Chapter 7 - Parker’s Father
The message came from Ethan Grayson.
Mark had not spoken to him in nearly a year.
Vanessa had spent the divorce describing Ethan as bitter, controlling, and obsessed with punishing her. Most of the family believed her because she told the story first and repeated it longest.
His message contained no greeting.
Do not let them settle. I found the dashcam footage from Parker’s Mercedes. Vanessa was standing beside him when he did it.
Mark stared at the screen.
A second message appeared.
It recorded what she told him before he hit Lily’s car.
Across the driveway, Vanessa watched Mark’s expression change.
Her crying stopped.
Officer Ross asked, “Is something wrong?”
Before Mark could answer, headlights swept across the lawn.
A dark sedan stopped near the curb. Ethan stepped out wearing a suit, carrying a black folder and a small flash drive.
Parker’s face went white.
“Dad?”
Ethan walked toward him.
There was no anger in his expression.
Only disappointment.
That frightened Parker more.
Ethan looked at the damaged hatchback, the maple tree, and Lily standing with the spare key in her hand.
“I’m sorry,” he said to her.
Vanessa stepped between them.
“You had no right to access that car.”
Ethan looked at her.
“The Mercedes is registered through my company. The dashcam automatically backs up collision events.”
Parker’s mouth opened.
Nothing came out.
Ethan faced Officer Ross.
“The video shows the impact. It also captured the conversation before it.”
May you like
Then he held out the flash drive.
“Play it before they lie again.”
