Chapter 4

My heart lurched, but thankfully, one of the officers reacted quickly, grabbing Macy's wrist and wrenching the old phone from her grasp before sealing it in an evidence bag.

Even with her arm twisted behind her back, Macy continued struggling and screaming, "It's right there in black and white! She owed my dad three million dollars! The Cobb family gave her everything, even her life!

"You're not even married to her! What right do you have to interfere? You're not family. You have no say in any of this!"

Braxton scrambled to his feet and straightened his torn collar. An icy smile tugged at his lips.

"Her father is dead, and so is her mother. I've been the one supporting her all these years. I have a debt settlement agreement signed in her own handwriting! Her studio, her money, everything she owned belongs to me now!

"Keep getting in my way and I'll make sure the entire Jenkins family is disgraced in Nexus City!"

Patrick could not take it anymore. He rushed forward and shouted, "You're lying through your teeth! Not once did you show any concern for Ms. Reed when she was alive! Every time you came around, all you did was demand money!

"Last month, Ms. Reed collapsed right here in the office and called you for help. Macy told her over the phone, 'If you're not dead yet, stop calling me and bothering me!'

"Now that Ms. Reed has jumped to her death, you show up to steal everything she owned! How can you live with yourselves?"

Macy raised her hand to slap Patrick, but an officer caught her arm before she could strike him.

"That's enough! Everyone calm down!"

The officer's sharp command silenced the room.

Braxton remained unfazed. He pulled a document from inside his jacket and slapped it onto the desk.

"This is the equity-holding and debt settlement agreement Evelyn and I signed years ago.

"It clearly states that if she fails to repay the three million dollars she owes me, all the assets belonging to her studio automatically become the property of the Cobb family as repayment.

"I had a lawyer witness the agreement. This is a legitimate financial dispute. You police officers have no business interfering with a lawful transfer of assets, do you? No one is stopping me from taking over this place today!"

Braxton took out a pen and prepared to sign an additional document. The moment he signed it, all the studio's assets would be frozen and transferred out of reach.

I clutched my injured arm, feeling as though all the blood in my body was flowing backward.

What had Evelyn gone through while she was alive?

Why was there a promissory note?

Why was there an equity transfer agreement?

Why were there so many desperate, pleading messages?

How many secrets had she kept from me?

What had she been thinking at the exact moment she stepped off that rooftop?

Braxton's pen touched the paper, and a greedy smile spread across his face.

"Once I sign this, the whole place is mine.

"That little bitch Evelyn finally did something useful before she died!"

Just then, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Three detectives pushed through the door. One carried a brown paper evidence envelope and a set of official documents.

"Who's Braxton Cobb? We're with the Major Crimes Division of the Nexus City Police Department."

Braxton frowned. "Officers, there's no need to rush. We're in the middle of settling an inheritance matter."

The lead detective walked right past Braxton and came straight toward me. "Are you Mr. Jenkins?"

I wiped the blood from my face. "Yes."

The detective nodded.

Then, he turned toward Braxton, his expression icy, and pulled out an arrest warrant and a search warrant.

"Braxton Cobb, early this morning, the department received a scheduled, encrypted email from the victim through the police chief's tip line. It contains conclusive evidence of your crimes. We were preparing to launch a citywide search for you when the local precinct reported that you were causing trouble here."

The air seemed to freeze.

Braxton's lips trembled, and he staggered backward.

"T-That's nonsense! That little bitch framed me! I'm her uncle! I supported her for eight years!"

Two detectives immediately stepped forward and snapped handcuffs around his wrists.

Macy screamed in terror, "You can't arrest my dad! Evelyn was crazy! She jumped off the building and killed herself! She's dead, and she's still trying to drag us down with her!"

The detective shot Macy a harsh look. "Macy Cobb, you're also suspected of aiding and abetting extortion and unlawfully distributing someone else's private information. You're coming with us."

Another detective stepped forward and handcuffed her as well.

The lead detective turned back to me. Sympathy and sorrow filled his eyes.

"Mr. Jenkins, we received a complete criminal complaint from Evelyn through the police chief's tip line. During our examination of her personal computer, we also discovered an encrypted folder.

"It was named after you. The password hint was your birthday. We believe she left a video specifically for you."

The detective handed me a tablet, and my hands trembled so badly that I could barely hold it steady. When the screen lit up, I entered my birthday as the password, and Evelyn's face appeared before me.

The video had been recorded the night before she jumped. The background showed her rented apartment.

She wore a clean white blouse, and her hair was neatly brushed. A silk scarf was wrapped tightly around her neck, concealing whatever lay beneath it. She looked painfully thin as she sat in front of the camera, her eyes red and swollen.

She stared into the lens and forced a faint, trembling smile. "Seth, by the time you see this, I'll already be gone. I'm sorry. I lied to you. I've been lying to you for two whole years."

Her voice was hoarse and unsteady. Tears spilled from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.