Madison’s voice erupted in frantic sobbing. “Gina, please, listen to me. They arrested Tyler. The police are looking for me. I did not mean to do this. I swear I was scared. You have to help me.”
Regina closed her eyes. “You stole from your own family,” she said steadily. “What help are you asking for.”
“I had no choice,” Madison cried. “He said if I did not give him the money, he would tell everyone what happened in Seattle. I was terrified.”
Regina looked at Piper, who stood quietly beside her, brave and steady. “You always have a choice,” Regina replied. “You chose him over us.”
The line went dead.
That night Regina barely slept. By morning she had packed the tablet, printed the cloud backups, and taken Piper by the hand to the Denver police station. Detective Sarah Kim listened with professional calm as Regina laid out every detail and played the recordings. When Tyler spoke his name in the video, the detective paused the screen.
“That man is already under investigation for financial exploitation,” she said. “Your evidence connects him to several cases.”