Evelyn was sitting with Robert, reviewing their evidence one evening, when her phone rang. It was an unknown number. Robert, ever cautious, put it on speaker.
“Evie? Is that you?” Arthur’s voice, raspy and laced with what sounded like profound regret, filled the room. “Please, don’t hang up. I… I messed up.”
He launched into a rambling, tearful apology. “My mother, she forced my hand. She told me what to say, what to do. I never meant to hurt you, Evie. I swear it. This whole thing… it’s all her doing. She manipulates everyone.”
He begged Evelyn to reconcile, to give him a private chance, away from his mother’s influence. “Just us, Evie. We can fix this. Please. You know I love you.”
Evelyn listened, her face impassive. She exchanged a glance with Robert, who sat opposite her, his expression grim. Arthur’s performance was good, almost convincing. Almost.
“Arthur,” Evelyn said, her voice steady. “I need time to think.”
“Please, Evie,” he pleaded, his voice cracking. “Don’t abandon me. Not now. I’m so lost without you.”
“Goodbye, Arthur,” Evelyn said firmly, then pressed the “end call” button.
As the call disconnected, Robert leaned forward, his eyes narrowed. “Did you hear that?” he asked. “Just as you hung up. A faint click. Like a recording device being stopped.”
Evelyn’s stomach plummeted. Robert was right. Arthur hadn’t been making a genuine plea for reconciliation. He’d been attempting to manipulate her into a “confession” on tape, something he could use to prove she was unstable or vindictive, perhaps even fabricating abuse claims against Eleanor. The feigned remorse was a trap.
What did Arthur hope to achieve with this recorded call, and how could Evelyn and Robert possibly turn such a manipulative tactic back against him?
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