Chapter 6 - THE STORY THEY FILED FIRST
Carter called police thirty-eight minutes after officers found Emma.
He reported her missing.
According to him, Emma had become unstable after he confronted her about stealing family silver. She left the estate voluntarily before dawn, taking jewelry and financial documents with her.
Victoria supported the story.
She said Emma had always resented the family’s wealth and recently became irrational because of pregnancy hormones.
Their attorney delivered copies of a typed confession bearing Emma’s name.
The signature was forged.
The document said Emma had secretly removed several pieces from the Whitmore collection and replaced them with replicas.
Their plan was simple.
Emma would be found dead from exposure.
The blood thinner would magnify internal bleeding.
Her injuries would be described as a fall during her supposed escape.
The missing originals would become evidence of theft.
And the fraud they committed would become the crime of a dead pregnant woman.
But their timing failed.
The police had found Emma before Carter officially reported her gone.
Traffic cameras showed the Whitmore SUV traveling toward the bus shelter at 4:31 a.m. and returning toward the estate nineteen minutes later.
Mud from the shelter matched soil found around the vehicle’s rear passenger floor.
A strand of Emma’s wet hair remained caught near the seat belt.
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Most importantly, Carter’s missing-person report contained details police had never released—including the exact bus route near which she had been found.
He knew where she was because he had left her there.
