Chapter 27 - THE RECKONING
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The audio filled the kitchen. Linda’s voice echoing from the phone. The clatter of the capsule. The terrifying splash. The muffled, underwater gurgle of the baby. And Linda’s voice screaming, "Just flush, damn it, go down!"
Mrs. Higgins sat frozen, the color completely draining from her face. She looked from the phone to Linda, her professional detachment shattered by the sheer horror of what she had just heard.
Linda backed into the counter, her hands shaking violently. "That... that’s manipulated. It’s AI. She made that on her computer!"
"The metadata shows it was uploaded directly from the router to my secure cloud account at 9:15 AM on the day of the incident," Mark said coldly. "And I already sent a copy of it, along with the encrypted financial ledgers you thought you deleted off my laptop, to the District Attorney."
Mrs. Higgins didn't say a word to Linda. She picked up her phone, bypassed the local precinct number, and directly dialed the emergency dispatch.
"This is Supervisor Higgins with Child Protective Services. I need two units at this address immediately. I have a suspect in custody for severe child endangerment and filing a false police report."
Linda tried to run. She lunged for the back door, but Mark simply stepped in her path, his physical presence unmovable. He didn't touch her. He didn't yell. He just looked at her with utter disgust.
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"You let me believe my wife was a monster," Mark whispered, as the distant wail of police sirens began to echo through the suburban neighborhood. "You are dead to me."
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