The bright light from the window shone directly on a small black smartphone sitting next to a glass of water. Evelyn was so focused on arguing with Marcus that she had not noticed the little green light blinking on the screen.
For five long years, Evelyn believed she had committed the perfect crime. When Chloe's father fell sick, Evelyn was the only person allowed to give him his daily medicine in their private penthouse.
Marcus had tried to investigate the sudden death back then, but the local police found no obvious chemical signs in the body. Evelyn had used her position as wife to quickly cremate the body before deep tests could be done.
Chloe: You thought you destroyed every piece of evidence, didn't you, Evelyn?
Evelyn stopped mid-sentence and slowly turned her cold gaze back toward the young girl in the bed.
Evelyn: What are you talking about now, little girl?
Chloe: The medicine bottle from five years ago. The one you hid in the attic safe.
Evelyn's face suddenly went rigid, the arrogant smile disappearing completely from her lips.
Evelyn: That safe was locked and emptied years ago. You are making up wild stories.
Chloe: My father knew what you were doing to his daily drinks near the end.
Marcus: What are you saying, Chloe?
Chloe: Dad wrote a small journal, Marcus. He hid it inside the frame of the USA flag painting in his old study room.
Evelyn took a step back, her expensive leather shoes squeaking loudly on the oak floorboards.
Evelyn: That is impossible! I searched every corner of that house after he died!
Chloe: You were too busy looking inside his bank accounts to check his favorite artwork.
Marcus: Chloe... is this true? Did Dad really know?
Chloe: Yes. He wrote down every date, every strange taste in his tea, and every time Evelyn lied about calling his personal doctor.
Evelyn's breathing turned shallow and quick. The cold, calm composure she always kept was starting to crack at the edges.
Evelyn: A stupid journal proves nothing in a court of law! Anyone could write words on paper!
Chloe: It wasn't just words on paper, Evelyn.
Evelyn: What else could a dying old man possibly have?
Chloe: Dad hid a small memory card inside the back of that same framed painting.
The silence that followed was terrifying. Only the hum of the surgical lamp and the heart monitor filled the large hospital room.
Marcus looked at his sister in absolute shock, tears welling up in his dark brown eyes as he realized the truth.
Marcus: Dad recorded her...
Chloe: He recorded the night she mixed the liquid into his glass while he was too weak to stand up.
Evelyn: You are lying! You are trying to scare me into signing a deal!
Chloe: I found the memory card last week, Evelyn. Right before my car brakes magically stopped working on the steep hill road.
Evelyn's face turned red with sudden, blind rage. She realized that the car crash was supposed to destroy the secret forever, but Chloe had survived.
Evelyn: You wretched little thief! Give me that card right now!
Marcus: Don't you dare lay a finger on her!
Evelyn lunged forward toward the hospital bed, dropping her handbag and papers onto the floor. But Chloe did not flinch, cry, or hide under her blanket.