Chapter 10 - The Second Video.
Rebecca did not play the second video in the restaurant.
Maya insisted they preserve it first.
They moved to Maya's office, where Rebecca transferred the original file directly from her phone and provided a written account of how she received it.
Daniel sat across from her in a conference room.
Tabitha had left the family meeting and stopped answering calls.
Rebecca looked exhausted.
“I should have come to you sooner.”
Daniel wanted to be angry with her.
He was angry with her.
But he needed the truth more than he needed the satisfaction of blame.
“Tell me what happened.”
Rebecca folded her hands.
“Three months ago, Tabitha asked me to stop by your house while you were away.”
Daniel remembered the trip.
A two-day conference in Denver.
“I thought Sophie was with a sitter.”
“She was with Tabitha.”
Rebecca looked down.
“When I got there, Sophie was crying near the stairs.”
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“Why?”
“She wanted to call you.”
Rebecca took a slow breath.
“Tabitha had her watch.”
Daniel remembered Sophie's admission.
Rebecca continued.
“I asked why she wouldn't give it back.”
“Tabitha said Sophie needed to learn not to use you as an escape from rules.”
Daniel's jaw tightened.
Rebecca had recorded part of the argument because Tabitha began saying things that frightened her.
Maya returned with the preserved copy.
They watched together.
The video began in the kitchen.
Tabitha stood beside the island holding Sophie's watch.
Rebecca's voice came from behind the camera.
“Just let her call her dad.”
Tabitha answered, “Every rescue makes him look better.”
Daniel's skin went cold.
Rebecca asked, “What does that mean?”
Tabitha turned toward the camera without realizing she was being recorded.
“It means no one will believe he can't handle her if I keep fixing everything before anyone sees the problem.”
Rebecca said, “What problem?”
Tabitha replied, “The problem I have to prove.”
The video ended moments later when Tabitha noticed Rebecca's phone.
Daniel stared at the black screen.
Hannah, seated beside him, whispered, “She said it.”
Maya nodded.
“She described the purpose of the record.”
Rebecca covered her face.
“I let her convince me I misunderstood.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Why did she ask you to delete it?”
“She said it would make the family look terrible if anyone saw us arguing.”
“Did you delete it?”
“I deleted the copy from my camera roll.”
Rebecca gave a faint, embarrassed smile.
“But my phone backed it up automatically.”
Daniel looked toward the window.
For the first time, the scheme had a center.
Tabitha wanted to establish that Daniel could not manage Sophie's care.
To do that, she had needed crises to happen when he was absent.
She had needed Sophie frightened, isolated, and discouraged from reaching him.
Then she documented the resulting distress as proof of Daniel's failure.
Maya received another email while they sat there.
She read it and looked at Daniel.
“Robert reviewed metadata from the document emailed to you last night.”
Daniel straightened.
“And?”
“The file was created yesterday afternoon.”
Rebecca's eyes widened.
“But it says Claire signed it last year.”
“The image contains an old signature pasted onto a newly created page.”
Daniel's anger became strangely calm.
Someone had forged Claire's instructions.
Maya continued.
“We are not making criminal accusations without proper forensic review.”
Daniel nodded.
“But we can say the document is highly questionable.”
“Yes.”
Rebecca looked sick.
“Tabitha gave it to me yesterday.”
Daniel turned toward her.
“She asked me to send it anonymously.”
The room went silent.
Rebecca started crying quietly.
“I didn't know it was fake.”
Daniel did not comfort her.
Not yet.
“Why did you do it?”
“Because she told me the court needed to see Claire's real wishes before your attorney buried them.”
Daniel looked at Maya.
Maya's expression remained controlled.
Rebecca reached into her bag.
“There is more.”
She placed a small flash drive on the table.
“Tabitha gave me this with the document.”
“What is on it?”
“I don't know.”
“She told me to keep it somewhere safe if anything happened to her petition.”
Maya picked it up carefully.
“We will have it examined without altering the data.”
Rebecca nodded.
Then her phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
“It's Tabitha.”
Maya said, “You do not have to answer.”
Rebecca stared at Daniel.
Then she put the call on speaker.
Tabitha's voice came through immediately.
“Did you give him the video?”
Rebecca did not respond.
Tabitha continued.
“If you did, you have no idea what you've started.”
Daniel leaned closer to the phone.
“What exactly have we started, Tabitha?”
The line went silent.
May you like
Then Tabitha said something none of them expected.
“Ask Claire's attorney what happened to the first will.”
