues Travis shaped his story to match evidence he thought existed, you just gave them material.”
Claire felt ashamed.
“I was trying to get the truth.”
“Good intentions don’t make evidence clean.”
Maya said quietly, “He’s right.”
Claire looked at Rosie in her hands.
Her need to protect Emma had begun turning into recklessness.
That evening she told Richard what happened.
He surprised her.
“You made the mistake I’ve made for thirty years.”
“What?”
“You thought being right excused how you got there.”
Claire looked at him.
“Is that supposed to help?”
“No.”
He almost smiled.
“It’s supposed to hurt.”
It did.
Then Maya received the forensic report on the memory card from Rosie.
The recordings were authentic.
No edits.
Metadata showed Olivia created them over six weeks.
One file had not yet been played.
File six.
Claire pressed play.
Olivia’s voice came first.
“Daniel, if you ever hear this, I hope you finally chose courage.”
Daniel covered his mouth.
Then a man’s voice entered.
Grant.
“You don’t understand what you’re doing.”
Olivia replied, “I understand fourteen-point-eight million dollars.”
“You’ll destroy the company.”
“No. You did.”
Then Vanessa.
“You think your father will choose you over Hale Meridian?”
Olivia laughed bitterly.
“That question tells me everything about you.”
A chair scraped.
Grant said, “Monday is too late.”
Olivia answered, “For you.”
Then another voice.
Unexpected.
Richard’s.
“Enough.”
Everyone in the hotel suite froze.
On the recording Richard said:
“Olivia, drop this.”
Claire turned slowly toward him.
Richard stared at the laptop.
He looked horrified.
Olivia’s recorded voice asked:
“Dad, are you ordering me to ignore theft?”
Richard answered:
“I’m ordering you to stop tearing this family apart.”
The recording ended.
Claire looked at him.
“You were there.”
Richard sank into a chair.
“Yes.”
“You knew.”
“I knew she was accusing them.”
“You told us you didn’t.”
“I didn’t know she was right.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Richard’s eyes filled with something worse than guilt.
Shame.
“I thought I could handle it privately.”
Olivia had warned Claire to be careful with Richard.
Power had made him blind.
Now Claire understood how blind.
Richard had not killed his daughter.
May you like
But when Olivia had needed him to believe her, he had chosen the company.
And someone else had taken advantage of the silence.
