Chapter 7
The next few hours were a blur.
Police officers everywhere.
Flashlights.
Questions.
Yellow crime scene tape.
Ava was taken by a social worker, wrapped in a blanket, given hot chocolate.
I wanted to go to her, to hold her, to tell her everything was okay.
But the police needed to question me first.
I told them everything.
From the beginning.
Elena's suspicions about the company.
The accident.
The way Reynolds had rushed to close the case.
The custody battle.
Ava's warning at the auditorium.
The fight with Mason and Rebecca.
The escape from jail.
The secret room.
The safe.
The documents.
And Ava's recording.
The lead detective, a woman named Alvarez, listened carefully, taking notes.
When I finished, she looked at me for a long moment.
"And you have the documents?" she asked.
I nodded toward the table where an officer was collecting them. "Everything's there. Ledgers. Bank records. Evidence of money laundering, bribery, the building collapse cover-up. Everything."
"And the recording?"
"Ava has it. On her toy phone."
Detective Alvarez stood up.
"Stay here," she said.
She walked over to where Ava was sitting with the social worker.
I watched as she knelt down in front of my daughter, speaking softly.
Ava nodded, pulled the toy phone from her pocket, and handed it to her.
Detective Alvarez pressed play.
I couldn't hear it from where I was sitting, but I saw the detective's face change.
She stood up, turned to one of the officers, and said something.
The officer nodded and walked over to where Charles was sitting, handcuffed, and read him his rights.
Charles didn't say anything.
He just stared at Ava, his face a mix of rage and something else.
Something that looked almost like fear.
Detective Alvarez came back to me.
"Mr. Voss," she said. "We're going to need you to come down to the station to make a formal statement. But first... go see your daughter."
I didn't need to be told twice.
I ran to Ava.
She saw me coming and jumped up, her arms outstretched.
I caught her, lifting her into my arms, holding her as tight as I could without hurting her.
She buried her face in my neck, her small body shaking.
"I was scared, Daddy," she whispered.
"I know, baby," I said, my own voice cracking. "I know. But it's okay now. Daddy's here. I'm never letting you go again."
We held each other for a long time, surrounded by police officers and crime scene tape and the wreckage of what used to be a family.
But for the first time in months, I felt like we were going to be okay.
Sarah came over, her face tired but relieved.
"How are you two holding up?" she asked.
I looked at Ava, then at Sarah.
"We're okay," I said. "Thanks to you."
Sarah smiled. "Don't thank me yet. This is just the beginning. Charles has good lawyers. This could go to trial. It could take months. Maybe years."
I nodded. "I'm ready. Whatever it takes."
"And there's something else," Sarah said, her voice quieter. "Reynolds is cooperating. He's willing to testify against Charles and Hale in exchange for immunity. He says he was pressured, that Charles threatened his family."
I felt a flash of anger.
Reynolds had helped cover up my wife's murder.
He'd helped try to take my daughter.
And now he was going to walk away?
But Sarah was shaking her head.
"I know," she said. "But his testimony is the key. He can connect Charles directly to the accident. He has evidence. Phone records. Payments. Without him, Charles might walk. With him... he'll spend the rest of his life in prison."
I looked at Ava.
She was playing with the buttons on her teddy bear, seemingly oblivious to the adult conversation happening around her.
But I knew she was listening.
She always was.
"Do it," I said.
Sarah nodded. "I'll talk to the prosecutor. And Lucien? The custody hearing tomorrow. It's going to be dismissed. Charles is in no position to fight for custody. You and Ava are going to be fine."
I held Ava closer.
Fine.
It sounded like a miracle.
But there was still one thing I needed to do.
One person I needed to talk to.
"Sarah," I said. "Can you take Ava for a little while? I need to go somewhere."
She looked at me, concerned. "Where?"
"To the cemetery," I said. "I need to talk to Elena."
Sarah nodded. "Of course. Take all the time you need."
She held out her arms for Ava.
Ava looked at me, her eyes questioning.
"I'll be right back, baby," I said. "I promise. I'm just going to go tell Mommy the good news."
Ava nodded and let Sarah take her.
I watched them walk out to Sarah's car.
Then I turned and looked at Charles.
He was being led out by two officers, his head down.
As he passed me, he stopped.
He looked at me, and for a moment, I saw the man he used to be.
The man who'd walked his daughter down the aisle.
The man who'd held Ava when she was a baby, tears in his eyes.
The man who'd destroyed everything because of pride and greed.
"You won," he said quietly.
I looked at him, and I felt nothing.
No anger.
No triumph.
Just emptiness.
"Elena won," I said.
He was led away.
May you like
I walked out into the night air, took a deep breath, and started walking toward the cemetery.
It was time to tell my wife everything was going to be okay.
