Chapter 1 - The Audio File
The heavy thud of Derek hitting the hardwood floor rattled my teeth. One state trooper had a knee pinned firmly between Derek’s shoulder blades, while the other wrenched his arms back, the metallic click of handcuffs echoing through the dining room.
I gasped for air, clutching my bruised throat. The local detective, a sharp-eyed woman named Russo, knelt beside me. "Are you alright? EMS is on the way."
"I'm fine," I rasped, though my voice sounded like grinding stones.
Elena was screaming. Not at Derek, but at the police. "What are you doing?! Let him go! She tripped! My sister is clumsy, she fell against the door!"
Detective Russo looked at Elena, then back at me, noting the distinct, hand-shaped purpling already forming on my neck. "Ma'am," Russo said to Elena, her voice dangerously calm, "unless your rug has fingers, she didn't trip."
"She's lying!" Elena shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at me. "She's always been jealous of us! She set him up!"
I didn't argue. I didn't need to. I tapped the face of my smart-bracelet, ending the emergency transmission.
"Detective," I croaked. "My device. It recorded everything from the moment I pressed it. The assault. And my sister... telling him I deserved it."
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Elena froze. The color drained from her face, leaving her looking like a porcelain doll about to shatter. Derek, struggling against the troopers, went completely limp. The audio was an airtight seal on their coffins.
As the paramedics strapped me to a gurney, I looked at Elena one last time. "You wanted my professional reputation, Elena? You're about to see exactly what I do to fraudsters for a living."
