Bradley’s lawyer tried to call it phrases taken out of context. Then the prosecution laid out the messages, the sedative bottles, the false diagnosis, the blood-stained towel, and the drive from behind the painting.

Finally they played the voice note sent after the 911 call.

“She was still breathing when she fell,” Heather’s recorded voice said. “Bradley told me not to touch her. He said if we called the ambulance too soon, she might wake up and tell the police everything.”

The room seemed to run out of air. For the first time, Bradley lowered his eyes.

Heather had agreed to cooperate for a reduced sentence. She confessed she’d been with him almost two years, and that together they’d meant to take over the company.

She’d worn the bracelet, she said, because Bradley gave it to her a week before the crime. “He told me Katherine wouldn’t be needing it anymore,” she sobbed.