Thinking his pregnant wife was faking her brutal fall to ruin his family image, the furious husband crossed a dangerous line, only to realize the horrifying truth seconds later.

We watched the security monitor in breathless suspense.

At 8:41 PM, Carolyn sneaked into the house through the back pantry door.

At 8:46 PM—the exact moment Margaret kicked me and I screamed in agony—the camera caught Carolyn slipping out of Margaret’s private study down the hall.

She was clutching a heavy, black leather-bound ledger tight against her chest.

She paused near the kitchen door, listening to the chaos, the screams, and Daniel shouting that he was calling the police. A dark, terrifying smile crossed Carolyn’s face on the high-definition footage before she slipped out the back door and disappeared into the night.

"She used the distraction of the fight to steal Margaret's master ledger," Daniel realized aloud.

"What was in that ledger?" I asked.

"Margaret kept a physical record of every illegal payoff, every bribe, every blackmail note, and every asset she hid over forty years," Detective Morris explained. "It’s the ultimate key to completely undoing the Whitmore fortune and putting Margaret away forever. Carolyn knew where it was."

"Where is Carolyn now?!" Daniel asked urgently. "We need to find her!"

Detective Morris's face darkened. "That's where this case takes an even stranger turn. We issued a warrant for Carolyn Hayes's arrest as a material witness and for grand larceny."

She tapped a key on her computer, pulling up a TSA security photograph from Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, taken just six hours ago.

On the screen was Carolyn Hayes walking through the terminal, carrying a duffel bag. But she wasn't alone.

Walking right beside her, holding her arm with paternal warmth, was a tall, silver-haired man wearing a dark coat and sunglasses.

Daniel leaned close to the screen, frowning. "Who is that guy?"

Behind us, Robert Whitmore let out a choked, horrific sound from the back of his throat. He grabbed the edge of the conference table, his knuckles turning white, his eyes bulging with absolute terror.