PART7

“No. It was months ago.”

I showed him the photograph again.

He shook his head.

“I don’t want to give you the wrong name. The police should identify him.”

For once, I was grateful someone was willing to admit what they didn’t know.

Then Daniel told me something else.

“Laura called me the night before she died. She asked whether I still had the number of an attorney who helped our parents with their estate.”

“Why?”

“She said she needed advice about some documents. I offered to come over, but she told me not to. She said she’d explain everything the next day.”

Daniel’s eyes filled with tears.

“There was always going to be a next day, Michael.”

I lowered my head.

That was the cruelest part of losing someone suddenly.

All the conversations you postponed.

All the questions you assumed you could ask tomorrow.

All the ordinary moments you never realized were precious until they were gone.

Except now, there was a possibility that Laura’s final hours had not been as ordinary as I had believed.

Three days passed before Investigator Miller called with a significant development.

The man in the photograph had been identified as Dr. Adrian Cole, a senior physician affiliated with the medical research center Laura had visited.

According to the preliminary information, Laura had become involved in reviewing discrepancies in certain medical records.

Some involved patients who had experienced unexpected medical emergencies.

Several records contained inconsistencies between the original observations and the conclusions entered into the official files.

The authorities were examining whether those discrepancies resulted from administrative errors, improper procedures, or something more serious.

Laura had apparently raised concerns.

I sat at the kitchen table, listening to Rebecca explain the situation.

“Was my wife investigating him?” I asked.

“We don’t know the full extent of her involvement yet. Her notes suggest that she was concerned about discrepancies, but we need to establish exactly what she knew and whether she had reported her concerns through appropriate channels.”

“Did she confront him?”

“We’re still investigating that.”

I looked down at my hands.

“Did he have anything to do with her death?”

“Michael, I need you to understand that we haven’t established that. His identity and the documents are leads, not proof of wrongdoing. We are investigating the medical circumstances separately and will follow the evidence wherever it leads.”

I appreciated the distinction, even though uncertainty was becoming unbearable.

Before we ended the call, Rebecca told me that the authorities had obtained information suggesting Dr. Cole had been in contact with Laura shortly before her death.

They were working to establish the nature of those communications.

I hung up and sat in silence.

Then I remembered the flash drive.

The investigators had taken it for examination, but Rebecca had mentioned that they would contact me if it contained material relevant to the investigation.

I didn’t have to wait long.

That evening, she called again.

“We’ve recovered several files from the drive. One contains a recording that appears to be a conversation between Laura and another person. We’re verifying its authenticity and context.”

My heart began pounding.

“Can I hear it?”

“Not immediately. We need to preserve the evidence and determine how it should be handled. But I wanted you to know that we’re taking it seriously.”

After the call, I went into Ethan’s bedroom.

He was sitting on the floor, arranging his toy cars in a neat line.

“Daddy, when can we visit Mommy?”

I sat beside him.

“Soon, buddy. We need to wait for the doctors and investigators to finish their work.”

He pushed a small blue car toward me.

“Mommy used to say that even when you can’t see the road, you should keep going slowly until you find the right direction.”

I smiled sadly.

“She did say that.”

“Do you think she knew this would happen?”

I looked at my son.

“I don’t know. But I think she wanted us to be brave if things ever became difficult.”

Ethan considered that for a moment.

Then he handed me the blue car.

“You can keep this until we find out what happened.”

I took it carefully.

“Thank you, buddy.”

He leaned against me.

And for a little while, we sat together without talking.

The next morning, Rebecca invited me to a meeting with the investigators and the medical review team.

They had established that the original determination of Laura’s death required further scrutiny.

However, they emphasized that no one had yet established why the discrepancies had occurred or whether they were connected to any deliberate wrongdoing.

The review team was examining the available records, the circumstances surrounding Laura’s final hours, and the documentation created afterward.

Then Rebecca told me something that changed the way I understood the investigation.

“The recording contains a discussion about medical records and a request that Laura not disclose certain information. We are still establishing the identities of the speakers and the full context.”

“Did the speaker threaten her?”

“We cannot characterize the conversation that way until the recording has been properly examined. But it raises questions that we need to answer.”

I nodded.

“Can I hear it?”

After the evidence had been reviewed and arrangements were made, I was allowed to listen to the relevant portion.

Laura’s voice filled the room.

It was unmistakably hers.

She sounded frightened, but determined.

“I told you those records don’t match,” she said. “I can’t pretend I didn’t see the discrepancies.”

A man’s voice answered.

“You don’t understand what you’re risking.”

“I understand exactly what I’m risking.”

“You have a family.”

There was a pause.

Then Laura spoke again.

“That’s why I can’t keep quiet.”

The recording ended shortly afterward.

I sat motionless.

I had heard my wife argue with insurance companies, negotiate with contractors, and insist that a restaurant correct a bill that had been calculated incorrectly.

But I had never heard her sound like that.

She wasn’t angry.

She was afraid.

And she had continued speaking anyway.

Rebecca explained that the recording alone did not establish that the conversation had caused Laura’s death. Its context, authenticity, and significance were still being examined.

I understood.

But I also knew why Laura had hidden the blue box.

She had been trying to preserve information she believed mattered.

And she’d done it without telling me because she may have thought that silence would keep me and Ethan safe.

CONTINUE FOR NEXT PART8…