Chapter 4 - Lauren’s Last Confession
Z
Lauren agreed to speak with me two days later.
Not at my house.
Not at the hospital.
She wanted to meet in the interview room at the police station, where she had been held after toxicology reports confirmed that the substance in our plug-in contained a powerful sedative mixed with industrial chemicals.
The police charged her with attempted poisoning, child endangerment, and conspiracy pending further investigation.
I expected to hate her when I walked into that room.
I did hate her.
But seeing my younger sister in an orange detention uniform still broke something inside me.
Lauren looked exhausted. Her hair was pulled into a messy knot, and there were dark circles beneath her eyes. For the first time in years, she looked less like the glamorous, reckless sister who always managed to charm everyone around her and more like the scared teenager I remembered from our childhood.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered.
I didn’t sit down.
“My daughter almost died.”
“I know.”
“My husband is still in the hospital.”
“I know.”
“You poisoned my home.”
“I didn’t know the chemicals would react like that.”
“You didn’t know?” I said, my voice rising. “You bought something from a stranger to make Daniel unconscious in a house where a child lives. What exactly did you think would happen?”
Lauren flinched.
Then she started crying.
“I was desperate.”
“Desperate for what?”
She stared at the metal table between us.
“Marcus wanted the files.”
I felt cold all over.
“What files?”
“The ones Daniel had. The photos. The bank records. Everything.”
“Why?”
“Because Marcus isn’t just some guy I dated.”
Her voice cracked on the last word.
“He runs a fraud operation. Fake businesses, stolen identities, credit accounts, property scams. He has people inside banks, dealerships, even a title company. I didn’t know how deep it was when I met him.”
“You used my identity.”
Lauren’s eyes shut.
“Yes.”
The room went silent.
I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw the chair through the glass window. Instead, I stood there and stared at the sister I had defended my entire life.
“I trusted you.”
“I know.”
“You were living in my house.”
“I know.”
“Did you ever plan to tell me?”
“I tried.”
“When?”
“The night Daniel found out.”
She lifted her eyes toward me.
“Daniel saw the loan application on your credit report. He confronted me. I begged him not to tell you until I could fix it. But Marcus had already taken copies of your information. He said if I didn’t cooperate, he would ruin all of us.”
“What did Daniel do?”
“He contacted Mara Pierce.”
“The federal prosecutor.”
Lauren nodded. “Daniel wanted to turn everything over. He said Marcus would be arrested and I could make a deal if I testified.”
“And you didn’t want to testify.”
“I was terrified.”
“Of prison?”
“Of Marcus.”
She leaned closer, lowering her voice.
“You don’t understand him. He doesn’t threaten people himself. He sends messages. He makes accidents happen. He finds out where your kids go to school. He knows which door you leave unlocked.”
My chest tightened.
“The garage camera,” I said.
Lauren looked away.
“What about it?”
“You told Daniel the router needed replacing.”
She didn’t answer.
“You turned it off.”
“I only needed one day.”
“One day for what?”
“To get the evidence before Marcus found it.”
“But Marcus already knew Daniel had it.”
“Yes.”
“Then why poison Daniel?”
“Because Daniel changed his mind.”
I stared at her.
“What do you mean?”
“He was supposed to hand the files to Mara quietly. But he told me he was going to include recordings. Recordings of me.”
The words came out in a rush.
“He had me admitting everything. The identity theft. The accounts. The money. If he gave that to the government, I would go to prison no matter what.”
“So you tried to stop him.”
“I only wanted him asleep long enough to take the files.”
“And Chloe?”
Lauren’s face crumpled.
“I swear to God, Emma, I didn’t know she would come in.”
“You knew her schedule.”
“I thought she was staying late for art club.”
“She wasn’t.”
“I know that now.”
I wanted to believe that some part of her still loved Chloe. But love did not explain what she had done. Love did not leave a ten-year-old unconscious on a kitchen floor.
Before I left, Lauren grabbed my wrist.
“There’s something else.”
I pulled away, but she spoke quickly.
“Marcus has the recordings now.”
My blood turned to ice.
“How?”
“I didn’t give them to him. I swear. But someone else did.”
“Who?”
Lauren looked terrified.
“Daniel.”
For one second, I thought I had misunderstood.
“Daniel gave Marcus the recordings?”
“No. Not willingly. Marcus had someone inside Daniel’s company. Someone who copied files from his work laptop.”
I remembered Daniel’s laptop on the kitchen island.
The detective had taken it as evidence.
“Who is it?” I asked.
Lauren shook her head.
“I don’t know. But Daniel knew someone was watching him.”
She reached into the pocket of her jail uniform and placed a folded piece of paper on the table.
“I found this in his office weeks ago. I didn’t understand it then.”
It was a list of names.
Most were unfamiliar.
But one name made my stomach drop.
Michael Bennett.
Daniel’s older brother.
The man who had been calling me every day since the attack, offering support, telling me he would do anything for our family.
The man who had access to Daniel’s office.
May you like
The man who had helped Daniel set up the garage cameras.
And possibly, the man who had been standing closest to us the entire time.
