Suzanne let out a bitter, mocking laugh from the hallway.

“Oh, please, Skylar,” she sneered. “If you’d just stayed still, it wouldn’t have hit you so hard.”

The silence that followed was so heavy that even Derek turned to shoot his sister a warning look. The phrase hung in the air like a dirty confession, proving they weren’t surprised by the attack—only by the consequences.

Skylar took out her phone and showed the officers a text conversation. There were messages from Derek from the night before.

“My sister needs you to chip in for her expenses,” one text read. “Don’t make me look bad in front of my family. Give her the card tomorrow or you’ll see.”

Then she played an audio message from Suzanne. The sister’s voice was clear, mocking, and thoroughly vulgar.