Addison Lawson POV:
The plea echoed in the small, sterile room. Candace’s voice was a high, terrified wail, stripped of its earlier theatrics and full of genuine panic. "Damien! The police are going to search my apartment! They don't believe me!"
Detective Miller held up a hand, a silent command. He gestured toward the phone's speaker button.
Candace hesitated, her eyes wide with fear, but Miller's gaze was unyielding. With a trembling finger, she pressed the icon. The air filled with the faint crackle of an open line.
Then Damien's voice filled the room. It was the same voice that had once whispered promises in my ear—smooth, arrogant, and laced with impatience. "What are you crying about? I told you, she has nothing. She can't make waves."
The words hung in the air, a confession broadcast for two officers of the law to hear. Miller and his partner exchanged a look that was pure gold to my cause. I lowered my gaze, letting my eyelashes veil the cold satisfaction blooming in my chest. He was in his office, I guessed, insulated from the world, completely unaware that his attempt to control the situation from afar was destroying him.
"But Addison is here!" Candace cried, her voice escalating. "She told them about the engraving! They're getting a search warrant!"
The line went silent for two, long seconds. I could picture him perfectly: leaning back in his leather chair, his brow furrowed in annoyance, his carefully constructed world suddenly developing a crack.
When he spoke again, his voice had dropped, becoming the cold, commanding tone of a lawyer giving an order. "Listen to me, Candace. Calm down. You say it was stolen. You stick to that story. Do not let them in."
He continued, his words precise and damning. "They can't enter a private residence without a warrant. Stall them. My lawyer is on his way."
It was the most perfect piece of evidence I could have wished for. A clear, indisputable attempt to obstruct a police investigation.
A ghost of a smile touched Detective Miller's lips. It was a cold, predatory thing. He pulled out his own cell phone and dialed.
"Yeah, it's Miller," he said into the phone, his eyes locked on Candace. "I'm with the ADA on the line. We have the suspect's... associate... on speakerphone, actively instructing her to deny entry and conceal evidence. I need an exigent circumstances warrant. Now."
I listened to the one-sided conversation, a strange sense of detachment washing over me. Damien's voice, the one that had been the soundtrack to my life for seven years, was now the hammer nailing him and his mistress to the cross.
Candace was still pleading into the phone, but Damien had lost his patience. "Just do what I said! And stop calling me!"
The line went dead. The dial tone buzzed, loud and final in the quiet room. Candace stared at her phone, the blood draining from her face as the reality of the situation crashed down on her. Damien’s instructions hadn’t saved her. They had buried her.
It took less than ten minutes. Miller's phone buzzed. He answered, listened for a moment, and then hung up.
He stood, straightening his jacket in a gesture of finality. "Ms. Smith, the judge has signed the warrant."
Then he turned to me. His voice was different now, professional but tinged with a newfound respect. "Ms. Lawson, we'll need you to come with us, to identify the scene and the item in question."
In the space of a single phone call, I had gone from suspect to star witness.
I rose from my chair, my movements smooth and deliberate. "Of course."
For the first time, I looked directly at Candace. She was slumped in her chair, a broken doll. There was no triumph in my gaze, only a vast, chilling emptiness. Our eyes met, and she flinched as if I'd struck her, shrinking away.
Two officers flanked her, helping her to her feet. She offered no resistance. She was defeated.
As we walked out of the interrogation room, the officers in the precinct stared. I walked ahead with Detective Miller at my side. Candace was escorted behind us, no longer the victim, but a suspect in custody.
The harsh light of the hallway felt like a spotlight. My face was a placid mask, but inside, I knew. This was not the end.
This was just the first step.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Ms. Lawson," Miller said quietly as we approached the exit. "You've saved us a lot of time."
