Chapter 8 - The Forty-Nine Day Cleansing Ritual
At 4:30 AM, Detective Ward called me back into the precinct conference room before I left for the hospital. He had just finished Georgia’s initial psychological assessment and interview.
"We found the origin of the 'forty-nine days' statement, Elias," Ward said, his face grim.
He laid out a journal recovered from Georgia's bedroom. It was filled with frantic, sprawling handwriting, newspaper clippings, and printouts from fringe religious cult forums.
"Your mother had been convinced for years that your father’s estate was cursed because your father had taken out loans she didn't approve of before his death," Ward explained. "When the narcotics syndicate approached Zachary through an associate in Boise two years ago, Georgia didn't just tolerate it—she saw it as divine restitution for the money she felt she was owed."
"What did she plan to do with Kristin?" I asked, dreading the answer.
Ward sighed heavily. "She genuinely believed that if she kept Kristin contained until Zachary cleared the final shipment and laundered the proceeds into an offshore trust, she could frame Kristin's disappearance as a voluntary runaway. She had already drafted fake journal entries in Kristin's handwriting, claiming Kristin was unhappy in the marriage and leaving for California."
My stomach churned with revulsion. Georgia hadn't just acted in a moment of panic; she had laid out a calculated contingency plan to discard Kristin entirely, ensuring no one would come looking for her until it was far too late.
"The brass padlock was purchased two weeks ago," Ward added. "Long before Tuesday’s incident. Georgia had been preparing to isolate Kristin the moment she suspected Kristin was paying too much attention to the backyard."
I looked at the journal entries—meticulous notes documenting my work schedules, my travel itineraries, and exactly when I would be out of state. Georgia had waited for my Salt Lake City trip to execute her plan, banking on having until Friday evening to relocate the stash and figure out what to do with Kristin.
My early arrival on Thursday had shattered her timeline by twenty-four hours.
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Those twenty-four hours were the only reason my wife and unborn child were still breathing.
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