Chapter 4 - The Logbook Was Only The Beginning
Richard did not believe the photograph immediately.
Not because he thought Emily was lying.
Because believing it meant reconsidering the woman sleeping beside him.
He demanded the original.
George brought it to the reception hall the morning of the wedding setup.
The ink was faded.
The handwriting belonged to a security attendant named Paul Reeves, now deceased.
The entries were simple.
8:54 PM — Laura Benton — personal vehicle.
Laura’s maiden name before marrying Richard.
Then:
9:31 PM — Marianne Carter — SUV.
Then:
10:04 PM — L. Benton exit.
And:
10:19 PM — M. Carter exit.
Marianne crashed at approximately 10:36.
Richard stared at those four lines until Ethan finally asked:
“Dad, did Laura tell police she was there?”
“No.”
“Did she tell you?”
“No.”
Laura entered the room during that conversation.
She saw the ledger.
For one second, Emily watched pure recognition cross her face.
Then it disappeared.
Laura said old handwritten logs were unreliable.
She suggested the attendant might have entered the wrong date.
She reminded Richard that people had been drinking during charity week.
She offered explanations so quickly that Ethan noticed something Emily had already understood.
Laura wasn’t surprised enough.
Emily pushed harder.
“If that entry is wrong, why do you recognize it?”
Laura’s face hardened.
“I recognize the place.”
“No. You recognized the page.”
Richard told them both to stop.
He still wanted time.
Verification.
Something that made sense.
Emily could not stand it.
“Dad, she lied about being with Mom the night Mom died.”
Laura snapped:
“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”
That argument carried them upstairs toward the mezzanine.
And by the time Ethan entered from the hallway below, Emily had reached the question Laura apparently feared most.
What happened between you and my mother that night?
Laura’s answer was not verbal.
May you like
She shoved Emily over the railing.
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