CHAPTER 15: THE AUDIO NOBODY EXPECTED
The most troubling file on the drive was not a spreadsheet. It was a short audio recording saved among June’s project clips. The file appeared to have been captured accidentally while Grant used the borrowed laptop for a video meeting. Helena insisted we establish its origin before treating it as reliable evidence. A digital specialist examined the metadata and found that the audio had been created on the laptop on a date consistent with June’s account. On it, Grant discussed the proposed property filing with another man. “She won’t sign,” he said. The other voice suggested waiting until the divorce announcement, when she might be too embarrassed to object. Grant replied, “Mother says she’ll fold if we make it public.” Then came the line that stayed with me: “The girl doesn’t need to know what we’re moving.” I listened once. That was enough. Helena explained that admissibility and context would have to be evaluated, and we would not distribute the recording online. It belonged with the investigators and lawyers, not in a public spectacle. I was grateful for that restraint. At the party, June had been moments away from projecting private files in front of 120 strangers. I had stopped her. The adults responsible for the wrongdoing would have to answer for it in the proper setting. My daughter would not be made into an instrument of revenge.
