The next afternoon, rain tapped softly against the hospital room window glass. Chloe walked in carrying a leather briefcase filled with legal inheritance documents. She wore a sharp coat and looked confident, believing her plan was nearly complete.
Mark sat up in his bed, looking pale but alert and calm. He watched her open the briefcase and set a thick stack of papers down. She pointed directly to the signature lines highlighted with yellow adhesive tags.
Chloe: The lawyer said you just need to sign these three pages.
Mark: Are these the standard estate transfer forms for the bank account?
Chloe: Yes, and the secondary line adds me as your power of attorney.
Mark: Power of attorney? Why do we need that added right now?
Chloe: Just in case your health worsens while you are recovering in bed.
Mark took the heavy black pen from her hand and looked at the paper. The document was actually an immediate transfer of all inherited funds to her name. It also included a massive life insurance rider policy payable directly to her.
He set the pen down slowly on the tray table without signing. He looked up into her eyes, his expression shifting from confused to cold. Chloe frowned, her cheerful smile fading as she sensed something was wrong.
Chloe: Why aren't you signing the papers, Mark? It takes two seconds.
Mark: I remembered everything that happened on that high cliff, Chloe.
Chloe: What are you talking about? You said your memory was totally gone.
Mark: I remembered how you watched me slip and never reached out.
Chloe: That is crazy talk! I tried to catch you when you fell!
Mark: I remembered the cold, terrifying smile on your face right after I slipped.
Chloe’s face turned bright red with sudden rage and extreme panic. She grabbed the papers off the tray table, her knuckles turning bone white. She realized in an instant that Mark had played her for a complete fool.
Chloe: You think anyone is going to believe a crazy story like that?
Mark: They don't have to just take my word for it anymore.
Chloe: It was an accident! You slipped on loose rock on the trail!
Mark: Searchers found my lost phone down in the valley bushes yesterday, Chloe.
Chloe froze completely in her tracks, her breath catching tight in her throat. The phone’s rugged camera case had protected the internal memory card from the fall. The video camera was recording the entire scene right when he lost his footing.
The video clearly showed her step back, pull her arms away, and smile. It showed her standing completely still as Mark screamed and fell off the edge. Her deliberate act of letting him drop was recorded in high definition video.
Chloe: That video doesn't prove anything at all! You can't do this!
Mark: It proves you wanted me dead for my father's estate money.
Chloe: You ruined everything! That money was supposed to be mine!
She lunged forward toward the hospital bed, her face twisted in pure anger. Before she could touch him, the heavy door to the room burst open wide. Detective Vance and two armed sheriff deputies rushed inside with handcuffs ready.
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